Today, March 6, 2010 Would Have Been The Last Day Of MJ's Concert

MJ-UPBEAT

According to Michael's concert Schedule today would have been his last day to perform the 'This Is It' concerts at the 02 Arena. The following is a list of the planned tour dates:

July 2009

July 13

July 16

July 18

July 22

July 24

July 26

July 28

July 30

August 2009

August 1

August 3

August 10

August 12

August 17

August 19

August 24

August 26

August 28

August 30

September 2009

September 1

September 3

September 6

September 8

September 10

September 21

September 23

September 27

September 29

January 2010

January 7

January 9

January 12

January 14

January 16

January 18

January 23

January 25

January 27

January 29

February 2010

February 1

February 3

February 8

February 10

February 12

February 16

February 18

February 20

February 22

February 24

March 2010

March 1

March 3

March 6

Preparation & Concert Details Below

The 50-concert run was originally scheduled to start on July 8, 2009 and conclude on March 6, 2010. Each of the shows would have been performed at The O2 arena in London, which has a capacity of 23,000. Christian Audigier, a fashion designer (and personal friend of Jackson), worked on the clothing for the shows. Jay Ruckel from La Crasia Gloves created Jackson's iconic single glove for the concerts. The costumes he was set to wear during the shows were encrusted with 300,000 Swarovski crystals. In May 2009, thousands of dancers flew in from all around the world to audition for Jackson, who helped select the 12 finalists in person. Kenny Ortega, who had collaborated with Jackson previously, was to work on the overall design and direction of concerts. Ortega said that the final product would have been a "theatrical musical experience". According to Randy Philips, £13 million was to be spent on producing the concerts, which would have included 18-22 songs and 22 different sets. There also would have been aerial dancing similar to routines by Cirque du Soleil. Carla Ferrigno told Reuters that her husband Lou had been helping Jackson train in advance of the shows. Jackson and Ferrigno had previously worked together.

On May 20, it was announced that the first concert would be pushed back five days to July 13 and three other July dates would be rescheduled for March 2010. AEG Live said that the delay was necessary because more time was needed for dress rehearsals. The revised schedule called for 27 shows between July 13 and September 29, 2009, followed by a three month break, before resuming in the new year with 23 more shows between January 7 and March 6, 2010. Some fans petitioned for the reversal of AEG Live's decision. In late June, several hundred seats for each of the dates were put on sale. These seats were held back until production logistics were worked out.