Chaos at the Vienna Concert

Although Jermaine Jackson had announced the participation of Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, and Natalie Cole in his brother Michael’s memorial concert in Vienna, spokespersons for these three said on Thursday that they cannot attend the September 26 event honoring Michael Jackson in Vienna. Blige’s spokesperson said she was required, according to prior scheduling, to perform at the Gucci fashion show on the same day. Chris Brown—who was convicted for assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna and is not allowed to be around her for five years—does not have permission from a judge to leave the United States. Natalie Cole’s spokesperson also says that a few days before the big tribute concert in Vienna, she must attend an event in Tennessee for the Dalai Lama, and therefore she won’t be able to arrive in Vienna on time. The spokesperson says Cole had never promised to perform at the Vienna tribute concert. George Kindel, the producer of the event, says the focus of this concert is Michael Jackson—not the people performing there—and it’s not about whether they are the main stars or not. He also said that because of the chaos that has arisen, they are re-checking the list of participating people one by one, and they expect the final list to be announced next week. Catherine Jackson, in a recorded video released on Wednesday, expressed her support for the project in order to calm the media storm that had reported on her dissatisfaction with the Vienna concert: "I’m eagerly looking forward to being at this event. I’m sure it will be an amazing show." Source: eMJey / Reuters