Michael Forever Promoters To Take On MJ Fans In Global Conference
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Written by Elliott Batte
The on-going Michael Forever saga has taken another turn, as Global Live Events invited members from some of the 35 Michael Jackson fan forums that oppose the concert to a live global conference, where the promoters will address protester’s issues.
Global Live Events have also spoken to the BBC in an attempt to reassure fans that "two or three major artists" would still be added to the bill before the concert takes place in Cardiff, at the Millennium Stadium on October 8th.
While the promoters are doing what they can to keep Michael Forever in the press and make sure fans stay interested, there will obviously be doubts and skepticism within the fan community on who the organiser's "major artists" will be. Global Live Events, thus far, have compiled a lineup consisting mainly of UK talent show contestants and stars of the past rather than 'major' musicians of the day. What the organisers perceive as a "major artist" could be more akin to the likes of East 17 or So Solid Crew rather than the superstar acts such as Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Usher or Diana Ross - acts which fans of the event are crying out for. One of the last big names secured for the show was KISS, which caused legitimate uproar and controversy within the MJ community, causing the organisers to swiftly backtrack, removing the iconic US rock band from the bill.
But, Paul Ring and the rest of Global Live Events team have remained confident and steadfast that the show will definitely go on - and has even tried to schedule a conference call between livid MJ supporters and themselves for next Tuesday (August 30th), to address their concerns.
"We are 100% going ahead," said GLE spokeswoman Juliette Harris. "We will continue to announce names for the line-up. We are moving forward and now we will try to address issues that have been raised by fans."
Founder and CEO of the under-fire promoter, Chris Hunt, even claimed that there wasn't enough evidence for fans to attack the concert like they have, and that the clash of the concert and doctor Conrad Murray's trial was a coincidence.
"There has been insufficient information for the fans," Hunt said. "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.
"The trial has been moved several times already. In fact, there's speculation that the trial will in fact be moved again."
The organisers are yet to publicly respond to the communities criticism's of the concert, detailed in a letter from the Michael Jackson Estate last week. The Estate asked questions regarding the misleading charity element of the concert, as well as requesting transparency on who are the stakeholders for the event - and who would be benefiting financially from the substantial ticket proceeds of the concert.
What GLE has failed to address however, is that it is the information that protestors do know which is angering and hurting them - and they are concerned that Michael Jackson's legacy is being damaged by this concert. Fans have been critical of the addition of Gene Simmons (of KISS) to the bill, the excessive pricing structure of the tickets, the dubious charity donation scheme, the underwhelming line-up and the fact Michael's Estate, and some siblings, openly opposes the event - it all adds-up to what has become a farcical and controversial spectacle. Fans also oppose the concert as, without the support from the Estate, the artists on the bill won't even have the clearance to be able to perform songs that Jackson had himself written, throughout his illustrious career - infamous tracks such as Billie Jean, Dirty Diana, Beat it, Smooth Criminal, Bad, Dangerous, Earth Song, Will You Be There and Heal the World - amongst many others.
MJJStreet summed up the fan sentiment on the event's official Facebook page, saying "Michael looked after and cared about his fans, he would be so ashamed and disgusted at the way we are being treated. He was more than just a star to us, more than just some singer on tv, he invited us into his home, he cared about us when he didn't have to, which is why the real true fans have united AGAINST this farce of a concert. "
"We stood by him when the whole world turned against him, we sat with him in that court in Santa Maria day after day, we laughed with him, we cried with him, we shared his joy when his babies came into the world, we shared his pain and anguish, his trials and tribulations."
Tickets for the concert, described as "doomed" by millions of Michael Jackson fans, went on sale at 9:30am this morning. After the initial registration period, remaining tickets are now up for grabs by the general public, with demand during the initial registration clearly much lower than the promoters had originally anticipated when the concert was announced in July.
What are your thoughts on this concert? Let us know in the comments below.
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