Michael Jackson Family Celebrates His Life With Tribute Concert
The Jackson family paid tribute to the late King of Pop on Saturday amidst the swirling controversies of discord between the siblings, major artists skipping the show, and the manslaughter trials.
The four hour "Michael Forever" show took place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales in front of a crowd of 50,000, as artists performed some of Jackson's classic songs.
"We're very happy to be here on this special night to honor our father," said Jackson's daughter, Paris, on stage with her brothers Prince, and Blanket.
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It has been made known publicly that Michael's siblings Jermaine, Randy, and Janet are not happy that the concert took place at the same time as the ongoing manslaughter trials.
Performer Ne-Yo put the night in perspective saying, "It's not about the controversy. It's not about the trial. It's not about his death. It's about celebrating his life. It's about celebrating his music."
Another story coming into the night was music stars the Black Eyes Peas, Chris Brown, and Jennifer Hudson being no shows for various reasons.
Performing musicians included Christina Aguilera, Gladys Knight, Cee Lo, Latoya and Tito Jackson, Ne-Yo and Smokey Robinson.
Classic Jackson songs like "I'll Be There," "Thriller," "Bad," and "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough," were among the many songs covered.
"Tonight is a history lesson," singer/actor Jaime Foxx told the crowd. "We're going to cover five decades of greatness."
Beyonce sang via video and LaToya performed for the first time in 20 years.
Each Jackson child wore an outfit their father made famous most notably, Paris wore her father's "Thriller Jacket."
Jackson fans sounded off on their opinions of the night to CBS. Sophie Stockdale, 23, said "Rubbish. If I wanted to watch Beyonce on a video link, you could do it on YouTube."
While 32-year-old truck driver Ronnie Lee loved it saying, "There's a lot of negativity in that courtroom. This is a chance to say, 'Thank You Michael' and celebrate the music."
Jackson died in June 2009. The court proceedings into Michael Jackson’s death, and specifically Dr. Conrad Murray’s part in it, are still ongoing.
Jackson had planned on making a comeback with a series of 50 landmark shows in London.
