18 June 1999
PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY FOR MICHAEL JACKSON
Preparations have been in full swing for the world's largest ever
charity pop concert, `` Michael Jackson and Friends What More Can I Give,'' to
be staged at Chamsil Stadium in eastern Seoul for four hours from 7p.m.
June 25. The day will mark the 49th anniversary of the outbreak of the
Korean War (1950-53). The event is reported to be on a similar scale to
the ``Live Aid'' concert that was staged by pop stars of the United States
and Britain in 1985 to raise funds for African refugees.
It will be a monumental pop concert in Korea just because of the fact
that 16 world pop groups, including Michael Jackson, will perform and all
revenue from the concert, excluding the 45-percent overhead in taxes
and operation costs, will be used to aid hungry children in the world.
The 4-hour concert will mobilize 125 dancers and chorus members, and200
assorted staff members. They have already reserved some 400 rooms at
top-class hotels in Seoul. Stage equipment, weighing as much as 400
tons, was brought into Pusan Tuesday on a container ship. Workers began
setting the stage today. Organizers said the event will consume electricity
equivalent to that of 300,000 households in one night.
Cheil Communications, the Korean promoter for the concert, said that
the 4,000 premium class seats priced at 300,000 won have already sold out.
Half of the tickets have gone to foreigners, a Cheil spokesman said.
But there are many seats still unsold at prices of 220,000-won tickets for the
4,000-seat gold class tickets, 120,000-won tickets for the 21,000-seat silver
class tickets, and 80,000-won seats for the 28,000-seat regular class seats, according
to Cheil. Tickets are available at the nationwide branches of Hanvit Bank. The
stadium has a 60,000 seat capacity. The proceeds from the automatic responseservice
conducted by SBS TV during the show will also be donated to needy children.
The dimensions of the stage will be 57 meters wide, 25 meters long and2.4
meters high. A 7.2x5.7 meters TV screen will also be set up.
The highlight of the concert will be the duet performance by Michael
Jackson and Mariah Carey, who will be visiting Seoul for the first time. After
making her
debut in 1990, Carey has risen to status of pop diva in the UnitedStates on the
same scale as Whitney Houston. This will be the first duet to be sung by the
reigning king and queen of pop.
Jackson is scheduled to sing his hit songs, such as ``You're Not
Alone'' and ``Beat It'' during the closing part of the concert. His renditions will
signal the finale of the four-hour run with a chorus of children on the``The
`Bridge of No Return''' stage prop symbolizing the division of the Korean peninsula.
Jackson is scheduled to fly into Seoul at 6 p.m. Monday and Carey and other starswill fly in
Wednesday.
Korea's top vocal groups, H.O.T and S.E.S, will appear around at
the``golden hour''
of 9 p.m., night news hour band, to heighten the concert's mood. The
performance
is expected to greatly stimulate the local pop and performing art
community, an
observer said.
In the first performance at the same stadium in October, 1996, Jackson
appeared as a spaceman flying a ``UFO,'' dancing with back dancers as if he was at a Las
Vegas stage show transplanted in Seoul.
The organizer's ability will be assessed by how much it will be able to
smoothly switch performers during a joint concert of 16 groups. Marcel Avram,
head of Mama Concerts & Rau of Germany, organizer of the concert, said that itwill use
a specially designed cross (+)-shaped stage so that three teams can be ready
while an artist is performing on-stage.
The following is a brief profile of the performers:
Boys II Men, the U.S. top four-member R&B group; World-class German
rock group Scorpions famous for its hit ``Still Loving
You,''``Holiday'' and
``Wind of Change;'' Singapore-born Vanessa Mae, famous to Koreans for
her electronic violin performance; Singer-songwriter Philipp Kirkorov of
Russia; Hong Kong actor and singer Andy Lau; tope U.S. R&B singer, Luther
Vandross;
Action movie star, composer and singer Steven Seagal; Rock bank Status
Quo, which has sold 112 million discs and staged 4,750 live concerts in thepast 34
years; French chanson artist Patricia Kaas; Guitarist Slash fromheavy-metal
band Guns `n' Roses; Hip-hop group Blackstreet, who made their debut in1994;
Spirit of Dance, an Irish group of 30 dancers; the Hong Kong hip-hopgroup Coco
Lee, which is now active in the United States. Jackson's close friendsElizabeth
Taylor and Rod Stewart are scheduled to appear as special guests.
Source: Korea Times