Michael Jackson Tribute: Don’t Worry, Vienna’s On It
The saddest thing about Michael Jackson’s death is probably the complete lack of attention that it received.
There was only a memorial concert. Oh, and endless wall-to-wall radio tributes. And that film that’s coming out soon. And a hastily-compiled greatest hits CD. And more ropey-looking unofficial market stall T-shirts than you could count. But that’s it.
So thank God for Jermaine Jackson, because he’s planning a tribute show for Michael Jackson in Vienna. We’re guessing that its working title is ‘Jermaine Jackson Presents Jermaine Jackson And The Jermaine Jackson Allstars In Jermaine Jackson’s Tribute To Michael Jackson (Starring Jermaine Jackson)’.
Since Michael Jackson died, each member of the Jackson family has taken to coping in largely individual ways. There’s Katherine Jackson, who keeps busy by raising Michael Jackson’s children. There’s Janet Jackson, who busies herself with making Michael’s children speak in public, seemingly against their wishes, on the saddest of their lives. And there’s Joe Jackson, who’d love nothing more than to corral Michael Jackson’s kids into the gruelling world of showbusiness.
But what about Jermaine Jackson? What’s he going to do without Michael Jackson? He’s probably not going to be able to sell his ‘Michael Jackson is probably a child molestor‘ book for a while, so he’ll have to look elsewhere. Specifically to Vienna, where he’s organising a huge tribute concert to Michael Jackson, the pure soul who wanted to change the world and definitely didn’t feel up any kids.
You may have thought that a tribute concert to Michael Jackson would be held in America, because he was American. Or in London, at the site of Michael Jackson’s proposed concerts. Or even in Bahrain, where Michael Jackson spent a weird transvetitey period of his life. But, no, it’ll be held in Vienna because, um, Michael Jackson quite liked Mr Kipling Viennese Whirls. Or something. Look, we don’t know. But, as Reuters reports, Jermaine Jackson thinks that the concert will be just tip-top:
“I have invited many of the most acclaimed talents of our time,” Jermaine Jackson said on the website promoting the concert, “and many have already confirmed to perform in honor of my beloved brother… I want to make people aware of the humanitarian side of Michael. I want to show them how his true emphasis wasn’t music, or performing; it was improving the world.”
Now we’re not sure exactly which artists have agreed to take part in this concert, because details aren’t really the Jackson way – as far as dates go, ’sometime near the end of September’ is as close as we can get – and we’re not sure if it’ll be as unsettlingly odd as the Michael Jackson memorial show.
But what we do know is that Jermaine Jackson wants these concerts to be an annual event, and that a ’substantial portion’ of the proceeds will go to several charities, including Larry King’s cardiac foundation and, we’re guessing, the Institute For Keeping The Buttons On Jermaine Jackson’s Military Jackets Nice And Shiny. But don’t quote us on that.
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I’ll bet this tribute never happens – who in their right mind announces a concert without having lined up the performers? Jermaine does not have the horses for this. Besides, there has already been a tribute/memorial service. Enough of this already!