Jackson’s Death Prompts World Tour for Thriller

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, producers of Jackson tribute show Thriller – Live have today announced a new world tour which, they say, is in response to “unprecedented demand” from the late singer’s fans.

As the West End production continues at Shaftesbury Avenue’s Lyric Theatre, where it recently extended through to 3 January 2010, the Thriller – Live world tour will open on 21 July 2009 in Munich, Germany, where it continues until 2 August, with confirmed in Barcelona, Cologne, Zurich, Vienna, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Berlin. The production will tour most other European countries as well as embarking on an extensive American tour within the next 12 months.

Producer Paul Walden said today: “Since the tragic news from Los Angeles broke, we have been amazed by the reaction of the fans around the globe, and enquiries for Thriller – Live to appear worldwide have been overwhelming. Against this background, it seems clear that what Michael’s fans want right now is to celebrate his life by continuing to listen to his music and to have a way to celebrate his legacy. We can think of no greater tribute to the memory of this global superstar than to continue to celebrate his life and his music as we have done for the past three years in Thriller – Live.”

The day after Jackson prematurely died, in Los Angeles on 25 June 2009 at the age of 50, the show dimmed its lights and held a minute’s silence, both in the West End and in Manchester where a separate UK touring production was being performed. Another minute’s silence was held to coincide with his funeral this past Tuesday (See News, 7 Jul 2009).

According to Walden: “All the cast and creative team were united in grief and solidarity. We weren’t sure how the evening would go, but with sell-out crowds at both venues on their feet cheering and dancing, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Michael’s fans clearly want to celebrate his life and hear his great music.”

Billed as a concert celebration, Thriller – Live includes Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 chart-toppers such as “I Want You Back”, “I’ll Be There”, “Earth Song”, “Blame It on the Boogie”, “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and, of course, the title song, “Thriller” from best-selling albums including Thriller, Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous and HIStory.

Thriller – Live was conceived and created by Adrian Grant, a long-time associate of Jackson and author of Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary. When Jackson died, Grant said: “Words cannot express my deep sense of loss and sadness; I am shocked beyond belief that Michael has died … The Jackson family have lost a son and a father, and the world has lost one of the greatest entertainers of all time, a true legend.”