Thriller – Live is a two and a half hour concert celebrating the music of The Jackson 5 and the solo work of Michael Jackson. It had already been performed in the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, and Scandinavia before opening at the Lyric Theatre, London on 2 January 2009. The show was conceived by Jackson family friend and author, Adrian Grant (theatrical producer).

In August 2006, Thriller – Live was previewed in the UK, at the Dominion Theatre. At the time, Adrian Grant (theatrical producer) spoke of why he came up with the concept and the prospect of taking it to the West End. He started a British fan club in 1988, and then Jackson invited him out to Los Angeles when he was recording Dangerous. Within a few years the fan club had grown to 25,000 subscribed members. This led to an annual Michael Jackson tribute show from 1991, the tenth anniversary event was attended by Jackson himself. A single tribute show attracted anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 people. Grant also wrote three books, including Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary which was approved by the singer. Jackson was never involved with the production of Thriller – Live, but wished Grant luck with the production.

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop and rock artists.

Red Jacket (known as Otetiani in his youth and Sagoyewatha Sa-go-ye-wa-tha after 1780) (c. 1750–January 20, 1830) was a Native American Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan. He negotiated on behalf of his nation with the new United States after the American Revolutionary War, when the Seneca as British allies were forced to cede much land, and signed the Treaty of Canandaigua. He helped secure some Seneca territory in New York state. His talk on "Religion for the White Man and the Red" (1805) has been preserved as an example of his great oratorical style.

Red Jacket's birthplace has long been a matter of debate. Some historians claim he was born at the Old Seneca Castle near present-day Geneva, New York, near the foot of Seneca Lake. Others believe he was born near Cayuga Lake and present-day Canoga, while others place his birth south of Branchport, on Keuka Lake near the mouth of Basswood Creek. It is known that he spent much of his youth at Basswood Creek, and his mother was buried there after her death.