Michael Jackson had grand plans for world tour
Michael Jackson’s final This Is It tour encompassed much more than 50 concerts in London.
Choreographer Kenny Ortega said Jackson had plans to take the O2 Arena tour of the UK around the world over a period of three years.
Ortega’s documentary of the same name has brought high acclaim in just 24 hours since opening, earning more than US$2.2 million on its first day in the US.
Ortega said Jackson talked a lot about a world tour that would have included Australia.
“We would just be hanging out on a rest break and sitting in the dressing room and he would say ‘Kenny, have you ever been to India?’ I would say, ‘No, I really want to go to India so badly. I haven’t been.’ He’d say, ‘You must. You must. When I take the show to India whatever you are doing you have to stop and come back and join the tour.’ He’d say, ‘What about Japan?’ I’d say, ‘Yes of course. I love Japan. I want to go to Japan.’ He’d say, ‘What about Africa?’ I’d say, ‘Yes, Africa’.”
Ortega said: “I realised he wanted the world. He wanted to take this all over the world.”