This Is It (concerts)

This Is It
Residency show by Michael Jackson
Location London, United Kingdom
Venue The O2 Arena
Start date July 13, 2009
End date March 6, 2010
Legs 2
Number of shows 50 (cancelled)
Website Official website
Michael Jackson concert chronology

This Is It was a planned residency show of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest and died due to an overdose of propofol and benzodiazepine drugs, less than three weeks before the first concert was scheduled to begin. Jackson officially announced the concerts at a press conference held inside the O2 Arena and stated that This Is It was going to be his final series of concerts. AEG Live, the concert promoters, released a promotional video that took up an entire commercial break, setting a record for ITV. The shows were to be Jackson's first major series of concerts since the HIStory World Tour finished in 1997, and had been cited as one of the most important musical events in history. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, stated that the first 10 dates alone would have earned the singer approximately £50 million.

Originally only 10 concerts were announced, but the tickets were sold out in less than an hour and the public demand for tickets resulted in 40 more concerts being added, making 50 in total. Ticket sales broke several records and AEG Live stated that Jackson could have sold out more shows (some even suggested as far as 200). Jackson's album sales increased following the announcement. In preparation for the concert series, the pop singer had been collaborating with numerous high profile figures, such as fashion designer Christian Audigier, choreographer Kenny Ortega and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. Prior to Jackson's death, Allgood Entertainment sued the entertainer for $40 million, claiming that he had breached an exclusivity agreement with them by agreeing to the This Is It concerts. The case was later dismissed.

In light of Jackson's death, AEG Live offered either full refunds to all ticket holders or a special souvenir ticket designed by the entertainer. The cancelled shows, the record-breaking ticket sales[1][2][3] and the potential for a world tour,[4][5] made Jackson's shows "the greatest concert[s] that never happened."[6][7] Columbia Pictures acquired the footage of the show rehearsals and made a concert film titled Michael Jackson's This Is It. The Jackson estate received 90% of the profit made while the remaining 10% went to AEG Live. Columbia Pictures guaranteed at least $60 million for the rights. To coincide with the release of the concert footage, an accompanying album was released.

Promotion and significance

Wikinews has related news: Michael Jackson to make last public concerts

The announcement of Jackson's first 10 performances was made by the singer himself, during a press conference at the O2 Arena on March 5, 2009. As many as 7,000 fans and 350 reporters awaited the singer's arrival, many donning Jackson-related clothing.[8][9][10] The singer commented at the conference, "I just wanted to say that these will be my final show performances in London. When I say this is it, it really means this is it", adding that it was his "final curtain call",[10] although he may have just been referring to performing in London. Organizers touted the residency as, "dramatic shows [that] promise an explosive return with a band of the highest calibre, a state-of-the-art stage show and incredible surprise support acts".[11] Hours before the press conference, promotional posters for the residency were displayed around London. Further promotion took up an entire commercial break period on ITV London during Dancing on Ice, the first time this has ever happened for a musical artist. The advert, which cost £1 million to air, was viewed by 11 million people.[12][13][14][15]

The shows, Jackson's first significant concert events since the HIStory World Tour in 1997, had been cited as one of the year's most important musical events,[16] and as the greatest comeback in the history of pop.[17][18] Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, stated that the first 10 dates would earn the singer approximately £50 million (about US$80.1 million).[9] The Guardian characterized the announced 10 concerts as an "astonishing comeback for a man who in recent years has been dogged by controversy", adding that the entertainer still had "enormous commercial clout".[19] The Evening Standard stated that the deal was the "showbiz coup of the decade" for AEG Live, while The Independent remarked that the finalized 50 concerts would provide London with a "much-needed" economic boost.[20][21] Joe Cohen, chief executive of Seatwave, told BBC 6 Music that the shows would generate £1 billion for the economy.[22]

Public interest

The O2 Arena, where the concerts would have been held

Some websites offered early tickets, which the Association of Secondary Ticket Agents warned were fake. "We are warning people not to buy tickets that are not yet on sale because it is unlikely that they will receive those tickets", announced the organization's chief, Graham Burns. He concluded, "It's impossible when the dates haven't been announced to be selling tickets for something when there are no announced dates".[23] Jackson's official website allowed fans to register early for a "pre-sale" draw. Some fans had difficulty applying, as the website could not deal with the large number of registrations—reportedly up to 16,000 applications a second.[24] In the space of 24 hours, nearly a million people from around the world registered for pre-sale tickets, enough to fill the venue 50 times over.[25][26] Tickets that had not even been printed were selling on auction website eBay for £300.[19] Sales of Jackson's albums increased following the press conference. Overnight, sales of Off the Wall rose 200%, Bad rose 110%, Dangerous rose 165% and Thriller 25 rose 155%.[27]

The two-day pre-sale began on March 11, and 40 extra dates were added to meet high demand—five of these dates were reserved in their entirety for the public sale.[1] More than 1.5  million fans caused two sites offering pre-sale tickets to crash within minutes of going online.[28] In the space of two hours, 190,000 tickets were sold.[29] Two million people tried to buy pre-sale tickets in the space of 18 hours.[30] Veronica Schmidt of The Times stated of the reception, "Michael Jackson has floored his critics",[31] while organizers proclaimed it a "cultural phenomenon".[32] It was announced that Jackson would break the record for number of shows performed by an artist at a single venue, which had been set by Prince, who hosted a residency at the same arena for his 21 Nights in London: The Earth Tour concerts. According to Jackson's website, the following records were or would have been broken: "The biggest audience ever to see an artist in one city", "The greatest number of people to attend a series of arena shows", "The fastest ticket sales in history".[1] Randy Phillips acknowledged that Jackson could have sold out even more dates, but this would have conflicted with other career plans that the singer had.[33] On March 13, the other 50% of seats for dates 1–45 and all the seats for dates 46–50 went on sale to the general public. Within four hours, all 50 dates had sold out.[34] At this stage, the sales of King of Pop were up 400% and the sales of Thriller were up 200%.[35] Tickets appeared on eBay for as much as £10,000.[36]

Preparation and concert details

The 50-concert run was originally scheduled to start on July 8, 2009 and conclude on February 24, 2010.[37] Each of the shows would have been performed at the O2 Arena in London, which has a capacity of 23,000.[38] New York-based fashion designer Zaldy served as head costumer, creating ten of Jackson's stage looks while the other six were created by his longtime costumers, Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins. Jay Ruckel from La Crasia Gloves recreated Jackson's iconic single glove for the concerts.[39] The costumes he was to wear during the shows were encrusted with 300,000 Swarovski crystals.[40] In April 2009, thousands of dancers flew in from all around the world to audition from the 13th to the 15th for Jackson, who helped select the 11 finalists in person.[41] Kenny Ortega, who had collaborated with Jackson previously, was to work on the overall design and direction of concerts. Ortega said that the final product would have been a "theatrical musical experience".[42][43][44] According to Randy Philips, £13 million was to be spent on producing the concerts, which would have included 18–22 songs and 22 different sets. There also would have been aerial dancing similar to routines by Cirque du Soleil.[43] Carla Ferrigno told Reuters that her husband Lou had been helping Jackson train in advance of the shows. Jackson and Ferrigno had previously worked together.[45]

On May 20, it was announced that the first concert would be pushed back five days to July 13 and three other July dates would be rescheduled for March 2010. AEG Live said that the delay was necessary because more time was needed for dress rehearsals. The revised schedule called for 27 shows between July 13 and September 29, 2009, followed by a three-month break, before resuming in the new year with 23 more shows between January 7 and March 6, 2010.[37] Some fans petitioned for the reversal of AEG Live's decision.[46] In late June, several hundred seats for each of the dates were put on sale. These seats were held back until production logistics were worked out.[47]

It was suggested that after the London concerts, Jackson might head to Australia, Europe, India, China, Hong Kong and Japan before moving on to North America. Randy Phillips, the CEO of AEG Live, told The LA Times that Australia was part of Michael Jackson's international tour plans.[48]

According to Jermaine Jackson's 2011 book You Are Not Alone: Michael Through a Brother's Eyes, after the London concerts finished, Jackson was planning to extend his deal with AEG Live which included new music, a possible three-picture movie deal, a long series of one-off concert dates starting in China, a halftime slot during one of the future Super Bowl games to overshadow his own legendary halftime show performance at the Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 and another couple of tours (one of which was to be a final reunion with his brothers based on a promise made to their mother to see her sons perform together again one last time before she died). After the deal was completed, he planned to take time off from musical entertainment and move on to (possibly) directing his own film ideas, such as making a feature-length motion picture based on his 1982 song "Thriller" and the music video of the same name. It was also stated that a yearly Halloween television special based on his horror-themed songs, such as "Thriller" and "Ghosts", was part of Jackson's deal with AEG Live.

In Conrad Murray's manslaughter trial, David Walgren stated another one of Jackson's future plans was to open a children's hospital. This was heard in an audio tape Conrad Murray played of Jackson under the influence of propofol on May 10, 2009. His voice is barely recognisable in the recording, but he can be clearly heard saying that he wanted to build the greatest children's hospital in the world and name it after himself: The Michael Jackson's Children's Hospital. Walgren also stated that while the tour was happening, Jackson wanted to buy an estate with streams, horses and animals so his three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket could live normal lives as their father performed the concerts, as he was photographed looking for a house in the United Kingdom with his children. Walgren also said that the tour would begin that summer, and Jackson could take his children out of school and bring them with him so they could see him perform in London.

Set list

The following would have been the official set list for the concerts.

Notes

Dates

Date City Country Venue
First Leg
July 13, 2009 London United Kingdom The O2 Arena
July 16, 2009
July 18, 2009
July 22, 2009
July 24, 2009
July 26, 2009
July 28, 2009
July 30, 2009
August 1, 2009
August 3, 2009
August 10, 2009
August 12, 2009
August 17, 2009
August 19, 2009
August 24, 2009
August 26, 2009
August 28, 2009
August 30, 2009
September 1, 2009
September 3, 2009
September 6, 2009
September 8, 2009
September 10, 2009
September 21, 2009
September 23, 2009
September 27, 2009
September 29, 2009
Second Leg
January 7, 2010 London United Kingdom The O2 Arena
January 9, 2010
January 12, 2010
January 14, 2010
January 16, 2010
January 18, 2010
January 23, 2010
January 25, 2010
January 27, 2010
January 29, 2010
February 1, 2010
February 3, 2010
February 8, 2010
February 10, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 16, 2010
February 18, 2010
February 20, 2010
February 22, 2010
February 24, 2010
March 1, 2010
March 3, 2010
March 6, 2010

Personnel

Musicians
Dancers
Production and other personnel

Litigation

In June 2009, concert promoter Allgood Entertainment, represented by Ira Meyerowitz and Jon Kekielek of MJlawfirm, sued Jackson for $40 million, claiming that the singer, through his manager Frank DiLeo, had agreed to a single and a $30 million reunion concert with The Jackson 5, as well as sister Janet Jackson. According to the concert promoter, the alleged contractual agreement prevented the singer from performing elsewhere before the reunion concert and for a three-month period after it. Thus, agreeing to a 50 date residency at the O2 arena was an alleged breach of the Allgood Entertainment contract. The filing company stated that AEG Live knew of the alleged agreement with Jackson and used their dominance in the industry to coerce Jackson into agreeing to the residency.[50][51][52] In August 2010, the judge dismissed the case, stating that there was no evidence of a binding agreement, no contracts were signed.[53] The case is currently in limbo.[54][55]

Jackson's death and refunds

Further information: Death of Michael Jackson

On June 25, 2009, Jackson died after going into cardiac arrest which was caused by an overdose of Diprivan and benzodiazepines, eighteen days before his planned first show. AEG Live, who persuaded Jackson to sign up for the shows, faced a liability of up to £300 million and an empty venue for the next nine months.[56] The O2 arena stated that full refunds, including all ticket service charges, would be available to those who purchased tickets through authorized agents, but that "fans will have the option to be sent the actual tickets they would have received to attend the shows in lieu of the full refunds which are being offered."[57] Fans who bought their tickets from private sellers potentially faced difficulties. eBay recommended that purchasers contact their sellers for refunds and stated that those who used PayPal can get their money back if the purchase was made during the last 45 days,[58] then later stated that "all buyers on the site will receive a full refund for their ticket purchase".[59]

Posthumous film and album

Following Jackson's death, AEG stated that they had over "100 hours of footage of preparations and rehearsals for the shows".[60] On August 10, 2009, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved a deal between film distributor Columbia Pictures and AEG Live for the former company to purchase and distribute rehearsal footage of Jackson for a film entitled Michael Jackson's This Is It.[60][61][62] According to court documents, Columbia paid $60 million (£35 million) for rights to the rehearsal footage.[61][63] The papers filed in court had reportedly stated that Jackson's estate will get 90% of the profits and that AEG Live will get the remaining 10% from the film's revenue.[60][64] The film was directed by Kenny Ortega who was also the director of the live concert. It was compiled mostly from footage that was shot as reference for production discussions and was never meant to be shown publicly. Some of the music and vocals in the film were added from previous recordings, though most were from the live performance. The film was released on October 28, 2009.[65]

An accompanying album to the film was also released. Titled This Is It, the compilation was distributed internationally on October 26, and to North America the following day. The two-disc album features music "inspired from the documentary of the same name".[66] Of the album, Sony said, "Disc one will feature the original album masters of some of Michael's biggest hits arranged in the same sequence as they appear in the film" and stated that "the disc ends with two versions of the 'never-released' 'This Is It' [...] This song is featured in the film's closing sequence and includes backing vocals by Michael's brothers, The Jacksons and Alvin Chea of Take 6."[67] Sony added that the second disc will feature previously unreleased versions from Jackson's "catalogue of hits", along with a spoken word poem entitled "Planet Earth" and a 36-page commemorative booklet with "exclusive photos of Michael from his last rehearsal".[67][68]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kreps, Daniel (March 12, 2009). "Michael Jackson’s "This Is It!" Tour Balloons to 50-Show Run Stretching Into 2010". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  2. ↑ Staff, BBC (March 13, 2009). "Michael Jackson announces comeback gigs". BBC. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  3. ↑ The Livedaily Staff (March 9, 2009). "Michael Jackson breaking records with 50-show run in London". LiveDaily. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  4. ↑ Australia, Yahoo (October 30, 2009). "Australia part of planned world tour". Yahoo! 7. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  5. ↑ The MTV Staff (November 5, 2009). "This Is It Director Kenny Ortega On Michael Jackson's Final Rehearsals". MTV. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  6. ↑ Staff, IGN (August 20, 2009). "Michael Jackson’s "This Is It!" Tour Balloons to 50-Show Run Stretching Into 2010". IGN. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  7. ↑ Staff, Sony (August 20, 2009). "Jackson's This Is It This Fall". Sony. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Jackson set to announce shows". MTV. March 5, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Foster, Patrick (March 6, 2009). "Michael Jackson grand finale curtain-raiser". London: The Times. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Akbar, Arifa (March 6, 2009). "Jacko on tour: 'This will be the final curtain call. I love you, I love you all' – News, Music". London: The Independent. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  11. ↑ Khan, Urmee (March 6, 2009). "Michael Jackson announces comeback gigs". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  12. ↑ Griffin, Zoe (March 5, 2009). "Michael Jackson has 50 medical tests to prove he can manage 02 Arena dates". Daily Mirror. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  13. ↑ Youngs, Ian (March 5, 2009). "'Final curtain call' for Jackson". BBC. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  14. ↑ Barnett, Emma (March 6, 2009). "Michael Jackson takes entire three and a half minute ITV ad slot". www.mediaweek.co.uk. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Michael Jackson live dates ad during Dancing On Ice seen by 11m fans". Daily Mirror. March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  16. ↑ Swash, Rosie (March 5, 2009). "Michael Jackson can't fail to sell out the O2 arena". London: The Guardian. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  17. ↑ Simon Cable (November 5, 2009). "Michael Jackson chooses London's O2 arena for the 'greatest comeback in history'". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Michael Jackson announces O2 Arena London gigs — and retirement?". NME. March 5, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  19. 1 2 Day, Elizabeth (March 8, 2009). "Off the wall but still invincible". London: The Guardian. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  20. ↑ Singh, Amar (March 13, 2009). "Detoxing Brand Jacko". Evening Standard. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  21. ↑ "The Barometer: Michael Jackson; Angela Gheorghiu; Horne and Corden; Madonna in fancy dress". London: The Independent. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
  22. ↑ "Michael Jackson in 'billion pound' boost to economy". Metro. May 8, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Michael Jackson London 02 Arena ticket warning issued". NME. March 5, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  24. ↑ Moore, Matthew (March 6, 2009). "Michael Jackson O2 ticket website attracting 16,000 visits a second". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Michael Jackson adds 10 more dates to comeback tour". Daily Mirror. March 6, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  26. ↑ "Michael Jackson Announces Dates". MTV. March 10, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  27. ↑ "Jacko's album sales are backo". The Sun. March 7, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
  28. ↑ "1.5m fans crash sites in rush for Jacko gig". Evening Standard. March 11, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  29. ↑ Cable, Simon (March 13, 2009). "Fans' fury as touts sell Michael Jackson concert tickets for up to £16,000 a pair on black market". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  30. ↑ Miranda, David (March 12, 2009). "Michael Jackson doubles London shows after 2 million seek tickets". Herald Sun. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  31. ↑ Schmidt, Veronica (March 11, 2009). "Michael Jackson sells out London concerts and adds more shows". The Times. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  32. ↑ "Jackson to play 50 gigs at the O2". BBC. March 12, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  33. ↑ Waddell, Ray (March 12, 2009). "Update: Michael Jackson Up To 50 London Shows". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  34. ↑ "Jackson's Tears Of Joy As O2 Shows Sell Out". Sky News. March 13, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  35. ↑ "750,000 tickets for Jackson concerts sell in 4 hours". CNN. March 13, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  36. ↑ Swash, Rosie (March 13, 2009). "Michael Jackson's 50 dates at London's O2 arena sell out". The Guardian. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  37. 1 2 "Jackson delays opening tour dates". BBC. May 20, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  38. ↑ Paine, Andre (March 5, 2009). "Michael Jackson Says London Concerts To Be 'Final Curtain Call'". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  39. ↑ Sherman, William (June 14, 2009). "Michael Jackson, Hubble Telescope draw from New York manufacturing". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Extra Michael Jackson O2 Arena tickets made available". NME. June 23, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Michael Jackson Rehearsals Move Forward". Billboard. May 12, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  42. ↑ "Michael Jackson Gets Ready For Tour". Sky News. May 12, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  43. 1 2 "Michael Jackson enlists 'High School Musical' director for London O2 shows". NME. May 12, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  44. ↑ "This Is It: Jacko Picks Comeback Gig Dancers". Sky News. May 19, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  45. ↑ Dobuzinskis, Alex (June 19, 2009). "The Hulk trains Michael Jackson ahead of London concerts". Reuters. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
  46. ↑ "Michael Jackson fans launch petition over O2 Arena postponement". NME. May 21, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  47. ↑ "More Jackson tickets up for sale". BBC. June 23, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  48. ↑ "Michael Jackson Planning Australian Tour Before His Death". Take 40. June 28, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  49. ↑ "This Is It dancers on the Ellen Show". YouTube. 2009.
  50. ↑ "Jackson sued over reunion concert". BBC. June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  51. ↑ Michaels, Sean (June 12, 2009). "Michael Jackson sued for 02 Arena residency". London: The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  52. ↑ Michaels, Sean (June 12, 2009). "Michael Jackson comeback concerts in jeopardy?". London: The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  53. ↑ "Judge dismisses Jackson reunion claim". BBC News. August 20, 2010.
  54. ↑ "AllGood Entertainment, Inc. et al v. Jackson et al (nysd/347380) – The RECAP Archive". Archive.recapthelaw.org. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  55. ↑ Yazmeen (May 24, 2011). "Interview with Patrick Allocco- President of AllGood Entertainment ~ LET'S CALL SPADE A SPADE". Muzikfactorytwo.blogspot.com. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  56. ↑ Sherwin, Adam (June 26, 2009). "O2 arena counts cost as curtain closes on the greatest show of all". London: The Times. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
  57. ↑ "UCLA Statement — Michael Jackson". The O2 arena. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  58. ↑ "Refund issues over Jackson gigs". BBC News. June 26, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
  59. ↑ "eBay will refund Jackson tickets". BBC News. June 27, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  60. 1 2 3 "Judge OKs Jackson performance film deal". MSNBC.com. Associated Press. August 10, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  61. 1 2 "Michael Jackson film deal outlined in court papers". ChinaDaily.com. August 6, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  62. ↑ Christopher Smith (August 11, 2009). "Sony Pictures to produce Michael Jackson film". LA Times.com. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  63. ↑ "Michael jackson This Is It film deal agreed". Uncut.co.uk. August 8, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  64. ↑ Rosie Swash (August 11, 2009). "Michael Jackson film gets October release date". Guardian.co.uk (London). Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  65. ↑ "This Is It Worldwide Release Dates". Sony Pictures.com. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  66. ↑ Chris Lee (September 23, 2009). "The Michael Jackson new-music onslaught begins [Updated]". TheLATimes.com. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  67. 1 2 Tim Parks (September 23, 2009). "New Jackson single, LP to be released". Digital Spy.com. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  68. ↑ The Insider Staff (September 23, 2009). "Unreleased Michael Jackson Song to be Revealed". TheInsider.com. Retrieved September 23, 2009.

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