Michael Jackson will perform his last 10 concerts in the “This is It” tour in London starting July 8, officially ending his career.
The 50-year-old singer has been scarcely seen in public after being acquitted of child molestation in California in 2005, consistently showing erratic behavior and shamed from child abuse allegations, financial ruin (including the loss of his Neverland Ranch last year).
“Because of what’s happened to him and how he’s lived his life the past 20 years, he’s made it very difficult for people to out themselves as Michael Jackson fans,” John Aizlewood, British music writer and broadcaster, said.
Despite all the crazy shenanigans and his creepy resemblance to Peter Pan, Jackson’s astonishing ticket sales for his so-called last tour has proved that his fan base can never leave the superstar they knew years ago.
Jackson is still known for his glitzy gloves and 13 Grammys.
Although Jackson hasn’t had a major tour (not including his infamous public concerts where he dances on top of his limo at random times) since 1997, he’s been able to live off of his money from selling more than 750 million albums throughout the decades.
“This is it” tickets were priced between $70 and $105 dollars with some even priced higher on internet bidding sites. They were sold out immediately.
Amazingly, 360,000 tickets sold out earlier in the first week they were made available, and then the next 500,000 tickets made available later that week, were gone in hours. Proceeds from his concert will help “begin” to pull him out of his financial strait. Jackson is still paying off an undisclosed settlement with a Bahraini prince who brought a $7 million breach of contract suit against him.
Most people may or may not be aware of a Hollywood auction house hired by Jackson to sell off the remains of his old Neverland Ranch with plans of selling around 2,000 items this April. Jackson must be desperately in debt if he has to resort to selling off irreplaceable items.
He’s truly become a washed-out star and is lucky to have the loyal fans who have been behind him through all his odd behavior.
Earlier in March, Jackson filed a lawsuit against the auction house saying that he never gave permission to sell off any of his things.
Jackson is off playing another odd ball game in a quick scheme to save him from his financial troubles.
He claims that “this is really it,” his last tour, but speculations is up in the air about his tour becoming an opening act for a world tour.
Before Jackson copped the nickname “Wacko-Jacko,” he was known as the “King of Pop.” He began his music career at the age of five as the lead singer of the renowned group the Jackson 5 in the 1960s.
By 1984, Jackson decided to break away from the Jackson 5 for good and made his name synonymous with “the moonwalk.” Jackson is well known for songs such as “Billy Jean,” “Bad” and “Thriller,” which was also used as the title of his 1982 album, the best selling album in history.
Jackson was a sensation internationally and taped concerts from the 1990s show how much his fans loved him. Fans went to his concerts and literally passed out and had to have gurneys carry them out of their crazed-sweat Jackson meltdowns.
With all the fame and love Jackson has received over the decades, it’s depressing to see that the psychological and emotional problems of being a childhood star and the world’s puppet-performer have morphed into such a public disappointment.
