Ticket purchasers for Michael Jackson’s planned 50-night comeback concert may receive refunds sooner than expected, the concert promoter says. Ending speculation about when fans might be reimbursed for Jackson’s “This Is It,” performances in London, given the singer’s shocking death last Thursday, promoter AEG Live announced today that full refunds, including service charges, will be available starting Weds., July 1, through the ticketing venues like Ticketmaster. More information can be found at the Michael Jackson Live! website.
However, those holding vouchers for the now-priceless tickets, originally sold for between £50 and £75 ($83-$124), may decide they don’t want the money when they hear AEG’s offer. In lieu of the full refund, the company says it will send would-be concertgoers their actual, specially crafted lenticular ticket, designed by Jackson, himself. That offer remains valid until Aug. 14, 2009. “The world lost a kind soul who just happened to be the greatest entertainer the world has ever known,” said AEG’s president and CEO Randy Phillips. “Since he loved his fans in life, it is incumbent upon us to treat them with the same reverence and respect after his death.”
Jackson’s sudden death at age 50 not only sent plans for the concert series into disarray, but created a financial morass of personal debts, real-estate and recording holdings, and child custody issues that may take months, if not years, to settle.
Where can we buy the THIS IS IT posters?
Saw the poster at Google at http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=michael+jackson+this+is+it+poster&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=
Michael Jackson used the money to buy himself a conservation chamber that will be reopened in 100 years. That is why they are offering these must-be-kept tickets, because all the money is already spent.
What are they going to do with the money? donate it (100%) to charity? something MJ was involved with? it looks to me like no, they are simply going to keep it. And it also seems that this *lenticular* tix were going to be distribute to would-be concertgoers anyhow so it doesn’t make much sense outside of promoter still trying to keep people’s money. Shameful!
Dear Santiago,
You’re ignorant.
-Thank You.
I’d rather have the ticket than the refund. It’s something that you can keep forever, but that refund won’t last very long.
Considering how fast those shows sold out I would take the ticket. I am just imagining the resale value on those things is going to fly.
This is what will happen: people will ask for the ticket instead, then immediately put on Ebay to sell for MUCH more than what the refund would’ve given
Tickets will just be another eBay opportunity. There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?p=1998
oh my gosh this is BRILLIANT! They found a way to make money on a series of concerts without actually having to produce a series of concerts. I hope some of this money goes to MJ’s kids. RIP Michael! I’d rather have the live performance over the tickets or a refund any day!
There is already a contract that governs where the money will go; most would go to MJ’s estate, some to the promoter, the venue, etc. So the money would already go to the Jackson estate.
If it were me, I think that I would take the ticket.
I don’t agree with Sharon because anyone who wants to get their money back can do so. There’s no theft involved in this.
The ticket is a way for fans to remember him.
Love you Michael, miss you. RIP.
I think the idea of a ticket or refund is somewhat good if the money isn’t a way for AEG to capitalize on its losses but for a way to provide money to for Jackson’s kids and such. But i don’t see how the ticket will be priceless especially if most die-hard jackson fans would have got tickets for his shows and therefore have the ticket already if they wanted to so its auctionability would be limited. Plus around one million people got tickets for the 02 shows so if all those people asked for the ticket…it would be worthless.
secondly, the fact that so many people invested in the chance to see jackson live for the last time and the fact they’ve already printed the tickets, they should really just give the refunds and the tickets instead of finding a way to make money from someone’s death
I think i would much rather have the refund not just because i actually need the money but the fact that i don’t feel Randy Phillips who i feel was somewhat responsible for Jackson’s death by pressuring him into expanding the originally planned 10 dates to 50. I think Philips always saw this as an opportunity to make a huge fortune despite the physical and mental strain it would impose on an entertainer who hasn’t toured in over a decade. They won’t be getting my money, i’ll have it back thanks for sure. But those who feel that a shiny ticket will be an iconic piece of memorabilia…i would only see it as the thing that killed him.
A group of us have started The Man in the Mirror Project (www.maninthemirrorproject.org) which honors the life of Michael Jackson by encouraging fans to pledge donations to his favored causes in his memory. Specifically, The Man in the Mirror Project calls upon “This Is It” ticket-holders to pledge their forthcoming ticket refunds to the causes he supported. Michael Jackson’s art and charitable spirit influenced generations worldwide and we believe this is a fitting way to honor the King of Pop.
The tickets wouldn’t be worthless to the fans who wanted a momento of MJ. Everyone does not want to sell their ticket on Ebay. Some people want to keep it as a way to remember MJ. So that argument I highly disagree with.
I see that there are some people who are really negative about this who will only believe what they want to believe, and for that, I feel sorry for you.
There are still many people who have tickets for the concerts that had already sold before Elvis died. Most of them kept them as mementos, not as something to sell. Some people will take the refund, some will try to sell the ticket(s) on eBay, others (like I would) will just keep it for themselves.