Jacko confirms tour

'This is really it', says King Of Pop of final London live performances

05 March 2009 - Michael Jackson has announced that he will be performing his last ever London shows in July at the 02 Arena.

He appeared at a press conference today (5 March) but gave no more details in his speech on how many dates he will be doing on his first tour for 12 years.

It's since been confirmed he will play 10 shows from 8 July with tickets priced between £50 and £75.

They go on public sale at 7am on Friday 13 March and will be available throughMichaelJacksonLive.com1,000 fans and media were gathered at the venue; Jackson arrived at over an hour and a half past his scheduled time.

He took to the microphone, addressing a swarm of screaming, devoted fans and said: “Thank you very much. Thank you all. This is it. I just wanna say that these will be my final shows, performances in London. This will be it and when I say this will be it, I really mean this is it.”

He went on: “I’ll be performing the songs my fans wanna here. This is it, I mean this is really it, this the final curtain call okay, and I’ll see you in July.“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.”

'It's absolutely exciting'

Rising talent VV Brown performed in theyesterday (4 March) and she was thrilled by news of a possible London residency from the Thriller star.

“He’s amazing,” she said. “It’s really sad that his face has got like that and stuff, but I mean, he’s Michael Jackson. He’s inspired everyone really. Some tracks that he’s done are just fantastic so it’s absolutely exciting. I might go and see him.”

TheQuicksandsinger La Roux, who like VV Brown was in the BBC’s Sound Of 2009 top 10, also loved the prospect of getting to see her idol live.

“When I was a kid I used to flick through theHistorydisc leaflets and look at those pictures,” she explained. “I’ve wanted to see him live all my life but I just fear it might be disappointing because he’s pretty old.

“I think most people will just go because they’ll be so intrigued to see whether he’s completely gone or not. He hasn’t really come out into the limelight since all the court case stuff. I’m definitely gonna go, no question.”

His legacyAmanda Ghost heads up Michael Jackson’s record label Epic.Speaking about his place in history, she said: “He’s our artist. Why does he mean so much? He’s the consummate artist. He is so talented, as a writer, as a dancer, as a singer, as a performer and he’s a star. We don’t have them anymore.”Michael Jackson shot to fame as a youngster, when he joined his brothers and sisters in the Jackson 5 at 5 years-old.He went on to make 10 studio albums as a solo artist with countless number one hits.Speaking about the former child star, Ghost continued: “He paid a heavy price to be Michael Jackson, as they all do. As Elvis did, as Madonna has, as Prince has.“They pay prices to be icons and I think it’s important ultimately because he made great music. I don’t know anyone in the world that hasn’t got a Michael Jackson song that they love, it’s universal.”Epic currently look after the likes of Beyonce, Modest Mouse, Tenacious D and Editors, but Ghost said it is rare to find such raw talent in the league of Michael Jackson.“That’s my challenge again to develop those,” she said. “Rock ‘n’ roll is all about aspirations and dreams. We’re selling rebellion, we’re selling fantasy and we don’t do that any more. We’re selling Lily Allen and that’s sad for me.”Stand out tracksBillie Jean, Black Or White, Smooth Criminal, Man In The Mirror, This Girl Is Mine are just a few of the King Of Pops hits.We asked the artists which particular Jacko songs they would love to see him perform.Epic label boss Amanda Ghost said: “I used to dress up as Michael Jackson as a kid. My favourite song has got to be Human Nature. It comes on and I feel like I’m 11 again, soundtrack to my youth.”Meanwhile VV Brown, who is currently putting the final touches to her debut album Travelling Like The Light, revealed: “There’s loads. I love Dirty Diana though. I dig the sort of, turn, kick, grab the groin, woo hoo, thing.”