Dress Rehearsal : Fans of Janet Jackson Pay Homage to Her by Showing Up at Concerts in Look-Alike Clothes

The mountain of curly black hair, the motorcycle-style leather jacket, the basic black outfit underneath. And oh yes, the signature house-key as earring were all out in full force this week as Janet Jackson wanna-bes swarmed to see her perform at the Forum.

Hey, was that Janet Jackson standing in line for her own concert? No, but you sure could have fooled most people.

The look-alikes were all ages--from 10 to thirtysomething. Vanessa Simmons, 10, wore all black with an “1814” pin, the name of Jackson’s latest album, and a baseball cap with the words “Rhythm Nation” printed on it. That’s the name of Jackson’s tour. Lisa Hewett and Beatricz Giraldo wore Jackson’s big-hair style and key earrings.

D’LaVance, Rea Black and Arnold Brown, other concert-goers this week, could pass for a Jackson family portrait. From the silver buckles on D’LaVance’s leather jacket to Black’s oversized key earring, their wardrobes were exact.

“Janet is my favorite singer and dancer,” explained Betty Maine, 9, who wore a Janet Jackson T-shirt to the show. “I want to be just like her.”

Once the show began, there was no mistaking the real Janet Jackson. She was definitely the one on stage.