by Samantha Abbott
Issue date: 9/22/09

Who's Bad is the Chapel Hill based, self-proclaimed Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute band comprised of a six Carolina-native musicians. These include Darion Alexander on bass, Nyk Baglio on drums, Patrick Cross on Guitar, Ray McCall on trumpet, Vamsi Tadepelli on saxophone and often synthesizer, and of course Joseph Bell and Taalib York on lead vocals. Yes, that's two Michaels.

Who's Bad was at the Green Street Club in downtown Greensboro this past Saturday, September 19, playing to a packed club. The crowd was shoulder to shoulder as the band regaled some of the King of Pop's most beloved hits from the "ABC" to "You Rock my World".

Though the thought of multiple Michael Jacksons on stage might seem a strange, possibly overwhelming concept, the band plays it off very well. The singers encapsulate various phases of Jackson's career by splitting up the set-list between them. At one point, both of the vocalists came on stage at once, causing the crowd to erupt with screams.

Who's Bad was founded in 2004 by saxophonist Vamsi Tadepelli and has been gaining popularity all over the country ever since. Their nationwide tours have lead them to such success that the band now does multiple shows in cities in the U.K., even Singapore and other sites around the world. This is probably due to the band's sensational presentation of the Michael Jackson's music. Their performances are peppered with dance and show. This keeps each of the band members working double-time, as they are also the back-up singers as well as the dancers.

For example, in Saturday's show during the instrumental break in "Beat It" saxophonist Tadepelli and trumpeter McCall left their instruments by the wayside, moved to the front of the stage, and proceeded to act out the famous knife-fight routine from the music video.

And on top of the performance of Jackson's music and dance, the band adopts the iconic singer's looks. The lead vocalists adopt some of Jackson's most famous styles, including the red jacket, made famous by the "Beat It" music video, and the white shirt, black slacks and white socks famously remembered from the Motown 25th Anniversary Concert. The vocalists were however light-hearted about the matter of being unable to recreate all of Jackson's looks. Vocalist Joseph Bell returned on stage after a break donning the glitziest silver shirt and pants this side of Vegas and a gigantic afro. He smiled out at the audience, asking if it was about time for some Jackson Five and was again met by deafening screams.

The band's performance of the old-school number "I'll Be There" left some concert-goers in tears after the death of the band's namesake not so long ago. With Michael Jackson at the cusp of a sold out comeback tour and the timing of his death, it seems appreciation for Who's Bad has only increased. But the success is surely bittersweet. Vocalist Taalib York called for a night of remembrance and love for the King of Pop at Saturday's show. Founder Tadepelli has said that the band is their way, as seven true Jackson fans, to show their appreciation. The band hopes to continue performing and sharing the music of Michael Jackson to fans all over the world. Their goal is to keep the spirit of Jackson's music and showmanship alive, and share his legacy as well as they can, with as many as they can.