Look how they’ve grown! Michael Jackson’s kids, 14-year-old Prince (back left), daughter Paris (right), 13, and Blanket, 9, took the stage for a tribute to The Gloved One. (Zak Hussein/INFevents.com)
CARDIFF, Wales — Michael Jackson’s children helped 40,000 fans honor the pop legend Saturday as the “Michael Forever” show kicked off in Wales’s Millennium Stadium despite a troubled buildup.
There had been doubts over whether the tribute show would go ahead after months of controversy. But the presence of Prince, 14, Paris, 13, and nine-year-old Blanket, along with a host of musical stars, ensured a celebratory atmosphere.
Headline acts included US pop diva Christina Aguilera, Motown legend Smokey Robinson, British boy band JLS and soul icon Gladys Knight.
Michael Jackson’s sister La Toya, who performed for the first time in 20 years, said afterward, “Michael was enjoying the show” and “having all these wonderful artists coming together shows the children how special their father was.”
The sideshow of family feuding, rumors of feeble ticket sales and a last-minute headline cancellation threatened to overshadow the main event but despite a downscaling, most fans were determined to create a fitting tribute.
Local fan Claire Norris, who was at Jackson’s 1987 concert in the same stadium, argued the “king of pop” would “definitely be for the concert,” but would be “spinning in his grave” over the organizational problems.
Fellow Cardiff resident Julie John said, “I was married and my husband wouldn’t let me come in 1987, but this is fantastic and it was a really nice surprise to see the Jacksons.”
US R&B star Ne-Yo kicked off the show with a cover of Jackson’s seminal hit “Billie Jean,” complete with dazzling white socks and a passable attempt at a Moonwalk, as pre-event acrimony was set aside.
“This is not about controversy, this is about celebrating his music and life,” the performer said to loud cheers.
The 75,000-capacity stadium in Cardiff, the Welsh capital, is better known as the home of Welsh rugby, but for this one night, sporting rough-and-tumble made way for showbiz glitz.
The mostly female audience let out an ear-piercing welcome for JLS, who performed a cover of “The Way You Make Me Feel” before introducing Jackson brothers Marlon, Jackie and Tito for a reprisal of “Blame It on the Boogie.”
Global megastar Beyonce sent her own tribute, performing “I Wanna Be Where You Are” from the US.
Many fans were dressed in Jackson’s trademark fedora and red leather jacket while Jackson’s famous high-pitched “woo-hoo” reverberated around the arena and inside the stadium’s atrium.
US student Martha Gardner, studying in London, said she “had to be here” to pay tribute to an “American hero.”
The event was the brainchild of Jackson brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie, sister La Toya and 81-year-old mother Katherine, but siblings Jermaine, Randy and Janet remain opposed.
They believe the family should be in Los Angeles, where Conrad Murray is standing trial for Jackson’s manslaughter.
The “Thriller” star died at his Los Angeles home in 2009 at age 50.
There has also been a dispute over where proceeds from the concert will eventually end up.
A portion of the takings will go to the AIDS Project Los Angeles and Prince’s Trust — both charities supported by Michael Jackson — but many fans have been angered by reports that the Jackson family themselves stood to make a profit.
Global Live Events, the concert’s organizers, have been tight-lipped about ticket sales but revealed Friday that 40,000 had been sold and the capacity of the show had been reduced to 50,000.
The Black Eyed Peas dealt the show a major blow Thursday when the US group pulled out of its headline slot, fueling rumors of an imminent split.