Michael Jackson may be gone, but his final gig won't be forgotten.
What was originally billed as the King of Pop's comeback concerts at London's O2 Arena next month may morph into a special tribute show to celebrate his extraordinary life, the promoter hinted.
In an interview with Britain's Sky News, AEG Live President Randy Phillips stated his desire to bring Jackson's last artistic endeavor to light, noting it was "beyond anything" anyone has ever seen before.
"At some point the world needs to see this production and I would imagine it could be done as a tribute with the family, with the brothers performing, some sisters, and the stars that were influenced by him," the promoter said.
"The world needs to see this production. It would have been, which is the tragedy here, one of the most amazing shows ever, so at some point we want the world to see that. We are discussing with the family so the sooner, the better."
As AEG sorts its way through the complicated process of issuing full refunds to the 750,000 who bought tickets to the 50 sold-out shows, Phillips confirmed that the company would "at some point" release footage of the rehearsals. He says the release will be to refute reports that Jackson was too frail to perform—and not necessarily about potentially selling millions of CD/DVDs of the star's final performance.
"I lost one of my closest friends so it's not about money necessarily," said Phillips. "When you're in business you take risks and in Michael's case, his brilliance, we thought it an acceptable risk. We, probably, will be fine financially from this.
"He was so amazing in the final week. He gave me a hug and said, 'Now I know I can do this.' He was that engaged and that incredible."