Rumors agitate over who will ample Jackson's O2 dates

LONDON – An all-star Michael Jackson accolade show? A Jackson ancestors concert, bare Michael? An ABBA reunion?

The afterlife of the King of Pop has larboard 50 abandoned nights at London's 23,000-seat O2 Amphitheatre — and a exciting admixture of business hope, advertising and ambitious cerebration is already bushing the gap. One anniversary afterwards his demise, however, there is still no close plan for how to ample one of London's better and best important music venues.

"At the moment we're aloof cat-and-mouse for the burial to be out of the way and we'll let bodies apperceive in due course," Lucy Ellison, a backer for O2 abettor AEG Europe, said Thursday. "We're cerebration about Michael Jackson now. We're aloof a actual baby allotment in this actual adverse story."

In the absence of close facts, rumors are bouncing about what will ample the dates Jackson was set to perform, starting this month, demography up best of the summer, and alike addition into 2010.

The Sun bi-weekly appear Thursday that AEG was talking to 1970s supergroup ABBA about reuniting to comedy the O2.

That seems acceptable to abide a pop fan's dream. AEG said the Sun's adventure was afterwards foundation, and songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson accept continued said the Swedish foursome, who still advertise millions of annal a year a division aeon afterwards they breach up, will never accomplish calm again.

But, music admirers from about the apple were abounding of added suggestions about whom they'd like to see booty Jackson's abode onstage.

Maria Mertzani, 37, a coffer teller from Athens, Greece, appropriate Whitney Houston, "because they ache the aforementioned affliction and accord with the aforementioned demons: drugs."

Chloe Ego, 22, a T-shirt sales abettor from Milan, Italy, capital to see Elton John, because "he'd acclimate Michael Jackson's songs to his affectionate of music."

"I'd say Marilyn Manson because he's actually acceptable on covers," said Novella Ciceri, 22, a covering appurtenances trader, additionally from Milan.

The best adamant address is of a star-studded accolade concert featuring Jackson's ancestors and added music stars.

Randy Phillips, arch controlling of apostle AEG Live, told Britain's Sky News on Tuesday that such a appearance was in the works, acceptable featuring associates of Jackson's ancestors and added stars and application ball routines, sets and apparel created for the singer's O2 shows.

No capacity accept been announced, but industry experts say it would be logistically absurd for a accolade appearance to comedy added than a few nights at the venue.

"Fifty nights is actually out of the question," said music biographer John Aizlewood. "Nobody in the Jackson ancestors is able of affairs out the O2 for alike one night, not alike Janet.

"Bands who are able of affairs out the O2 accept a huge axis amphitheater — they accept to be appointed able-bodied in advance."

The O2 opened as a concert area two years ago with a achievement by Bon Jovi. In a antecedent incarnation, the big white covering beside the River Thames was the Millennium Dome, an abhorred and unlamented day-tripper attraction. As a concert venue, it has been a roaring success.

Prince played 21 dates there in the summer of 2007, a assignment that helped affect Jackson's chase run of shows. In December 2007, Led Zeppelin reunited for a one-off gig at the O2, the group's aboriginal concert in added than 25 years.

Britney Spears, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen accept all played the arena, and Madonna is due to accessible the final leg of her Sticky and Sweet bout at the O2 on Saturday.

Even afterwards the Jackson shows, the area will be abounding for 170 nights in 2009, up from 150 aftermost year.

"I anticipate for autumn there are artists out there that AEG can find," said Chris Cooke, editor of British music-business account CMU Daily. "I can't accept they won't ample those spaces from September onwards.

"But it leaves it appealing abandoned amid now and then. For one of the country's better venues, that's acutely not ideal. ... It's acutely a absent befalling to accept a amplitude that big sit abandoned for three months."

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Associated Press Writers Gregory Katz and Nardine Saad contributed to this report.