Celebrating the King of Pop – Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour

Few in the history of music put on a show and redefined popular music quite like Michael Jackson. Even after nearly three years since the King of Pop’s passing, his star still remains bright in the music world and in the hearts of his countless fans. Befitting of Jackson’s music and exhilarating stage presence, Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” tribute to the pop icon is an extravaganza of music, costume and breathtaking acrobatic performances. Set to Jackson’s electrifying (albeit recorded) voice and hits such as “Smooth Criminal”, “Thriller”, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, and “Bad”, the show is 22 scenes of Cirque magic that brings the singer’s work to life.
Thus far through the 2011 leg of the tour’s run, reviews have highlighted the production values and immaculate performances so iconic and expected from a Cirque du Soleil production. The most memorable scenes include a rendition of Jackson’s classic “Thriller”, complete with zombies and ghouls busting their moves. Michael’s iconic dance moves are on full masterful display to lively beats of “Smooth Criminal”, “Beat it” and “Jam”. Not just a rock concert, the show also highlights Cirque’s artistic flair in their tributes to Jackson’s messages of love and social justice.
You can read some of reviews published thus far here:
The Vancouver Sun’s Francois Marchand
Los Angeles Times’ Randall Roberts
St. Louis American

The North American portion of the tour wraps up August 15th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles before it moving on to Europe to finish off 2012. The Michael Jackson World Tour began in October 2011; have you seen it yet? For those who have, what did you think of it? How did it measure up to Cirque du Soleil’s other productions?
If you haven’t seen it yet, remember that ShowTimeTickets.com is your ticket to Cirque’s Michael Jackson World Tour and the hottest shows around – we are never sold out! For a full list of the remaining shows being held in the United States and Canada, be sure to visit our website.

RIP Soul Train’s Don Cornelius

It’s a sad day for music fans, as Soul Train creator Don Cornelius has passed away at the age of 75.

In 1970, Cornelius thought soul music deserved a wider audience, and created Soul Train to find that audience. In its over 1,000 episodes, the show helped launch the careers of artists like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Ike and Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, and Prince.

Here’s a clip of just a few of the many, many artists to grace the Soul Train stage:

RIP, Don. Love, peace, and soul.

Five artists who took up a cause

Kanye West is in the news again for his antics, but this time, it’s not anything to do with Taylor Swift: the rapper/producer/singer/Tweeter is making headlines for his support of the current “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations in New York. He’s not the first celebrity to lend their fame to a cause, though: here are five artists or groups who took time off from touring, shooting music videos, and diving in swimming pools full of cash to support a cause dear to their hearts.

5. Artists United Against Apartheid (Apartheid in South Africa)

Artists United Against Apartheid was a collective formed by Steven Van Zandt, well-known for his work with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Eventually, according to Wikipedia, its members included “Kool DJ Herc, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Ruben Blades, Bob Dylan, Pat Benatar, Herbie Hancock, Ringo Starr and his son Zak Starkey, Lou Reed, Run DMC, Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof, Clarence Clemons, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Darlene Love, Bobby Womack, Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis Blow, The Fat Boys, Jackson Browne and then-girlfriend Darryl Hannah, Peter Wolf, U2, George Clinton, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Bonnie Raitt, Hall & Oates, Jimmy Cliff, Big Youth, Michael Monroe, Stiv Bators, Peter Garrett, Ron Carter, Ray Barretto, Gil-Scott Heron, Nona Hendryx, Lotti Golden, Lakshminarayana Shankar and Joey Ramone” (trust us, U2 will definitely be making another appearance on this list). The musicians recorded “Sun City” to urge those against apartheid to boycott the Sun City resort in South Africa, and vowed never to perform at the resort’s massive concert venue (when Apartheid went out the window, of course, so did the boycott–a good thing, too, since Sun City is a great place to visit).

4. Band Aid (Famine relief in Africa)

Band Aid, like Live Aid, was the brainchild of Irish singer Bob Geldof (of the Boomtown Rats). In 1984, he got together an all-star cast and recorded the hit single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” Pretty much a who’s-who of 80s British pop, the song featured Boy George, Sting, Phil Collins, Duran Duran, Status Quo, George Michael, U2 (again!), Bananarama, and a host of others. The single went to #1 for several weeks straight and led directly to #3 on our list…

3. USA for Africa (Famine relief in Africa)

USA for Africa, whose song “We Are the World” sounds cheesy now but sold over 20 million copies when it came out, was the creation of Harry Belafonte. Yes, the “banana boat / Day-O” guy. With a song penned by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie (both sitting comfortably at the top of radio charts in 1985) and artists including Kenny Rogers, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, and Bruce Springsteen, the song rocketed to the top of the charts and raised millions for charity.

2. Bono (Famine, AIDS, debt relief)

Whether it’s his band’s early involvement with Irish nationalism, his work for the United Nations, or his serving as a spokesperson for Product Red (remember, you buy a red T-shirt or an ipod and some of the money goes to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa?), Bono always seems to be trumpeting one cause or another. Whether or not you like U2’s music, it’s hard to fault him for trying.

1. Bob Geldof (everything)

Quick, name one song by the Boomtown Rats. Now name something Bob Geldof did. Live 8, Band Aid… the Irish singer has had an incredible career in philanthropy which has far surpassed any popularity he achieved with his band. The Queen didn’t give him a knighthood for writing “I Don’t Like Mondays,” that’s for certain. The dedication has paid off: besides the knighthood, Sir Bob now receives speaking fees of nearly $100,000 a pop, as well as luxury accommodation and first-class airfare. Still, you can’t deny the impact his work has had: over the past three decades, he’s raised millions of dollars, pounds, euros, and yen for AIDS and famine in the developing world.

Michael Jackson: The Immortal Tour Grows

MJ_CirqueIt’s been a little over a month since Cirque du Soleil announced their newest production, and already new dates have been added.
Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour is now scheduled for multiple performances in major cities, such as Vancouver, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Phoenix has also made it onto the new itinerary.
For a look at the new tour dates, check the listings below. Remember Read More

New Album From Michael Jackson

Cover of new album, Michael, due out in December.

The King of Pop is making headlines again this week. On the heels of Cirque du Soleil’s Immortal Tour announcement, the Michael Jackson Estate and Epic Records came out with more news about the late singer yesterday with the announcement that a new album of original Michael Jackson material, titled Michael, will be released in December.

Beginning Monday, November 8, the official Michael Jackson website will stream “Breaking News,” the first track off Michael, for a full week. In the meantime, fans can watch a teaser for the new album on the site.

The Cirque du Soleil tour begins in October of next year with dates scheduled across Canada and the U.S. For Cirque du Soleil – Michael Jackson The Immortal Tour tickets, visit ShowTimeTickets.com, where we are never sold out!