Posts Tagged ‘Michael Jackson’

U2 Launch 360 Tour With Call to Space Station, Jackson Tributes

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

U2U2 paid tribute to Michael Jackson at the band’s first date on their 360° Tour in Barcelona, Spain, last night as Bono dedicated “Angel of Harlem” to the Thriller singer. “We wrote this one for Billie Holiday but we are going to play it tonight for Michael Jackson,” Bono told the crowd of over 90,000 at Camp Nou stadium. The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. also weaved bits of Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Man in the Mirror” into the song, Reuters reports.

Performing on the innovative set dubbed “the Claw” for the first time, the two-hour-and-20-minute gig featured a mix of songs from the band’s latest LP No Line on the Horizon (seven tracks, including “Breathe,” which opened the show), as well as greatest hits like “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “One” and “Unforgettable Fire.” Still, the band’s amazing new stage threatened to steal the show. The Claw features a 360-degree video screen, an awe-inspiring light show and apparently, a satellite linkup to space.

After the fourth song of the set, Bono rang up the astronauts on the International Space Station via satellite, who appeared live on the Claw’s 360 screen. According to U2’s official site, Bono asked, “Commander, can you see Barcelona?,” to which the astronauts replied, “Right now the most beautiful sight in our cosmos is the blue planet Earth” — a nice segue into “Beautiful Day.”

U2 continue their stint in Barcelona tomorrow, July 2nd, before visiting the other 30 cities on the 360° Tour. Their first North American show is on September 12th at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

Set List:

“Breathe”
“No Line on the Horizon”
“Get On Your Boots”
“Magnificent”
“Beautiful Day”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
“Angel of Harlem”
“In A Little While”
“Unknown Caller”
“Unforgettable Fire”
“City of Blinding Lights”
“Vertigo”
“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”
“Sunday Bloody Sunday”
“Pride (In The Name of Love)”
“MLK”
“Walk On”
“Where The Streets Have No Name”
“One”

“Ultraviolet”
“With Or Without You”
“Moment of Surrender”


Obama on Michael Jackson: “One of Our Greatest Entertainers”

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

ObamaPresident Barack Obama has commented publicly about the death of Michael Jackson, telling the AP “I grew up on his music — still have all his stuff on my iPod.” Obama added that Jackson “will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers.” As Rock Daily previously reported, Obama personally sent a letter of condolence to the Jackson family, the contents of which were not revealed.

“I think that his brilliance as a performer also was paired with a tragic and, in many ways, sad personal life,” Obama said. “I’m glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy that he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer.” The President’s comments today mark the first time a news agency has asked him to speak publicly about Jackson. Obama was prepared to address Jackson’s death during a press conference with the German chancellor last week, but no one asked the President to comment on the King of Pop.

“The president obviously believes that he was an important and magnificent performer,” Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod told Meet The Press last weekend. “Obviously, he led a sad life in many ways as well but his impact is undeniable.” Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs spoke on behalf of the President after Jackson’s death, saying “I talked to [Obama] about it this morning. He said to me that obviously Michael Jackson was a spectacular performer, a music icon, and I think everybody remembers hearing his songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown’s 25th anniversary.”


The Jackson Publishing Picture: Who Gets What?

Monday, June 29th, 2009

BadThe sudden death of Michael Jackson introduces an incredibly complex series of financial problems, including publishing ownership questions.  Jackson died with hundreds of millions in debt, and endless loans and assets attached.  That includes the prized publishing rights to the Beatles catalog, currently half-owned by Sony/ATV.

Who ultimately controls the Jackson half remains the subject of speculation.  In a suspiciously sourced report, Bloomberg asserted that rights would be assumed by the Sony/ATV venture, citing a singular “person with knowledge” of venture dealings.  That could take time to resolve, and it represents just one component of a financial situation that may take years to unravel.

None of this affects the recording side of the equation, another critical collection of licenses owned by EMI Music and Beatles Corp., a group that handles the business interests of the surviving Beatles and heirs.

Outside of the Beatles, the publishing rights to Michael Jackson’s songs themselves are handled through MiJac.  That catalog is administered through Warner Chappell, a division of Warner Music Group.  In Friday trading, shares of WMG boomed 20.74 to $6.17.


Michael Jackson Catalog Sales Soar on iTunes, Amazon

Monday, June 29th, 2009

The Essential Michael JacksonAs the entire world mourns the death of Michael Jackson, many are celebrating the King of Pop’s unparalleled musical legacy. Following the news of Jackson’s sudden passing, Jackson songs and albums immediately begin climbing the sales charts at digital music stores. Over on iTunes, the current top five albums, and seven of the Top 10, are all Jackson releases, with The Essential Michael Jackson, Thriller and Off the Wall all leading the charge. The same goes for the Amazon MP3 store, where Jackson is listed as the service’s top-selling artist of the day. Last.fm also documented the incredible jump in people on their service listening to Michael Jackson in the moments following Jackson’s death, with a peak of roughly 42,000 MJ songs being played on the service between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET yesterday.

As a tribute to Jackson, a multitude of Sirius XM stations will dedicate programming to the King of Pop, including a five-hour live tribute tonight on their ’80s on 8 channel. MTV has also deviated from their normal schedule to show Jackson music videos, live footage and interviews with celebrities paying homage to Jackson. VH1 Classic will also reportedly air nothing but Jackson content the entire weekend starting today, June 26th, at noon EST.


Michael Jackson’s music dominates on iTunes and Amazon

Friday, June 26th, 2009

ThrillerMichael Jackson may be gone, but his music is definitely living on. A quick look at iTunes’ and Amazon’s best-seller lists reveals a virtual run on the King of Pop’s albums. On the current iTunes Top Ten Albums chart, he’s taken over seven spots, starting with the 2005 five-disc retrospective The Essential Michael Jackson.

Rounding out the list? The 25th-anniversary edition of his 1982 blockbuster Thriller, 2008 hits package Number Ones, his 1979 solo breakthrough Off the Wall, 2004 boxed set Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, 1987’s Bad and 1991’s Dangerous.

On iTunes’ Singles chart, the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” is still No. 1, but MJ singles “Man in the Mirror,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Thriller,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Smooth Criminal” are scattered throughout the top 10. On Amazon, he’s even more dominant: The Top 10 best-selling albums are currently all Jackson.


Music Icon Michael Jackson Passes Away in L.A.

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Michael Jackson(CNN) –  Entertainer Michael Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday having suffered cardiac arrest, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said. He was 50.

A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson’s home after a 911 call.

Paramedics took Jackson from his west Los Angeles home Thursday afternoon to UCLA Medical Center, where a team of physicians attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour, said his brother Jermaine Jackson. He said the famed singer was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PT.

An autopsy is scheduled Friday, Jermaine Jackson said. Results are expected Friday afternoon, according to Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles coroner’s office, who added that Jackson was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN paramedics were sent to a west Los Angeles, California, residence after a 911 call came in at 12:21 p.m.

Law enforcement officials said the Los Angeles Police Department robbery-homicide department opened an investigation into Jackson’s death. They stressed there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Still, officials said they would conduct interviews with family members and friends.

CNN Analyst Roland S. Martin spoke with Marlon Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson.

“I talked to Frank Dileo, Michael’s manager. Frank told me that Michael last night was complaining about not feeling well. He called to tell him he wasn’t feeling well.

“Michael’s doctor went over to see him, and Frank said, ‘Marlon, from last night to this morning, I don’t know what happened.’ When they got to him this morning, he wasn’t breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and couldn’t bring him around.”
Don’t Miss

* Michael Jackson, pop music legend, dead at 50
* In Depth: Michael Jackson
* Jackson remembered as ‘consummate entertainer’
* Gallery: Jackson’s life in pictures
* iReport.com: iReport.com: Remembering Michael Jackson
* A star the world could not ignore
* Videos: A look at his life

Michael Jackson, the music icon from Gary, Indiana, was known as the “King of Pop.” Jackson had many No. 1 hits and his “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time.

Jackson was the seventh of nine children from a well-known musical family. He is survived by three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.

Jackson’s former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, said she was “shocked and saddened” by Jackson’s death. ” My heart goes out to his children and his family,” she said.

At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying.

A large crowd gathering outside the hospital could be seen on video footage.

Some of Jackson’s music was being played outside. The sounds of “Thriller” and “Beat It” bounced off the walls.

Outside Jackson’s Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home.

Jackson had some legal troubles later in his career.

He was acquitted of child molestation charges after a well-publicized trial in Santa Maria, California, in March 2006.

Prosecutors charged the singer with four counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14; one count of attempted lewd conduct; four counts of administering alcohol to facilitate child molestation; and one count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion.