I’m Sorry, Ms. Jackson (But at Least You Are For Real?)

Paris Jackson also headlined day one of the two-day twitch x Rolling Stone Live showcase at 3TEN ACL Live theater (photo by David Brendan Hall)

23-year-old South by Southwest showcasing artist Paris Jackson – daughter of the late Michael Jackson – stepped onstage 30 minutes late at her Porsche Unseen appearance on Sunday with her daddy’s team, her mama’s looks, and a whole heap of expectations.

Well, if Paris Jackson succeeded at one thing in music, it’s to not be compared to her legendary father as a performer. Chuck Arnold of the New York Post wrote of 2019’s debut indie rock album Wilted, “There is not one single Michael-esque moment.” The same could be said about her stage presence, or lack thereof. She can strum a guitar and stay on-key, but whereas Michael was practically born on the stage, Paris has spent most of her young life navigating overwhelming amounts of press attention offstage. Onstage, she has significantly less experience.

Sunday’s intimate appearance, to an audience spread between crypto bros celebrating post-convention and the crop-top crowd of SXSW partygoers looking for a free bar before they hit the town – none of whom seemed to know Jackson’s music – opened with a slightly pitchy rendition of a song she called “Whiskey Jar” in a velvet dress with a flannel tied around her waist. She announced that all of the music she performed were new songs, with the exception of “Let Down.” She hit her stride more with a song chorused as “Hollow,” and offered a few moments of real connection, but none of the uninhibited truth that is music when it’s the only thing you know you have. Mostly she just looked tired. It was the first SXSW party I went to where the audience danced more after an artist got off stage than when they were on. This isn’t to say Paris was terrible; she can play the guitar and hold a tune as well as any high school talent show runner-up.

Her band is world-class and Paris is cognizant of the fact that she’s lucky to have them, calling out nicknames – “Michael Brady and Nikki Sixx.” For a band that only recently started playing with the lead singer there is good chemistry, but that is what great, professional musicians do.

Jackson’s Wednesday set at the C3 Presents showcase at Scoot Inn brought more energy as she arrived on-set and on-time with a Courtney Love “just-woke-up-in-a-drug-stupor (but my makeup artist touched me up)” look. Paris hit her notes with opener “Whiskey Jar,” and visibly let loose by the time she got to “Let Down” and “Hollow.” There was also more audience engagement, with some genuinely cute laughs as she switched between singing and tuning an electric guitar she just learned how to play weeks ago.

photo by David Brendan Hall

“I’m trying to adjust the volume back here real quick, but I don’t want to pull a Lenny Kravitz ATX,” she said with a smile.

Jackson showed appreciation for her new band, repeatedly doling out grateful hugs and compliments throughout the show.

“I’m lucky to have these incredible musicians,” beamed Jackson. “They’re the best in L.A.”

She found her feet more towards the end and closed the set with Avril Lavigne pop-rock vibes and the announcement of her new tour, where she said she plans to “pull up and hopefully get better with each show.”

Would her first-ever gig be a Rebecca Minkoff event at New York Fashion Week if she wasn’t MJ’s daughter? Would she be playing major SXSW showcases while learning how to play a guitar? Does she come close to her amazing band? No, but at least she knows it and is willing to learn.