Michael Jackson Cardiff gig signs up 'major artists'

24 August 2011 Last updated at 06:05 ET

The organiser of the controversial Michael Jackson Cardiff tribute concert says "two or three very major artists" will be added to the bill in the next week.

Some Jackson fans have called for the October gig to be called off, saying it is "doomed to fail."

But Paul King said he was confident Michael Forever at the Millennium Stadium would be a sell-out.

Tickets went on sale at 09:00 BST on Wednesday.

Organisers Global Events Live have invited disgruntled fans to air their views in a global conference call.

"We are 100% going ahead. We will continue to announce names for the line-up," said Global Events Live spokeswoman Juliette Harris.

"We are moving forward and now we will try to address issues that have been raised by fans."

Despite reports that Jackson's mother Katherine, his sister La Toya and brothers Tito, Marlon and Jackie, were endorsing the event, the late singer's other brothers Jermaine and Randy labelled it "inappropriate" and "ill-timed".

Some fans of Jackson - who died in June 2009 aged 50 while rehearsing for his This Is It tour - are unhappy with confusion over charitable donations from ticket revenue.

They also have issues with the timing of the concert, during the involuntary manslaughter trial in Los Angeles of Jackson's doctor, and the now withdrawn invitation to rock band Kiss.

Chris Hunt, president of Global Events Live, pointed out that Jermaine Jackson "has himself attempted to set this concert up a number of times and not been able to do so".

He added that the beneficiaries of the concert would be the Aids Project Los Angeles, the Prince's Trust and a trust fund for Michael Jackson's children, Prince Michael, 14, Paris, 13, and nine-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket.

Mr King said: "There has been insufficient information for the fans.

"Speculation has run riot about what it's all about, who the beneficiaries are, why it's taking place. That rumour has got completely out of hand."

He added that the timing of the concert at the same time as the trial was a "complete coincidence".

"The trial has been moved several times already," he said.

"In fact there's speculation that the trial will in fact be moved again."

Verified Jackson fan clubs will now be invited to take part in a conference call on 30 August, in which promoters will try to allay their concerns.

Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Smokey Robinson, as well as several British acts will perform Jackson songs along with their own material at the tribute. Beyonce will also beam in a cover version of a Jackson hit by satellite.

'Astronomical prices'

There has been a mixed reaction from fans to the concert.

Matt Blank of the Michael Jackson World Network Fan Club said it would have been cheaper to see Jackson himself, if he had performed his This Is It tour, than to see tribute acts like JLS singing his songs.

Tickets for Jackson's concerts at the O2 arena in London were priced between £30 and £80.

But the show at the 75,000-seat Millennium Stadium range from £55 to £240.

"When you're hearing astronomical prices like £200 you think why is this? Why was seeing Michael himself cheaper than seeing these tribute acts?" said Mr Blank.

But some fans, such as Michael Erskine from Swansea, said they were still keen to see the concert, as it would be "engaging with a lot of youngsters who might not have known Michael Jackson for his talent".

"For youngsters knowing JLS, knowing Leona Lewis, they'll be attracted to the concert," said Mr Erskine.

"For me it's appreciation of his music and that's why I want to go."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news...s-14643363

mookie said:

My fear is, if this tribute succeeds, then every sham promoter out there will go to the family for even more "tributes" for around the world.

Actually, anybody can do a Mj tribute.

In 2009, I've been to 2 Mj tributes in Montreal, one was fantastic, full of love, sold out, with well known artists from here, it was the best thing I've seen after a Prince concert!

The other was badly organised, didn,t know the line up, prices were higher than the first one and it was crap.

Anybody can sing MJ's song during a concert, as long as they don't sell the show on DVD or tv or sell any merchandising.

Maybe the rules have changed since end of 2009, and maybe the Estate are more severe with all this, but there are many tributes around the world and everything is ok.

is anyone monitoring the ticket sales?

NaughtyKitty said:

Michael Jackson Cardiff gig signs up 'major artists'

24 August 2011 Last updated at 06:05 ET

Chris Hunt, president of Global Events Live, pointed out that Jermaine Jackson "has himself attempted to set this concert up a number of times and not been able to do so".

He added that the beneficiaries of the concert would be the Aids Project Los Angeles, the Prince's Trust and a trust fund for Michael Jackson's children, Prince Michael, 14, Paris, 13, and nine-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news...s-14643363

I didnt notice this before, but I'm noticing it now. So some of the money raised from this concert will be going to the MJ3 trust fund?

NaughtyKitty said:

NaughtyKitty said:

Michael Jackson Cardiff gig signs up 'major artists'

24 August 2011 Last updated at 06:05 ET

Chris Hunt, president of Global Events Live, pointed out that Jermaine Jackson "has himself attempted to set this concert up a number of times and not been able to do so".

He added that the beneficiaries of the concert would be the Aids Project Los Angeles, the Prince's Trust and a trust fund for Michael Jackson's children, Prince Michael, 14, Paris, 13, and nine-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news...s-14643363

I didnt notice this before, but I'm noticing it now. So some of the money raised from this concert will be going to the MJ3 trust fund?

I seriously wouldn't count on it...

And did you see that?

(sorry don't know how to post a link)

http://www.wesh.com/r-video/28963766/detail.html#ixzz1W2j1mtNo

Gene Simmons stands by his comment... then why he accepted to be a part of that tribute??? smh

[Edited 8/25/11 7:31am]

carinemjj said:

And did you see that?

(sorry don't know how to post a link)

http://www.wesh.com/r-video/28963766/detail.html#ixzz1W2j1mtNo

Gene Simmons stands by his comment... then why he accepted to be a part of that tribute??? smh

[Edited 8/25/11 7:31am]

I'm really questioning if he ever really intended to be a part of the tribute in the first place. If he feels that strongly about MJ why would he want to give tribute to him? Makes no sense. I'm thinking the announcement of KISS being at the tribute was nothing more than a PR tactic.

NaughtyKitty said:

I'm really questioning if he ever really intended to be a part of the tribute in the first place. If he feels that strongly about MJ why would he want to give tribute to him? Makes no sense. I'm thinking the announcement of KISS being at the tribute was nothing more than a PR tactic.

I know right! if it was a PR stunt.. then they really don't know ANYTHING about PR.. did they think announcing Kiss would make the show sold out... and then say they don't show up (since the show will go on only if 50% of the acts perform... so they all can choke at some point...

Or do they know it's gonna fail anyway so they were searching for a way to make it fail BECAUSE of the fans 'craziness'....

I just really don't get them at all... what's going on in their minds.. this would be truly very inteesting psychologically speaking, to study their brains... those people are fascinating, in a sad way.

carinemjj said:

NaughtyKitty said:

I'm really questioning if he ever really intended to be a part of the tribute in the first place. If he feels that strongly about MJ why would he want to give tribute to him? Makes no sense. I'm thinking the announcement of KISS being at the tribute was nothing more than a PR tactic.

I know right! if it was a PR stunt.. then they really don't know ANYTHING about PR.. did they think announcing Kiss would make the show sold out... and then say they don't show up (since the show will go on only if 50% of the acts perform... so they all can choke at some point...

Or do they know it's gonna fail anyway so they were searching for a way to make it fail BECAUSE of the fans 'craziness'....

I just really don't get them at all... what's going on in their minds.. this would be truly very inteesting psychologically speaking, to study their brains... those people are fascinating, in a sad way.

That family is a great candidate for psychological case study. A whole class semester's worth

carinemjj said:

And did you see that?

(sorry don't know how to post a link)

http://www.wesh.com/r-video/28963766/detail.html#ixzz1W2j1mtNo

Gene Simmons stands by his comment... then why he accepted to be a part of that tribute??? smh

[Edited 8/25/11 7:31am]

I swear ya'll.....pray for the elderly

Ne-Yo has been added to the bill for the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert.

The 'So Sick' hitmaker - who wrote songs for the 'Thriller' hitmaker before he passed away in June 2009 - will join the likes of Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Smokey Robinson, Leona Lewis and Craig David in paying tribute to the late singer at the event, which is due to take place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on October 8.

The concert - which will be broadcast around the world - will see the artists each perform tracks from Michael's back catalogue and has been endorsed the King of Pop's family.

His mother Katherine said: "It is with great gratitude for me to give my complete blessing and full support to what I consider to be the one and only Official Michael Jackson Tribute Concert.

"I will be there along with as many members of my family that are available. I am positive that this event will be an event great enough in scale, talent and imagination to form a worthy celebration of Michael's life.

"It is intended to be the biggest, and the best concert event in the world for many years to come. This is how Michael would have wanted it and I am sure it will be exactly that. I'll see you on October 8th, 2011!"

Other artists on the bill include JLS, Pixie Lott, Alexandra Burke, Michael's nephews 3T and the Jackson Brothers.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now, priced from £55.

http://entertainment.stv....bute-show/

Well... good for those who'll attend... I guess.

MICHAEL FOREVER TRIBUTE CONCERT FAILS TO SELL-OUT FOLLOWING FIRST DAY OF SALES

Thursday, 25 August 2011 Written by Elliott Batte

Tickets for the Michael Forever tribute concert, scheduled for October 8th in the Millennium Stadium, have failed to sell-out after their first day of sales.

Promoters had tried hard to advertise and hype the concert, but there has been a clear lack of demand for the tickets as MJ fans slammed the handling of what was supposed to be “the official Michael Jackson tribute concert.”

But, Global Live Events remained confident that the show would be a sell-out and even claimed that they were in the exact position they had hoped and expected to be in with regards to ticket sales – despite previously saying “Tickets for the Concert are expected to sell out very soon after they are put on sale.”

Paul Ring, US chief of GLE, said: “The registration process saw around 26,000 tickets taken up. Ticket sales have only been open for a short time, but we know that the system did crash at one point.

“We hope to have sold around 50% of the tickets by the weekend, which is exactly how we had it planned. We then expect to be sold out by the end of the month.

“With an event like this it is hard to get so many headliners to confirm, but once a few have confirmed it is like a domino effect.

“We will be announcing three more big acts in the next few days and once they have been named, ticket sales will speed up even more. We know that fans are taking a bit of a gamble buying tickets now but I encourage people to get their tickets now rather than wait so they can get the best seats.”

The under-fire co-ordinators have continuously spoken to press about their concert in their bid to advertise and promote their gig as much as possible, but fans may begin to wonder how much truth there is in their repetitive reassurances that the concert will be a massive, sold-out show after blunders like their dubious charity donation scheme.

Ticketline’s Cardiff branch has told press that though some tickets had been sold, there was no real large-scale demand – whereas tickets for Princess Diana’s tribute concert sold-out within 20 minutes, and Freddie Mercury’s in 2 hours.

Do you think the show will sell-out? Tell us in the comment section below.
http://www.stereoboa...m_campaign=news

I see the future....and this will be...................a Mj mess.

One big MJ imitation after another.

We already know the show is gonna bomb. No one wants to see it...really. And those that do wanna see it would be sorely disappointed.

Graycap23 said:

I see the future....and this will be...................a Mj mess.

One big MJ imitation after another.

[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Annikawaters/MJ/popcorn.gif[/img:$uid]

So Ne-Yo will perform. And I read that Beyonce will be a part although not in person? And more announcements soon?

I guess things is starting to look better

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/23/35-michael-jackson-fan-cl_n_934341.html

A fan on TMZ posted this:

So I went to search for confirmation and sure enough, I found this:

Ja-Tail Concerts

Ja-Tail Concert Productions creates tailor-made concert tours, festivals, and events. This division of Ja-Tail is headed by veteran tour promoter Leonard Rowe, known in the music business simply as "Rowe". Rowe is considered an industry legend for his innate ability to craft and execute successful national and international tours. During his 36-year career, he has promoted tours for internationally acclaimed artists including Michael Jackson, Prince, The Jacksons, Ne-Yo, and Mary J. Blige. We offer our artists a complete turnkey service which includes travel arrangements, public relations, merchandising, stage design, security, and marketing.

http://webcache.googleuse...google.com

But you have to use this cached link^to find the Leonard Rowe connection because now they've revised the Ja-Tail concerts page and taken Leonard's name out of the paragraph so it reads This division of Ja-Tail is headed by a team of veteran tour promoters....

http://jatail.com/concerts/index.php

NaughtyKitty said:

A fan on TMZ posted this:

CONFIRMED!!! LATOYA JACKSON WORKING IN CAHOOTS WITH LEONARD ROWE AND GLOBAL LIVE EVENTS

Leonard Rowe heads the "Ja-Tail Concerts" division of LaToya's company Ja-Tail. Also Paul Ring and Eric Bute of Global Live Events (promoters of MFT Concert) are also associated with LaToya's company Ja-Tail.

It appears that LATOYA may be the mastermind behind this money-grabbing, unethical, poorly planned and executed, fake charity concert scam that uses Michael's children as financial pawns. Is ANYONE surprised???

So I went to search for confirmation and sure enough, I found this:

Ja-Tail Concerts

Ja-Tail Concert Productions creates tailor-made concert tours, festivals, and events. This division of Ja-Tail is headed by veteran tour promoter Leonard Rowe, known in the music business simply as "Rowe". Rowe is considered an industry legend for his innate ability to craft and execute successful national and international tours. During his 36-year career, he has promoted tours for internationally acclaimed artists including Michael Jackson, Prince, The Jacksons, Ne-Yo, and Mary J. Blige. We offer our artists a complete turnkey service which includes travel arrangements, public relations, merchandising, stage design, security, and marketing.

http://webcache.googleuse...google.com

But you have to use this cached link^to find the Leonard Rowe connection because now they've revised the Ja-Tail concerts page and taken Leonard's name out of the paragraph so it reads This division of Ja-Tail is headed by a team of veteran tour promoters....

http://jatail.com/concerts/index.php

I wonder what GLE's refund policy is... It would be funny if the few tickets they have sold get demanded for a refund That Rowe cat ain't right.

Yeah Leonard Rowe's name has been removed from the Ja-Tail website couple of days before Ne-Yo's announcement.. funny since Ne-Yo just got out of a legal battle against Rowe.. maybe they didn't want to discourage him to perform at the concert and hide his name..

Paul Ring's name (that creepy guy next to Katherine on CNN announcement) has also been removed from the lead team of Ja-Tail on the website before the whole concert was announced.. Yet he now appears as a member of Global Live Event...

Funny isn't it?

So...has this thing been cancelled yet?

SoulAlive said:

So...has this thing been cancelled yet?

Unfortunately.. not yet..

But don't loose hope, someone (maybe not even a reliable source but who knows) on their FB said they sold only 7000 tickets so far.

The only sections that appear non available on the website are actually tickets that are being sold via 'viagogo (who are using MJ's full name and picture (???)), ticketmaster and another one I don't know..

Just in, Ticketmaster appears to not sell them anymore...

[Edited 8/26/11 10:24am]

carinemjj said:

SoulAlive said:

So...has this thing been cancelled yet?

Unfortunately.. not yet..

But don't loose hope, someone (maybe not even a reliable source but who knows) on their FB said they sold only 7000 tickets so far.

The only sections that appear non available on the website are actually tickets that are being sold via 'viagogo (who are using MJ's full name and picture (???)), ticketmaster and another one I don't know..

Just in, Ticketmaster appears to not sell them anymore...

[Edited 8/26/11 10:24am]

That's a good sign right there! TicketMaster usually don't miss shit when it comes to profitable opportunites. For them to take their hands off this thing is........major.

[Edited 8/26/11 11:11am]

You know you're in limbo when TICKETMASTER doesn't wanna do shit with you! Damn!

Fans/Estate/Ticketmaster Jacksons/GLE

Oops reported too fast. Ticketmaster are still selling the tickets... too bad

Actually went to the site and checked how easy it was to get tickets.. lol I asked for 10 tickets... I got just behind the scene 1 to 10.

[Edited 8/26/11 11:37am]

Wow, can't believe the quality of moron there is in that GL company...

http://www.billboard.com/...0442.story
Jackson Concert Organizers Cite Sour Grapes, Misinformation in Opposition



by Jason Newman, N.Y. | août 26, 2011 1:30 EDT



As preparations continue for the upcoming Michael Jackson tribute concert, the show's organizers have been forced to go on the defensive after numerous Jackson fan clubs and two of the singer's brothers have publicly condemned the tribute.

Michael Forever: The Tribute Concert, set to take place October 8 in Wales' 75,000-capacity Millennium Stadium, will feature performances by Christina Aguilera, Cee-Lo Green, Smokey Robinson and Ne-Yo, though its proximity to the September 20 manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray has troubled some of Jackson's fans and family.

"Staging the concert during his manslaughter trial isn't the right time," Gary Taylor, owner of the 80,000-member Jackson fan club MJJ Community, tells Billboard.com. "The fans are going to hear and see things that will be very hard to handle emotionally. The last thing they want to do is celebrate tribute-style to MJ. We're not saying to cancel it completely, but we will not support this concert one bit unless it's moved outside of the Murray trial. Otherwise, the concert will just have a load of Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo fans."



Taylor's group recently spearheaded an open letter speaking out against the concert signed by 35 Jackson fan clubs around the world.


Last month, Jackson's brothers Jermaine and Randy issued a statement denouncing the event, stating, in part, "While we wholeheartedly support the spirit of a tribute that honors our brother, we find it impossible to support an event that is due to take place during the criminal trial surrounding Michael's death."

Chris Hunt, President of Global Live Events, the UK-based production company organizing the concert, told Billboard.com that misinformation and ulterior motives were driving much of the protests. "I don't give a lot of credence to the 'It's disrespectful to do this during a trial' argument," Hunt tells us. "I like Jermaine and hope that he participates, but he also tried to set something up like this on two occasions and didn't succeed. You wonder if there's some of that in the back of his mind as well. I don't think there's any inappropriateness about having the concert three weeks after the trial may or may not start. What is wrong with a celebration of a great man's life at such a time?"

Many of Jackson's family have agreed to participate in the concert, either as performers or producers of the show. In a joint statement to Billboard, Jackson's brothers Jackie, Marlon and Tito said, "When we were approached to do this show, we thought it was important for us to say yes as our mother has endorsed this event and we wanted to support her with this tribute to our brother Michael. We feel this tribute would be something Michael would be proud of. I know our mother is thrilled that we are able to share this special event with her as well as all of Michael's fans. We look forward to seeing you all there."

While Global Live did not require the Jackson estate's permission to stage the upcoming concert in the UK, Howard Weitzman, representing the estate, issued a strongly worded letter to the company earlier this month. The letter outlined "multiple concerns" about the concert, including questions about the event's charitable donations and a clause in the ticket's Terms and Conditions stating "If 50% or more of the number of contracted artistes attend and perform the concert will take place and no refunds will be offered."

"How can you have a concert where you put in small print, 'We can't be responsible for artists not turning up'?," Taylor says. "What sort of concert is that? These people are clueless."


Concertgoers are encouraged to add on to the ticket's cost for charitable donations, though Hunt states that a "significant amount" of the proceeds, regardless of ticket buyers' contributions, will go to AIDS Project Los Angeles and UK youth charity The Prince's Trust. Organizers are also setting up a trust fund for Jackson's children in excess of $100,000 with Jackson's mother Katherine as trustee.


A number of fan clubs -- and posters on Facebook -- have erroneously disseminated news that invited artists will perform their own songs, a point Hunt vehemently denied. "All the songs in the tribute are Michael Jackson's either from The Jackson 5, The Jacksons era or his solo career," Hunt says. "Every one. Period."

-> ************* IT'S WRITTEN ON THEIR FB PAGE THAT THE ARTISTS WILL ALSO PERFORM THEIR OWN HITS!!!!!!! HOW DARE HE SAY FANS HAVE ''ERRONEOUSLY DISSEMINATED'' THIS NEWS???***************

[Edited 8/26/11 12:28pm]

Erroneously disseminated LMAO!

^They're trying to do damage control, and they're doing a crappy job of it. But hey they're also doing a crappy job of organizing this shady tribute concert so I shouldnt be surprised