Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 6, 2022 4:40:53 GMT
In 2007, and especially in 2008, Michael often told me about touring. He always said the same kind of thing โthat he didn't want to do a great tour, but rather a series of big concerts in major cities around the world, such as London, Tokyo, Sydney and New York.
The announcement of this is it tour in London on March 5, 2009 came as a big surprise to everyone, including me. In the following weeks, the number of shows grew from an initial 10 to an astonishing 50 shows in a city. This was very different from what he had said over the previous two years.
Many of us were concerned because there were too many concerts, that the tour would be very tiring and demanding, even for him. But he seemed positive and enthusiastic at first.
When he returned from London on 8 March, he asked us:
"Was it a surprise? Were you surprised?"
And over the next few months, he often told us about the rehearsals and asked us what songs he would like him to make. He also talked about continuing the tour to other cities, including New York and Tokyo.
When I went to visit him inside Center Staging Studios on April 16, he told me he was very excited because he had just closed the music sequence for the show.
When Michael was not rehearsing, he was often working on new music in the studio behind his home. On the night of May 22, we were captivated as he played part of a song repeatedly at full volume. It had a base like Smooth Criminal and built up to a dramatic chorus. It looked so amazing.
Everything seemed fine. For months, everything seemed fine. Or almost.
The first indication I got was that he wasn't fully satisfied with the tour during his last day of rehearsal at Center Staging on May 29. He spoke to a European fan who told him that we couldn't buy tickets for everyone for This Is It in the first place because everyone was limited to buying only four tickets by credit card and also because all the best tickets had been sold to a website called Viagogo, which were selling them for hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
After talking to him about the tickets, Michael called the other nine of us to the studio. This is the conversation that happened:
MJ: I love you all. I wanted to say that I didn't know about how the tickets were being sold. I really didn't know about it and I'm going to do something. They did it without my consent. They only did it for obvious reasons.
All of us: To make money, we know. We know it's not your fault.
Jill: We know how complex this is and how many people are involved.
MJ: They did the wrong schedule too. It was supposed to be show, day off, show, day off, show, day off.
Jill: We're worried we won't be able to keep up with you.
MJ: (laughs) I put everything I have to these shows. I'm working hard. But I'm just one person. There's so much I can do.
Me: Michael, please don't try too hard. Please take care of your health. You're more important than anything. You don't have to do all 50 shows. If it's too much, cancel them. Don't let anyone pressure you to do anything you don't want to do. Just do what you want to do. You're the one we love.
MJ: Thank you, you're so sweet, thank you very much. God bless you all. I also wanted to say that I'm sorry that we didn't put the window (glass) down sometimes, but it's for safety reasons. I know everyone's waiting for me. I love you all
All of us: Don't worry, we understand Michael. We love you. We love you more.
MJ: Thank you for your love and thank you for your faithfulness.
He shook hands, bowing his head, and stood there in silence for a while. We could feel his energy coming to us, filling the room.
Unfortunately someone betrayed Michael and sold our conversation to a British tabloid the next day. AEG were quick to issue a statement denying the validity of the story.
Talitha Fluttrby Michael Jackson fan
The announcement of this is it tour in London on March 5, 2009 came as a big surprise to everyone, including me. In the following weeks, the number of shows grew from an initial 10 to an astonishing 50 shows in a city. This was very different from what he had said over the previous two years.
Many of us were concerned because there were too many concerts, that the tour would be very tiring and demanding, even for him. But he seemed positive and enthusiastic at first.
When he returned from London on 8 March, he asked us:
"Was it a surprise? Were you surprised?"
And over the next few months, he often told us about the rehearsals and asked us what songs he would like him to make. He also talked about continuing the tour to other cities, including New York and Tokyo.
When I went to visit him inside Center Staging Studios on April 16, he told me he was very excited because he had just closed the music sequence for the show.
When Michael was not rehearsing, he was often working on new music in the studio behind his home. On the night of May 22, we were captivated as he played part of a song repeatedly at full volume. It had a base like Smooth Criminal and built up to a dramatic chorus. It looked so amazing.
Everything seemed fine. For months, everything seemed fine. Or almost.
The first indication I got was that he wasn't fully satisfied with the tour during his last day of rehearsal at Center Staging on May 29. He spoke to a European fan who told him that we couldn't buy tickets for everyone for This Is It in the first place because everyone was limited to buying only four tickets by credit card and also because all the best tickets had been sold to a website called Viagogo, which were selling them for hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
After talking to him about the tickets, Michael called the other nine of us to the studio. This is the conversation that happened:
MJ: I love you all. I wanted to say that I didn't know about how the tickets were being sold. I really didn't know about it and I'm going to do something. They did it without my consent. They only did it for obvious reasons.
All of us: To make money, we know. We know it's not your fault.
Jill: We know how complex this is and how many people are involved.
MJ: They did the wrong schedule too. It was supposed to be show, day off, show, day off, show, day off.
Jill: We're worried we won't be able to keep up with you.
MJ: (laughs) I put everything I have to these shows. I'm working hard. But I'm just one person. There's so much I can do.
Me: Michael, please don't try too hard. Please take care of your health. You're more important than anything. You don't have to do all 50 shows. If it's too much, cancel them. Don't let anyone pressure you to do anything you don't want to do. Just do what you want to do. You're the one we love.
MJ: Thank you, you're so sweet, thank you very much. God bless you all. I also wanted to say that I'm sorry that we didn't put the window (glass) down sometimes, but it's for safety reasons. I know everyone's waiting for me. I love you all
All of us: Don't worry, we understand Michael. We love you. We love you more.
MJ: Thank you for your love and thank you for your faithfulness.
He shook hands, bowing his head, and stood there in silence for a while. We could feel his energy coming to us, filling the room.
Unfortunately someone betrayed Michael and sold our conversation to a British tabloid the next day. AEG were quick to issue a statement denying the validity of the story.
Talitha Fluttrby Michael Jackson fan