This Is It was a planned concert residency by American singer Michael Jackson, scheduled to take place at the O2 Arena in London, between July 13, 2009 and March 6, 2010. However, the concerts were cancelled following Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, eighteen days before the first slated performance.
Jackson announced This Is It at a press conference at the O2 Arena, and said it would be his final series of concerts in London. AEG Live, the concert promoters, released a promotional video that used an entire commercial break on ITV, setting an ITV record. Initially, only 10 concerts were announced, but 40 more were added following public demand. Ticket sales broke several records and Jackson's album sales increased following the announcement. More than 1.5 million fans caused two sites offering pre-sale tickets to crash within minutes of going online. In the space of four hours, 750,000 tickets were sold. Two million people tried to buy pre-sale tickets in the space of 18 hours. AEG Live estimated that the first 10concerts would have earned Jackson approximately £50 million.
In preparation for the concert series, Jackson had collaborated with figures including fashion designer Christian Audigier, choreographer Kenny Ortega and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. Prior to his death, Allgood Entertainment sued him for $40 million, claiming that he had breached an exclusivity agreement by agreeing to the This Is It concerts; the case was dismissed.
After Jackson's death, AEG Live offered either refunds to ticket holders or a special "souvenir" ticket designed by Jackson. The cancelled shows, record-breaking ticket sales[1][2][3] and potential for a world tour[4][5] led to This Is It being described as "the greatest concert[s] that never happened".[6][7]Columbia Pictures acquired the footage of the rehearsals and released a documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It, accompanied by a soundtrack album.
Jackson announced This Is It at a press conference at the O2 Arena in London on March 5, 2009.[8] The conference was attended by fans from several countries and 350 journalists.[8] He told the crowd: "This is it. When I say this is it, it really means this is it. This is the final curtain call."[8] Immediately after the conference, a statement confirmed that Jackson would play 10 shows at the London O2 Arena, "performing in London for the last time". The statement promised "an explosive return with a band of the highest calibre, a state-of-the-art stage show and incredible surprise support acts".[9]
Jackson had not toured since the 1996–1997 HIStory World Tour.[9] In 2005, he was acquitted of child sexual abuse charges, and kept out of the public eye in the years following. Reports circulated that he was facing financial problems; he had closed his Neverland Ranch residence and auctioned more than 2,000 possessions.[9] The Independent reported that "for a man who has been absent for 10 years from the stage, after a messy court battle to shake off the paedophilia charges, a reputed cash crisis and the loss of his ranch, Michael Jackson looked surprisingly rehabilitated".[8]
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.[10][11][12][13]
The shows, Jackson's first significant concert events since the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2001, had been deemed one of the year's most important musical events.[14][15] Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, stated that the first 10 dates would earn Jackson approximately £50 million (about US$80.1 million).[16]The Guardian characterized the concerts as an "astonishing comeback for a man who in recent years has been dogged by controversy", adding that Jackson still had "enormous commercial clout".[17] 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.[18][19] Joe Cohen, chief executive of Seatwave, told BBC 6 Music that the shows would generate £1 billion for the economy.[20]
Response
The O2 Arena, where the concerts would have been held
Sales of Jackson's albums increased following the press conference.[21] Some websites offered early tickets, which the Association of Secondary Ticket Agents warned were fake.[22] Jackson's website allowed fans to register early for a "pre-sale" draw. The website was not able to deal with the number of registrations—reportedly up to 16,000 applications a second.[23] 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.[24][25] Tickets that had not even been printed were selling on auction website eBay for £300.[17]
The two-day pre-sale began on March 11, and 40 extra dates were added to meet high demand; five 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.[26] In the space of four hours, 750,000 tickets were sold.[21] Two million people tried to buy pre-sale tickets in the space of 18 hours.[27] Veronica Schmidt of The Times said that "Michael Jackson has floored his critics",[28] while organizers proclaimed it a "cultural phenomenon".[29]
Jackson was set to 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.[30] 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.[31] At this stage, the sales of King of Pop were up 400% and the sales of Thriller were up 200%.[32] Tickets appeared on eBay for as much as £10,000.[33]
Litigation
In June 2009, concert promoter Allgood Entertainment, represented by Ira Meyerowitz and Jon Kekielek of MJlawfirm, sued Jackson for $40 million. He claimed that Jackson, through his manager Frank DiLeo, had agreed to a single and a $30 million reunion concert with The Jackson 5 and his sister Janet Jackson. According to the concert promoter, the alleged contractual agreement prevented Jackson 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.[34][35][36] In August 2010, the judge dismissed the case, stating that there was no evidence of a binding agreement, no contracts were signed.[37] The case was in limbo as of 2013.[38]
Preparation and concert details
The 50-concert run was originally slated to start on July 8, 2009 and conclude on February 24, 2010.[39] Each of the shows would have been performed at the O2 Arena in London, to approximately 15,000 people per show; approximately a total of 750,000 people would have been attended all 50 shows.[40][41] New York designer Zaldy was head costumer. Jay Ruckel of La Crasia Gloves recreated Jackson's iconic single glove.[42] The costumes were encrusted with 300,000 Swarovski crystals.[43] From April 13–15, 2009, more than 700 dancers auditioned for Jackson, who helped select the 11 finalists.[44]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".[45][46][47] According to Randy Phillips, $20 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.[46] 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.[48]
On May 20, 2009, it was announced that the first concert would have been postponed from five days to July 13, and three other July 2009 dates would also being postponed to 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.[39] Some fans petitioned for the reversal of AEG Live's decision.[49] On June 24, 2009, several hundred seats for each show went on sale. These seats were held back until production logistics were finalized.[50]
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.[51]
Rehearsals
Rehearsals took place six days per week at three locations in California from April to June 2009.[52][53] Jackson did not attend every rehearsal.[53]
From mid-April through May 29, 2009, rehearsals took place at Center Staging in Burbank. From June 1–20, 2009, rehearsals took place at The Forum in Inglewood. From June 22–25, 2009, rehearsals took place at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.[52]
On June 23, 2009, Jackson rehearsed nearly the entire show, and performed many of his songs for the last time.[53]
On June 24, 2009, Jackson met with the production team to finalize some visual elements of the show. Afterwards, he attended a meeting about a planned television special that was scheduled to air on October 31, 2009 on CBS, featuring footage of "Thriller" and "Threatened" from the shows. Later, Jackson rehearsed three songs: "Thriller", "Threatened", and "Earth Song". Jackson's performance of "Earth Song" was ultimately his final performance on stage before his death the next morning.[53][54]
Prior to Jackson's death, production rehearsals were scheduled to continue at the Staples Center through July 2, 2009. Rehearsals were scheduled to resume at the O2 Arena in London from July 7–12, 2009.[52]
List of confirmed rehearsal dates that Jackson attended.[53][54]
On June 25, 2009, eighteen days before the first slated This Is It performance, Jackson died after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by an overdose of propofol and benzodiazepines. AEG Live, who persuaded Jackson to sign up for the shows,[verification needed] faced a liability of up to £300 million and an empty venue for the next nine months.[55] The O2 Arena stated that full refunds, including all ticket service charges, would be available to those who purchased tickets through authorized agents, and that fans would also have the option to receive the tickets as souvenirs instead of a refund.[56] Fans who bought their tickets from private sellers potentially faced problems. eBay recommended that purchasers contact their sellers for refunds and stated that those who used PayPal could get refunds if the purchase was made during the last 45 days.[57] PayPal later announced that all ticket buyers would receive a full refund.[58]
Following Jackson's death, AEG stated that they had "more than 100 hours of footage of preparations and rehearsals for the shows".[59] 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.[59][60] According to court documents, Columbia paid $60 million (£35 million) for rights to the rehearsal footage.[61] 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.[59][62] 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.[citation needed] The film was released on October 28, 2009.[63]
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".[64] 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."[65] 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".[65][66]
Dates
The 50 concerts for This Is It were scheduled to start on July 13, 2009 and end on March 6, 2010.[67] The concert series was originally going to be 10 shows starting on July 8, 2009 but it was expanded on March 12, 2009 to 50 shows.[68][69] Four concerts were postponed, including the opening show which was rescheduled to July 13, 2009.[70] Each of the shows would have been performed at the O2 Arena to approximately 15,000 people per show; approximately 750,000 people would have attended all 50 shows.[41]
The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events. Under the AEG Presents brand, it is the world's second-largest presenter of live music and entertainment events, after Live Nation. AEG Presents was founded in 2002 as AEG Live.
Bad was the first solo concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson, launched in support of his seventh studio album Bad (1987). The 123-show world tour began on September 12, 1987 in Japan, and concluded on January 27, 1989 in the United States, and sponsored by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. It grossed a total of $125 million, making it the second highest-grossing tour of the 1980s after Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, and earning two new entries in the Guinness World Records for the largest grossing tour in history and the tour with the largest attended audience. It was nominated for "Tour of the Year 1988" at the inaugural International Rock Awards.
Charles "Chucky" Klapow is an American choreographer and dance instructor, who has performed and choreographed for various performers, and several television and stage productions. He is also known for his teachings on the mental approach to dance.
The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the second-highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the United Kingdom, behind the Manchester Arena, and in 2008 was the world's busiest music arena. As of 2022, it is the ninth-largest building in the world by volume with a diameter of 365 metres and a height of 52 metres.
The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, restaurants, and a guided tour to the top of the O2. It was built largely within the former Millennium Dome, a large dome-shaped canopy built to house an exhibition celebrating the turn of the third millennium; consequently The Dome remains a name in common usage for the venue. It is sometimes referred to as The O2 Arena, but that name properly refers to the indoor arena within The O2. Naming rights to the district were purchased by the mobile telephone provider O2 from its developers, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), during the development of the district. AEG owns the long-term lease on the O2 Arena and surrounding leisure space.
The Tangled Up Tour was the fourth concert tour by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud. It supported their fourth studio album Tangled Up. Tour dates were announced in November 2007. Girls Aloud performed twenty-four shows at arenas across the United Kingdom and Ireland, making this tour their third to reach arenas. The tour commenced in Belfast on 3 May 2008 and concluded in Birmingham on 4 June. Girls Aloud also performed eleven open-air concerts over the summer.
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008 and was re-branded on 4 September 2014 due to the takeover of O2 Ireland by Three Ireland. The venue is owned by a Live Nation subsidiary, Apollo Leisure Group Ltd. and is among the top ten busiest music arenas by ticket sales in the world.
The Out of Control Tour was the fifth concert tour by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud. It supported their fifth studio album Out of Control. Initially, just ten dates in bigger arenas were announced in November 2008. Due to demand, more dates were added. Girls Aloud performed thirty-two dates across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour commenced on 24 April 2009 at the Manchester Evening News Arena, with the final show on 6 June 2009 in Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena.
The Eyes Open Tour was a concert tour by the Scottish/Northern Irish alternative rock band Snow Patrol. It was launched in support of the group's 2006 album Eyes Open. The band visited numerous international venues from 2006 through 2007. The tour is the collective name of many smaller tours and festivals Snow Patrol has played in support of their album. The tour officially commenced on 14 February 2006 with a "secret gig" called SG#3.
The Wonder World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer Miley Cyrus. The tour was held in support of her second studio album Breakout (2008) and first extended play (EP) The Time of Our Lives (2009). It began in September 2009 and concluded on December 29, visiting cities in the United States and United Kingdom; thus, the Wonder World Tour became Cyrus' first world tour. It also became Cyrus' first tour not to incorporate performances as Hannah Montana, although "Let's Get Crazy" and "Spotlight", both songs credited to Montana, were performed. Alternative band Metro Station served as opening act for all tour venues. It was sponsored by Wal-Mart and promoted by AEG Live. All tickets from the Wonder World Tour were sold using paperless ticketing, in order to prevent ticket scalping similar to what had occurred during Cyrus' previous tour. One dollar from each ticket sold was donated to the City of Hope National Medical Center, an organization devoted to the fight against cancer.
Michael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American documentary film about Michael Jackson's preparation for This Is it, a series of concerts that were cancelled due to his death in 2009. Named for the concert residency of the same name, the film includes additional behind the scenes footage, including dancer auditions and costume design. The film's director, Kenny Ortega, confirmed that none of the footage was originally intended for release, but after Jackson's death, it was agreed that the film would be made. The footage was filmed in California at the Staples Center and The Forum.
The Sun Comes Out World Tour was the fifth concert tour by Colombian singer Shakira, launched in support of her eighth and ninth studio albums, She Wolf (2009) and Sale El Sol (2010). After a special tour preview-show, held in Montréal, Québec on 15 September 2010, the North American leg of the tour commenced in Uncasville, Connecticut on 17 September, finishing in Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago) on 29 October 2010. The European leg of the tour was then planned to begin in the city of Lyon, France on 16 November, and end in London, England on 20 December 2010.
The Take Me Home Tour was the second headlining concert tour by English-Irish boy band One Direction, in support of their second studio album, Take Me Home (2012). The tour began on 23 February 2013 in London, England, and concluded on 3 November 2013 in Chiba, Japan. It was announced by member Liam Payne at the BRIT Awards in early 2012, originally billed as the UK & Ireland Arena Tour. In mid-2012, the tour expanded to include North America and Australia following the band's international breakthrough. The tour was documented in the film One Direction: This Is Us directed by Morgan Spurlock.
A concert residency is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but only performed at one location. Pollstar Awards defined residency as a run of 10 or more shows at a single venue. An artist who performs on a concert residency is called a resident performer. Concert residencies have been the staple of the Las Vegas Strip for decades, pioneered by singer-pianist Liberace in the 1940s and Frank Sinatra with the Rat Pack in the 1950s.
The McBusted Tour is a 2014 concert tour by English supergroup McBusted, composed of members of pop rock bands McFly and Busted. It consisted of 36 shows around cities in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland from April–June 2014. The tour began on 17 April in Glasgow and ended on 27 June in Scarborough.
The Great Escape Tour is the cancelled headlining concert tour by Australian recording artist Iggy Azalea in support of her debut album, The New Classic (2014), its reissue, Reclassified (2014) and then-upcoming second studio album. The tour was scheduled to visit twenty-one cities across North America over the span of two months, beginning on 18 September 2015 in San Diego, California and concluding on 27 October 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. It was announced on 29 May 2015 that the entire tour was cancelled due to low sales, with a new tour to be announced with her then-upcoming, later cancelled album in 2016. It was the first of Azalea's tours to be cancelled, with her 2018 Bad Girls Tour also later cancelled.
The Man. The Music. The Show. was a concert tour by Australian entertainer Hugh Jackman. It showcased material from the soundtrack album, The Greatest Showman and Broadway and Hollywood musical numbers backed by a live orchestra. Comprising 90 shows, the tour visited North America, Europe, and Oceania. It began on 7 May 2019 in Glasgow and concluded on 20 October 2019 in Mexico City. The tour was officially announced on 30 November 2018, through the tour's website and is produced by AEG Presents, TEG-Dainty and helmed by Robert Fox.
The Last Domino? Tour was a concert tour by English rock band Genesis, staged following the announcement of their reunion after a 13-year hiatus. It featured the core trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, drummer/singer Phil Collins, and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford, the most commercially successful line-up in the band's history, with Daryl Stuermer on guitars and bass, and Collins's son Nic on drums.
Rob Hallett is the CEO and founder of Robomagic. Hallett founded the AEG UK office in 2005 and worked for ten years as the head of international touring. Hallett has also been a festival programmer, tour manager, music publisher, record label managing director, recording studio owner, and artist manager. He appeared in the Evening Standard's Top 5 in Music in 2007, and was listed in the top 100 most powerful people in music by The Guardian in 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
