Then, shortly thereafter, there were no aisles left to dance in. VHS made the concert film less of a public event and more of an at-home-with-a-bag-of-Cheetos experience. By the time Radiohead made its stuffy tour film, Meeting People is Easy, in the late '90s, the wonder and mystique were pretty much extinguished. Then YouTube came along and the screen got smaller still. These days, the large-scale concert film genre is basically a graveyard—home to the dead (Michael Jackson, This Is It) and the undead (The Rolling Stones, Shine a Light), with the JoBros the only remaining trace of once abundant youthful vigor.

Perhaps those eerie vibes are what has drawn D.C. expats Dead Meadow to the scene. Or maybe the trio, who play bluesy psych-rock, had been spending a lot of time with Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same. Whatever the rationale, in March the band will release Three Kings, a film that's one part concert footage, one part stoner-ghosts walking around in robes, and one part bassist Steve Kille firing an Uzi at a light bulb. At least, that's what this preview suggests.

A video for the song "That Old Temple," excerpted from the film, is up after the jump

Dead Meadow "That Old Temple" from Artificial Army on Vimeo.

There's no mention of Michael Jackson's death in This Is It — not even dates under his photo in the closing-credits dedication. But even if director Kenny Ortega had chosen to acknowledge the King of Pop's passing, it'd still be easy to forget the fact while watching this extraordinary and eye-opening cobble of footage shot during rehearsals for Jackson's fatefully named tour.

The last decade or so has framed Michael as an alleged pedophile and frail freak, the butt of jokes and scorn whose decision to perform 50 shows in London this year seemed a desperate attempt to dig himself out of bankruptcy. The truth of his past, however, feels irrelevant in light of the truth shown in this film: By the time the tour was gelling, the Weird One had left the building.

Ortega, who was also the show's director, generously filled the nearly two-hour This Is It with mostly performance footage. Of course, there are snippets of interviews with Jackson's dancers, musicians, and other crew, all of whom gush (and occasionally tear up, even before his death) about the opportunity.

And even viewers whose fandom has grown latent will quickly see why. Jackson looks thin but hardly feeble. His feet were still fluid, his voice still silky. The precision of his choreography is astounding. (When asked how he'll be able to respond to a visual cue if his back is turned, he hardly waits a beat before saying, “I gotta feel it. I'll feel it.” You believe him.) And when anything was off, he'd try it again and again, never hesitating to hammer out details that would seem minuscule to us commoners.

The film's arguably more impressive achievement, though, is showing a Jackson who's human — and likable. He was often funny and unfailingly kind, whether correcting someone or coaxing his 24-year-old lead guitarist, “It's your time to shine.” This is the oxygen-tank-sleeping chimp lover?

With the tour's debut only a couple of weeks away when Jackson died, this footage also showcases the show's elaborate set pieces, including a 3D film and floating ghost-brides and -grooms to accompany “Thriller” and an alternately amusing and action-packed backdrop to introduce “Smooth Criminal,” in which Jackson's inserted into the 1946 Rita Hayworth movie, Gilda. (He catches a glove she tosses to the audience after a performance.) It all points to a concert that would have been spectacular, and a talent who was rightfully adored.

Considering the team Jackson's assembled, $20 mill seems a conservative estimate. Along with the requisite army of pelvic-thrusting backup dancers and purported 22 set changes, Jackson chose High School Musical director and choreographer Kenny Ortega to direct this epic comeback effort. According to the Guardian:

"My answer without a beat was nothing could keep me away," Ortega said in a statement. He has chosen a slew of new and established choreographers, including Travis Payne, who worked on Dancing with the Stars, and Rich and Tone Talauega, who collaborated with another controversial star, Chris Brown.

According to Ortega, Jackson is working on a new dance move to unveil at the show, but when pressed by the Guardian he refused to elaborate: "I'm sworn to secrecy." Moonwalk 2.0?!

All that preparation, recruiting and creating is with good reason; "This Is It" will be Jackson's first live performance in 12 years, and all 50 dates—costing concertgoers £50.00 – £75.00 a ticket—are sold out. As the L.A. Times conjectures, "The ambitious schedule of 50 sold-out shows could turn out to be the final, sad chapter of Jackson's storied career—or one of pop music's all-time greatest comeback stories."

Here's hoping for the latter.