Not another O2 Michael Jackson lawsuit blog post

As a pop culture heavy consumer that grew up in the 80s and 90s, I was part of the large contingent of people touched by the death of Michael Jackson. As an artist and an art critic myself, it is always sad to hear about the loss of a creative mind, especially a relevant one. But what really got me down and even troubled some of my sleep was to think about the financial implications of the occurred on the whole machine built around what would be his last sequence of shows, the "This is It" residency at the London O2 Arena. I remember turning to a member of my creative team and saying, with heavy breathing and a grave voice: "Oh my God. It's gonna be a legal and financial mess. Who's gonna pay for it?"

When the tour was announced by MJ himself, everybody was looking forward to see it happen. The lucky few who witnessed the rehearsals said Michael was up and running, ready to rock. The props, effects and 3D video backdrops were like something never seen before, it would be an unforgettable experience. Then he died. Period. Everybody started looking back. They were looking for money and reasons why. Ticket buyers wanted refunds, fair enough. People who worked in the production wanted to be compensated for their losses. Merchandising and food vendors at the O2 Arena wanted explanations over what they would do with all the resources previously allocated to serve thousands of people over the 50 days reserved for the concerts. AEG Live, the production company responsible for the shows, as well as Michael's estate holders, went after the tour's insurance company, Lloyds of London, for money that would help clean the mess. On the other hand, Lloyds backfired saying that it would not pay the bill, based on allegations of contract breaking from AEG Live. Then the Jackson family said that AEG Live was responsible for his death, because the company hired the doctor who gave him the medication that killed him. Oh, God, a whole paragraph of unhappiness.

Then came the real stars of the tour: lawsuits, dozens of them, in different colors and directions, in 3D, making headlines. Everybody wanted everything from everybody else and at some point it became hard to tell PacMan from the ghosts. Oh well, this was supposed to be a technical analysis of the case, but I have to admit that I gave up the idea, for the research got me bored and got me grossed out (the people at TeamMichaelJackson.com already do a great job on analyzing it, check their website). The reasons, the amounts, the implications, the fierceness and dirtiness of it all, it was like watching a torture porn movie. Money has a funny energy and projects that involve scandalous amounts of it arise both the best and the worst in people. Michael and his talent were unique money makers and he was undoubtedly unable to deal with it. He ended up wasting a good parcel of his incomes in extravaganzas and he himself became a magnet for people he couldn't really trust. The situation did not change much after his death. While some of the "This Is It" court battles had legal and even moral basis, lots of them were only byproducts of greed. Yes, we read contracts before we sign them. Yes, we have duties. And, sure, there are guilty ones and they should pay. But, yes, we can be reasonable adults too. As an artist and entertainer entrepreneur, I must say that this is not the world I want to live in. Hey, really: when everything goes wrong, why don't we take a better look in the mirror before going after each other like sharks? Reality check: that's not gonna change overnight. So, for now, better arm yourself with a comprehensive financial terms glossary and a good attorney. You mess with me, I'll let you know who's bad.