Michael Jackson Tribute Concert Moved to London, Postponed Until June
Jermaine Jackson has confirmed that the Michael Jackson tribute concert in Vienna has been moved to London, and has been postponed until June, 2010. The ticket price will be refunded to all the people who have already purchased tickets. Many ticket holders were unhappy that many A-list acts pulled out of the gig, citing scheduling conflicts.
Event promoter Georg Kindel and Jackson's brother Jermaine told reporters that too many top performers had scheduling conflicts, and they blamed the media for stirring up a negative atmosphere.
Friday's announcement came at the end of a turbulent week of reports that supposedly confirmed artists including Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown and Natalie Cole couldn't make the event. Many invited artists had scheduling issues, and "maybe we underestimated these issues," Kindel said.
"The purpose for this show is to give something back to the fans ... we have to do this right," Jermaine Jackson said, at one point using a tissue to dab at one of his eyes.
"It's not about name-dropping," he added, answering critics who had complained that megastars such as Madonna didn't figure among the headliners.
Kindel said that he was unhappy that the Vienna press was treating the artists who were confirmed -- Sister Sledge, German boy band US5 and Akon -- disrespectfully, calling them "B-list artists or even losers." Tickets for the London concert will go on sale December 1, 2009, and will start at $73.00. We hope that the promoters confirm all the performers before they start selling tickets to the show. Otherwise, it will be a disaster.
