14 DAY TRIAL // When Michael Jackson announced that July would see him performing live at London’s O2 Arena, fans were ecstatic. Not even the fact that the King of Pop said that these would also be his final live shows managed to cloud their joy. Now, with thousands queuing to get tickets, Michael has just revealed that other 40 dates would be added to the initially-announced 10, thus extending the summer tour to 50 dates.
As of now, more than 500,000 tickets for the first dates have already been sold, not including opportunists who have acquired more to sell later on sites like eBay for more than their worth. With Michael extending the tour to 50 dates, it is believed that he will break the record for most shows played in a row at the same venue (the previous one is held by Prince, who played a 21-date gig, also at O2 Arena) and the one for grossing, with Michael poised to make anywhere between $50 and 70 million off the tour.
By the time “This Is It” ends on February 24, 2010, more than one million people will have seen Michael Jackson perform live, several media outlets that have done the math are reporting. Nevertheless, good news and all, skeptics still think that the possibility that the singer might not be able to perform all 50 dates continues to be high.
It’s not so much his health that worries fans, as is the fact that 50 shows, one after another, might be too much for the star that has not performed live in many, many years. The long hours in rehearsals and the agitation of each show might be too much for Michael, it has been pinpointed.
This is also what many fans are thinking, which is why they are, as we speak, queuing to get tickets for the first dates – front row, if possible. Seeing Michael performing live on his much-mediated and long overdue comeback is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they believe, and they’re not about to let anything stand in their way.
Tents have been set up in front of O2, with some fans camping outside as early as Monday, just to make sure they get their tickets. They don’t mind the cold or the long hours, the British media is reporting, since they have games and Michael Jackson songs to keep them entertained while waiting.
“I’m immensely excited. I did not know I would get front row tickets and it’s a surprise for my fiancé and my mum and dad. I don’t think he will do all 50 shows – I think he can dance but I don't think he can sing as well. I knew the earlier I got down here the better the seats would be and we could get opening night, which is gonna be the best.” Ben Crow, 22, from Guildford, tells the Daily Mail.