I’d pretty much given up on the prospect of seeing Michael on tour. When the HIStory World Tour came to London, I was nine years old, and my parents were not concert people. When I was finally old enough to venture out and do things independently, Michael had effectively retired from touring. Three days after my 19th Birthday, Michael attended the World Music Awards in London, where he sang a short part of ‘We Are The World’ to Earl’s Court Arena, which was packed to the rafters with Jackson fans. To have his voice reach my own ears in real, was a life milestone and I could live happy knowing I’d heard him sing.
What I was really waiting for was a new album.
I was in Southampton for uni and it just so happened that my friend and fellow Michael Jackson fan Kim was a Southampton native and so we’d meet up weekly and shop for MJ vinyls or discuss Michael over hot chocolates.
In early 2009, touring musical Thriller Live was coming to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton and so desperate for an MJ fix, Kim and I grabbed tickets. The Mayflower is at the top of one hill, and I lived on top of another, so as Kim and I made the walk from my house through the valley between hills, I commented.
“I think Michael is on the horizon, you know?!”
Kim, used to my constant anxious state when it comes to Michael replied,
“What makes you say that?”
“I just feel it! It’s cold and he’s been too quiet lately.”
Until now, the only feelings I ever had were that of stones in my shoes. I was notorious for stamping the bottom out of a pair of shoes and every time I went to Michael’s hotel, I’d be duct-tapping the insides together. The life of a student was real!
So, this feeling, I just felt it. Plus, in the last few years, Michael had been to London often and it was always cold when he came.
A couple of weeks passed and I needed new shoes, so I took a job as a contract waiter for an agency to work ad-hoc across the UK at premium events and sporting functions. I had to complete a day’s training in silver service which concluded with everyone having to clear a table of 12 dinner sets before being able to leave. Finally, my turn and I aced it with no problem. Heading for home, I switched my phone on as I walked through the city centre and had several missed calls from Kim. I phoned her back.
Before she could get a word out, I began a ramble about the day’s training. I was in one-man performance mode and as Kim constantly tried to bring the conversation to a close so she could tell me why she’d called, I just carried on talking. Arriving at my house I said
“Right, I’m home now, can I call you back in a bit?”
“Ok, but I need to tell you something.” Rang out from the other end of the line as I hung up.
Standing in the kitchen, I regaled my flatmate with the same story about the training. Kim tried to call twice, and I didn’t hear as I was mid-sermon. Finally, I heard it and answered.
“Hey, I’ll call you back in a minute.” And I hung up. The sermon continued.
From the corridor, the house phone rang (it’s 2009, remember!) I halted my conversation and went to answer.
“DO NOT HANG UP, SHUT UP AND LISTEN.” It was Kim.
“Ok”.
“Christian Audigier was with Michael on Rodeo Drive, he spoke to the paps after and told them Michael is coming to London to announce a tour.”
I froze.
“Pez, are you there?”
“I’ll call you back!” I said and put the phone down.
I ran upstairs to grab my address book (2009!) and found the shop number for a friend of mine who worked in a sports shop. I phoned the store pretending to be her brother. “It’s a family matter!” I told the person on the phone who passed it to my friend.
“It’s Pez, don’t hang up (a bit rich of me!) Michael is coming to London, he’s going to announce a tour!”
“Fuck.”
Arranging to speak that evening, I returned to Kim who filled me in on the what’s, where’s and how’s, as I logged into the fan forums for updates. The mood was electric!
The next day, March 2nd, a revamped Michaeljackson.com launched, shedding the Thriller 25 skin that had dominated it for the last year.
The following day, I went to uni in the morning keeping my phone close in case Kim called with updates. I came home around lunchtime and logged in. I phoned Kim. There were reports on the forums that an announcement was imminent. We sat on the phone together for around 3 hours with the loudspeaker on, refreshing MichaelJackson.com over and over. Refreshing the forums. As we entered hour four, I broke.
“I’m just going to go and get a drink from downstairs, I’ll be quick.”
I came back to Kim shouting “Pez, where are you?! Refresh, Refresh, quick!”
I refreshed and there it was. The announcement read:
Attention Fans! AEG Live is inviting you down to The O2 in London for a very special announcement from Michael Jackson. Access is granted on a first come first serve basis.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Michael Jackson to Make A Special Announcement
WHEN: Thursday, March 5th
TIME: Suggested Arrival Time is 1pm. Press Conference Starts at 4pm.
WHERE: The O2 Grand Concourse, Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX
To say we were screaming would be an understatement. The only thing I could focus on was the line
“first come, first serve basis.”
I told Kim we had to be the very first of the first come first served. The 1 pm suggested arrival time was laughable. We’re Michael Jackson fans, knowing he was going to be there in two days’ time…I already felt late!
We set ourselves to task. Kim offered to book the coach down to London for the following day, giving me time to get my uni assignment finished. I poured myself a malibu, neat (the only thing I had to hand) and phoned my friend Rob. While standing on my bed, we spoke about how excited we were and our plans to head to the O2.
Whatever I put in that assignment, God only knows. I worked late to finish it and in truth, it was more about just submitting ‘something’. Michael Jackson was coming to London, and he was about to announce a tour. Nothing else mattered!
The next morning, I went to the uni for the hand-in, 9 am on the dot and then off to meet Kim at the coach station. We were hyper all the way to London, the toilets on the coach smelled terrible and we kept being overly disgusted when someone opened the door. Anything to pass the time. We had our Michael flags with us and captured the moment on our little digital cameras.
The 1-hour 20-minute journey felt like a lifetime and we finally arrived in London and headed to a friend’s house to drop off our bags, before the three of us headed down to the O2.
It was around midday on Wednesday 4th March when we arrived at the O2. According to the press release, Michael was due to arrive at 4 pm the following day, so we had 28 hours to wait. They said first come, first served and we were determined to be the first.
We posed for some photos where the press conference was to be held before heading outside to begin queuing.
Standing by the door, O2 security came up to enquire as to what we were doing.
“We’re here for Michael Jackson!” we replied.
“Guys, that’s tomorrow! Tina Turner is on tonight and her audience isn’t even here for that yet, don’t you want to come back tomorrow?”
No, we did not. First. Come. First. Served.
“Well, you’re the first ones, so you can start queuing here,” he said, gesturing to the left of the main door and walking away laughing in disbelief.
First. Come. First. Served.
As we stood outside in the cold March evening, we watched as Tina Turner fans piled into the O2 for the second of her four-night run at the O2. Tina is one of my favourite artists and I kept thinking about the fact that Michael and Tina were going to be in the same building, just hours apart. I would have loved to have gone in and seen Tina’s concert, but Michael was coming and I had my spot in the queue. Sorry Tina, Michael comes first!
Several hours later, Rob arrived and for the next few hours, the conversation consisted of:
“Imagine if he performs Liberian Girl!”
“Imagine if he performs Remember The Time”
“Imagine if he performs Butterflies”
Until we’d pretty much covered Michael’s entire discography.
By around 10 pm, a handful of fans had arrived and so we were approximately 20 or so. We learned that Michael had arrived in the UK and fans had tracked him to the Lanesborough. He was in London. This was happening.
In the early hours of the morning, O2 security opened the doors and invited us inside to get warm. They also needed the outside space to set up the metal detectors and bag search ahead of the public arriving to see Michael.
Between 5 am and 7 am, more fans began to arrive, either on their own or in small groups and were invited into a restaurant seating area inside the lobby where we were hauled up, waiting.
Prior to the O2 opening the main doors, a team from AEG arrived to provide numbered wristbands to all of us sitting inside. As soon as they came over, another group of fans jumped up waving their wrists in the air.
Not on our watch! We charged through the group, “We were here first.”
Thankfully a security guard stepped in and said.
“Yes, these guys have been here since yesterday afternoon.”
The staff turned to us and began to put the wristbands on us. They were numbered and I was wristband number 1. I honestly felt like everything had led up to this moment.
“Guys, you can go off around the O2, but we recommend being back here for around 11 am.”
We’d buddied up with some other guys during the queuing and so as a group, we headed off to stretch our legs. The shop inside the O2 had a newspaper advert noting that Michael was coming to the O2 to announce a series of concerts. We grabbed the sign and took a photo together. We then headed into Starbucks to join the larger group of fans that had now formed since the main entrance opened. A lovely fan called Michael bought all of us a Starbucks and bought them over.
*Side note* – After the conference, we lost Michael in the crowd and never got to exchange numbers. I’d love to reconnect with him if anyone recognises him.
Just before 11 am, we headed back to the main concourse where a construction team were putting the staging together, hanging a vibrant red curtain – “Michael’s favourite” Kim said, and we nodded together in approval.
Stuck to one of the large pillars was a note for staff detailing the plan for the conference. At the top it had Michael Jackson ‘This Is It’ Concerts.
“He’s calling it This Is It! He’s calling it This Is it!” I shouted.
We had a name and we all collectively heaped praise on Michael for choosing such a powerful name. ‘This Is It’. This is the comeback, this is everything. It was strong and we loved it.
The permanent screen above the stage kicked into action displaying the imagery for…’King of Pop’ album. This was confusing, is it This Is It or King of Pop tour? Finally, the words This Is It flashed up under the image and the now hundred-strong group of fans cheered.
More people began piling into the O2, ready for Michael and I began to feel anxious. We were standing at the front of the barrier, overlooking the ‘press pit’ with the stage around 5 metres away. This was close, but I wished we could be closer.
Some press approached and asked us where we had travelled from and if we were excited. Silly question really, but this was Michael’s moment, and we were here for him, so we jumped into our usual rhetoric – Positive, Positive, Positive. They took our names and photos and left us waiting for something to happen.
A staff member entered the ‘press pit’ and hoisted himself on the concrete fixture, shouting.
“Anyone with a wristband, please go and queue on the far right to enter the gold circle.”
Gold Circle. So, it wasn’t a ‘press pit’. It was a fan pit. We were going to be in front of the stage for sure where Michael would see us and if the numbers on the bands meant anything, I was going to be first in. By this point, the crowds were swelling in all directions of the lobby and the queue for the Gold Circle was at least 20 people deep as we reached it. I turned to Kim.
“No, No, No, this is wrong, we were here first. We have to be at the front.”
Kim agreed and literally grabbed a member of staff by the arm for her attention, who said that as long as we were all in the queue, we’d get into the Gold Circle.
This wasn’t it at all. We began to protest.
The group who was forming the front of the line, surprisingly, were the same group who’d tried to get the wristbands first. They shouted at us “The numbers don’t matter” & “You’ll still get in.”
Emotion took over.
I turned to our group and together we marched directly to the front of the queue. We approached the guy next to the gate and said to him that we were there first and if the numbers weren’t important, why were they there? Besides, Michael’s announcement said first come first served.
He looked at us all, red-faced, tired and on the cusp of an emotional meltdown… or a riot and agreed.
“You’re right,” he said and then shouted, “Guys in this line, please get in order of the number on your wristband!”
Relief. Naturally, the ‘other’ crowd exercised their vocabulary of profanity as we took our places at the front of the queue, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was seeing Michael.
With the stage set up now finished, A podium had been constructed with the words ‘King of Pop MICHAEL JACKSON This Is It’ – Michael’s podium.
“When the gate opens, single file please and no running.” Were the instructions as the member of staff controlling the entrance to the Gold Circle opened the gate.
I walked into the gold circle, first, with the biggest grin on my face. There were a couple of press cameras snapping away as I walked in, followed by Rob, then Kim. I looked back and expressed elation and disbelief to them as they walked in like we had collectively won the lottery. The rest of our group followed suit. I took my place at the front of this barrier, directly in front of the podium. The fact we were going to be able to share this moment so close to Michael as he told the world he was coming back was simply incredible.
We waited. Waiting, waiting….waiting. Hours of waiting, all crammed in, backs aching, legs aching.
As 4pm approached we heard a helicopter and chatter started to arise as to whether Michael was arriving by helicopter. Alas, at 4pm, No Michael. 4.30pm, No Michael. 4.45pm No Michael. Having followed Michael for a while, we knew he was always fashionably late, but I started to get anxious. There were all sorts of official people running backwards and forwards in front of the stage and we heard one say
“They’re gonna pull this if he doesn’t get here soon” with the other replying “This lot will riot if that happens.”
My mind was racing, where was he? I was willing for him to come.
“It’s probably traffic” Kim said. “And, you know what he’s like, he probably took too long getting ready.”
Yes, she was right I thought. He’s on his way, looking spectacular.
Waiting for Michael to arrive could often be a restless experience – hours of waiting for 2 minutes of eyes-on. But it was always worth it. The waiting in the gold circle was no exception. A member of our group became combative with the people behind them and in one instance, squeezed me off my spot at the barrier, relegating me to the row behind. Yet, I corrected this and returned to my prime position rather disappointed that a ‘friend’ would push me back to take the spot for themselves.
Finally, almost 90 minutes later than scheduled, host Dermot O’Leary took to the stage. Welcoming the audience, Dermot mentioned that had put together a special video for us to see.
Despite Michael being late and the stage taking all morning to construct, a technical issue meant the video didn’t seem to play. Fans started chanting “Play the tape, play the tape!” Dermot agreed saying into his microphone.
“What the hell’s happening? Let’s roll the tape!”
Still no tape.
“Let me see what I can do about this” said a frustrated Dermot. Looking over to the sound desk, he asked “Is there a tape we’re going to play, or do we put these people through purgatory anymore?”
To fill the void, he asked “When are they going to meet MJ?” holding his mic out to the crowd. The response was rapturous.
Then the tape began. Footage from the HIStory teaser with the words
“The Wait Is Almost Over”
“The Time Has Come”
At this moment, I turned and looked at the crowd behind me, everyone screaming, arms in the air, it looked like a giant tidal wave above my head.
“The King of Pop Returns”
And it hit me. I started to cry. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Michael was going on tour and in a matter of minutes I was about to see him tell us as much. The video ended after around three minutes and Dermot returned to the podium.
“You have waited long enough. 750 million album sales, 13 Grammys. London welcomes the King of Pop, Mr Michael Jackson.”
The screen flicks back on and we see Michael descending the steps of a bus and entering the building before the screen again cuts to black.
My mind was a mile a minute – He’s coming, He’s Coming, He’s Coming, He’s coming!
Finally, after 28 hours of waiting, the curtains parted, and Michael Jackson climbed the steps and walked onto the stage.
My mind throws a blank thinking back to the moment he walked out but my little digital camera recorded around 30 seconds of shaky footage of him standing front of us. AEG’s cameras show that I reached out my arm and then clutched my forehead in shock. I only know this as the moment made it into the bonus footage of the This Is It DVD release.
He smiled and approached Dermot for an embrace, whispering in his ear “Is it on?” referring to the teleprompter. Dermot asked Michael to repeat due to the noise and Michael asked again “Is it on?” Dermot assured him that it was and gestured to the podium. Interestingly, Michael didn’t use a pre-written speech and I’d have loved to have known what had been planned for him to say, but equally loved the fact his interaction led with his heart:
“Um, Thank You All.”
Our group began to chant “This Is It, This Is It, This Is It”
Michael looked past the microphone and smiled – Then he JOINED IN. Pointing his finger, he chanted “This Is It, This Is It, This Is It.” Caught up in the hype, he stepped to the side, punching his fist forward in triumph, he then lent forward and began air punching downwards with all his energy.
I just lost it. Kim lost it. The whole crowd lost it. Trapped in the smallest gap between other people and the barrier, I was swinging backwards and forwards, my black-rimmed glasses on, screaming at the top of my lungs. A moment captured by all news TV cameras in the arena, and therefore a moment I’ve spent the years since being reminded of.
Michael returned to the podium.
“I just want to say that, um, these will be final show performances in London. This will be it, This is it, and when I say This Is It it really means This Is It because Um…”
And then Kim shouts “We love you Michael!”
And Michael laughs and stretches back on the podium gushing. He looks over a Dermot, laughing.
To this day, I have never let Kim live down the fact that she single handedly prevented the world from finding out why Michael would say these were his final shows. However, he heard her tell him that she loved him and so, for a best friend to have that, I’m happy.
Stepping to the side of the podium once more, a chorus of “King of Pop, King of Pop, King of Pop” rang out from the crowd. Michael put his hand on his heart and gave the widest smile. He was drinking in the love in that room, as he absolutely should.
“I’ll be, I’ll be performing the songs my fans want to hear. This Is It, this is really it, this is the final curtain call, Ok?! And erm, I’ll see you in July.”
Collectively we screamed “JULY?!” – Four months from now July?! 2009 July?! Seventh month of the year July?!
“And”
We began chanting “Forever Michael, Forever Michael, Forever Michael”. Michael again, leant around the microphone to hear what we were saying. The laughed and held his palm in the air out to the crowd.
“I love you, I really do. You have to know that I love you so much. Really, from the bottom of my heart… This Is It, and see you in July.”
As his final act, he threw both his arms up in a V shape and titled his head down, before spinning with one fist in the air. Planning to leave, he stops turns and again puts his fist up, before motioning with his shoulders and flicking his head back to a bank of media in a kind of “And What?!” gesture, before exiting and leaving us in a frenzied state.
Dermot returned to the podium.
“Was that weird for you? He was like, that close – So 10 concerts beginning July 8th. The event of the Summer. The concerts of 2009, and of the decade.”
He then gave details on how to join the pre-sale and how to purchase tickets on the general sale. With Dermot’s exit. AEG security began ushering us to leave. It’s reported that up to 7,000 people had descended in the O2 lobby, so now there was the slow penguin walk to exit.
Once outside, we found a spot to sit down, and we just couldn’t contain our emotions. It was a mix of seeing Michael, learning we would see him on tour, knowing he was making a comeback, deducing that the speech sounded almost like a retirement farewell message, and just being utterly tired and exhausted.
As the crowds cleared, we got to our feet and headed on the underground to the Lanesborough hotel where Michael was staying. He’d had a big welcome return from hoards of fans, but now it had thinned out significantly and when we arrived, we found ourselves back in the throws of a classic Michael Jackson hotel trip – Chanting up at the window and hoping for glimpse.
After his last visit in 2007, Kim and I agreed we needed to be better prepared. Alongside our carnival style blow horns which kept the pace of any chant, we’d purchase an gas-canned airhorn. We joined the fans chanting and I helped Kim hoist herself on top of a post-box. Share squeezed that airhorn and it let out a deafening sound into the night sky. After several blasts, Michael appeared at the window, smiling ear to ear, and waved to the fans below. Over the course of the hour, he was joined by his children, and they waved with Michael, moving between windows and rooms, playing a sort of game with the fans.
Away from the press and the frenzy, this was just Michael and his fans and the expression on his face gave the impression that he was just as happy to see all of us as we were to see him. He was always so good in acknowledging everyone who waited outside his hotel and even though you were part of a crowd, his presence still managed to make you feel individually special.
Finally, after what had been the longest 2 days, we headed back to a friend’s house and watched the news coverage online. We used the credit on our phones to sign up for the pre-sale before passing out for a well-deserved rest.
The following day was the last time I ever saw Michael in person and I’m thankful I was captured in photos directly behind him while holding him up on a set of steps when he tipped back in a paparazzi scrum. But that’s a story for another time.
In the years since we lost Michael, we’ve learned much more about what happened to him that day and why he was late to the arena. The fact that he made it to the stage and engaged with us despite what happened makes me have even more respect for his professionalism as well as a further understanding of the love he had for his fans. I do believe that once on the stage and seeing the reception he received, he was genuinely happy.
And I’m thankful that for his final public outing I was able to be part of a large crowd that showed him pure love, giving him the reminder that he remained the King Of Pop.
****
To write this piece, I referred back to notes I wrote after the trip in March 2009. I would always find the time to write down what happened, key points, quotes anything I could remember at the time in the hope that I could one day re-tell these moments in more detail.
