There was a reserved entrance for our tickets, so it was quite fast and hassle-free for us to reach our seats. The gates opened at 7 pm so we arrived (I was with our collaborator Alessandro Capuano) in time for the opening. A second dream come true in less than two years (for the first one read how I met him). And what actually happened exceeded all expectations: not only the seats were first central row, but the stage was so close that I was going to see Michael performing in front of me few feet away. Now, there I was, holding a ticket in my hand that spoke of a dream I had always dreamt of: being able to enjoy at least a concert of his from the first row without having to fight, hit, run or risk my life. So yes, going to a Michael Jackson concert was an out-of-the-world experience, in every sense. If death wouldn’t do you apart, the 30.000 people behind you would probably try to and eventually maybe succeed. If you were lucky and strong enough to survive the fans’ madness, you’d finally earn your own – very very little – spot, grab the front barriers and never let go until death do you apart. My experience (and not only mine) with his concerts till then had been quite like a military camp training: wake up early (and when I say early I mean 4 am) to make sure you would be the first in the queue, wait outside the venue under the sun, the rain, the snow until, after 14 hours of exhausting awaiting, the gates would open and you’d find yourself having to fight for your own life more than for the first row. I had been missing Michael, I had met him just one year earlier, but I hadn’t seen him performing live since 1999, when I had attended the Michael Jackson & Friends concert in Munich. In few weeks I got my ticket to attend the opening night of the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Special Show at the Madison Square Garden in New York, an event to celebrate Michael’s solo career that saw the re-union on stage of The Jacksons in their original line-up and other artists to perform Michael’s hits. When I learned about how big the whole project was, and after realising I was being offered unique tickets in premium style, I didn’t think twice and accepted the proposal. Who would have thought Michael Jackson was about to perform his last concert ever.Įverything began for me in April 2001 when Michael’s then assistant, Evvy Tavasci, told me she could reserve for me and a couple of people from our staff, first-row tickets for a still unannounced concert Michael Jackson was planning for that september. Who would have thought in a few days the world was about to witness one of the greatest tragedies in history. New York, September 7, 2001: Who would have thought.
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