Michael Jackson Goes Wacko
Earlier today we learned that Michael Jackson, who is in high demand these days, expanded his This Is It Tour (which isn’t really a tour since he’s setting up residency at one UK venue) at the O2 Arena to a 50 date extravaganza which implies that the King of Pop is back and ready to reclaim his throne. But this afternoon, and a bit on the contrary, we learn that Jacko is just as Wacko as ever. MJ is back in SoCal after his quick trip to London to announce his string of concert dates and one of the first things that he did was get back into his everyday wear (mask, trenchcoat and headwrap) and pay a visit to a fun novelty store in Los Feliz, CA called Wacko:
See, it’s shizz like this that does not instill a notion of faith in me that Michael Jackson is up for a rigorous 50 date string of concerts but … the man is still very much in high demand. The remaining tickets for his 50-date stint at the O2 Arena went on sale today in the UK and, according to the BBC, has already sold out ENTIRELY! That amounts to one million concert tickets sold in the span of just a few days … incredible:
Tickets for Michael Jackson’s 50-date residency at the O2 arena in London have completely sold out, organisers have confirmed. Hundreds of fans queued at the venue as tickets went on sale to the public and over a quarter of a million people queued online. Around 750,000 fans have bought tickets to see the veteran pop star. Tickets sold at a rate of around 11 per second, promoters said – when they went on sale to the public on Friday. Some 360,000 tickets were sold to registered fans before sales opened on Friday morning. Organisers say the This Is It tour has become the fastest-selling in history, with people from as far away as Japan, Belgium and Dubai queuing up to purchase their tickets. Randy Phillips of promoters AEG Live told BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat a pre-registration scheme had been so successful he asked Jackson himself if he would do more dates. “That wasn’t anticipated,” he said. “We never thought ‘50 shows’ and frankly based on the queues on Ticketmaster, plus the 300,000 registrants we still haven’t issued codes to, we could spend two years here. “Mike asked me how long he would be in the United Kingdom for and I told him, probably long enough to get a British passport. “Michael’s already pretty much put together a list of the dancers he wants. Michael’s very engaged now.” Ticketmaster’s director, Chris Edmonds, said: “We often talk about unprecedented demand, but this week we have witnessed a live entertainment phenomenon. “This was undoubtedly the busiest demand for tickets for an event which we have ever experienced.” Pre-sale tickets for Jackson’s first 10 dates sold out on Tuesday.
Damn. That’s a lot of tickets … and a lot of people who are going to be expecting, well, a lot from Michael Jackson. Is the man we see in these photos at Wacko the same man that will be able to successfully pull off a 50-date concert stint in front of the whole world? We shall see, we shall see.
Tags: 'This Is It' Tour, Michael Jackson, Soap Plant / Wacko
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March 13th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Damn thing kept crashing so i couldn’t get my tickets.. =( I’m well gutted about that. I even signed up for presale tickets and used the code and everything. They suck. I want tickets =(
March 13th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Trent–are you still planning on taking David to see him perform?
March 13th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I see this ending badly very very very badly.
March 13th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
@Froggie2004 — David is taking me, he’s the fan ;) I just hope for David’s sake that MJ will make it to the Sept. dates.
March 13th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Say what you will about the man… and yeah he’s definitely lost his mind… but he is a great performer and I would have LOVED to get my hands on those tickets!! I’m so jealous! 1,000,000 tickets sold still says a lot about how people view him musically… now hopefully he can deliver and more importantly will come do some shows back in the US!!
March 13th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
@ Trent did you get your tickets???? I really hope that MJ makes so you and David can see him maybe you will become a fan…. You never know!!
He is suck a freak wtf is wrong with him?
March 13th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
[...] That’s a lot of tickets … and a lot of people who are going to be expecting, well, a lot from Michael Jackson. Is the man we see in these photos at Wacko the same man that will be able to successfully pull off a 50-date concert stint in front of the whole world? We shall see, we shall see. Pink Is The New Blog [...]
March 13th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
How will he get through all those shows, when he can’t seem to make it through a 5 minuite press conference??
March 13th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Trent,you goin’ to his concert?
b t w, Jackson’s hands seem to be in a better condition than before! :p
March 14th, 2009 at 12:01 am
I don’t know… his condition seems pretty bad and I’m sure he is desperate for some $$$$$$$$$$$$ and who will be watching the kids? I’m not so sure about this. Seems like a lot of shows considering his condition.
March 14th, 2009 at 2:52 am
I´m going to 3 concerts in July. Can´t wait!! The King is back!! :)
March 16th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I hope for his sake (David’s) MJ does make it!