| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
LONDON : The King of Pop is back, and if there were any lingering doubts in anyone’s mind as to whether he would actually be able to sell off his comeback show tickets after his long disappearance from the music scene, they have been almost completely obliterated.
Presale tickets were snapped up within minutes of them being made available. The "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" star announced the concerts at the giant O2 arena in London at a press conference last week. The performances are said to be his “final curtain”. The living legendary “King Of Pop” told fans, "I am coming to London to play the songs my fans want to hear."
Reports suggest Michael Jackson could make millions from the concerts, his first major shows in over a decade. They come four years after he was cleared of child abuse in the United States.
Jackson is said to be finishing his first new album since 2001. The singer's plans are similar to those of the rock star Prince, who in 2007 performed 21 sell-out shows at the O2 and gave away his new album free to fans.
The reputation that the O2 arena has earned for itself in recent years for hosting the hottest musical events precedes itself. In 2007, it staged the Led Zeppelin’s one-off comeback gig as well Prince’s 21 sell-out shows. Britney Spears, the Pet Shop Boys and Lionel Richie are among other performers due to play at the venue this year.
Event promoter Rob Hallett welcomed Jackson's return, saying: "We are delighted to facilitate the return of the king of pop, long may he reign! When Michael Jackson performs the eyes of the world will be watching."
The legendary star created a frenzy when the advance tickets were put on sale for the initial 10 performances at the 20,000-seat O2 Arena. Within hours, promoters AEG had added at least 15 extra shows and sold 190,000 tickets. The websites of both Ticketmaster and the O2 Arena had crashed in the process, prompting an apologetic email to fans who missed out.
The technical breakdown sparked anger among fans all over the world who blamed the organisers for wildly underestimating the level of demand.
"We have witnessed an unprecedented level of demand for the Michael Jackson concerts at the O2," Ticketmaster managing director Chris Edmonds said.
"Unfortunately due to a technical issue, we were unable to facilitate all immediate ticket requests."
Scalpers have already posted thousands of tickets on auction site ebay, demanding more than US$20,000 for front row seats.
To make matters worse for die-hard MJ fans, they may have to pay more than 10 times the face value of the tickets after the show’s promoters struck a secret deal to sell the best seats at highly inflated prices.
AEG Live, the company responsible for the concerts, has agreed with Viagogo, an online ticket reseller, to sell hundreds of so-called premium tickets for each performance at the O2 arena, at about 500 pounds each, compared with the original priced tickets which range between 50 and 75 pounds.
The move means that both AEG Live and Viagogo stand to make huge extra profits, while reducing the availability and standard of seats to a large number of fans trying to buy seats through the official, “primary” route, via the Ticketmaster website.
AEG Live did not deny its links to Viagogo. The company previously said in a statement: "In an effort to ensure fans are able to purchase premium tickets and exchange tickets directly with other fans, AEG Live has entered into an agreement with Viagogo. The online site allows people to buy and sell live event tickets in a safe and guaranteed way."
"This is the hottest ticket of the decade," a source close to AEG Live said. "To suggest that there won’t be a premium market is unrealistic. We want to make sure it is done properly and fans are not buying the tickets in some dodgy back alley."
"This is only a small minority of tickets. The aim all along has been to make sure that the majority of the arena is filled with real fans. There are systems in place to make sure people cannot buy multiple tickets and sell them on."
Jackson has not recorded a studio album since "Invincible", his 10th solo record, in 2001. His last major series of concerts was a world tour to promote the "HiStory" album in 1996 and 1997.
Tickets to his comeback concerts officially go on sale on Friday and there is speculation that Jackson could perform up to 40 shows in total, in his first major tour since 1997.
- CNA/ap
|
