Jackson Tribute Promoter Bankrupt

The company that promoted the Michael Jackson tribute concert at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium Oct. 8 has gone into administration.

A spokesman for London-based insolvency practitioners RSM Tenon has confirmed it’s now conducting a review of Global Events LLP, which was founded by film producers Michael Henry and Chris Hunt.

It’s believed Global Events owes tens of thousands to suppliers connected with the Cardiff show.

The show attracted mixed publicity. Michael Jackson siblings Jermaine, Randy and Janet Jackson decided not to attend because they felt the tribute – which was supposed to raise money for charity – was “inappropriate,” given that it would take place during Dr. Conrad Murray’s trial. Murray was tried, and convicted, on manslaughter charges in Jackson’s death.

Other media stories surfaced when KISS was sacked as a headliner, apparently after Global Events learned of frontman Gene Simmons’ previous comments about Jackson’s relationships with children.

Jennifer Hudson and the Black Eyed Peas pulled out of the tribute concert amid stories that ticket sales weren’t going well.

The “Michael Forever” tribute eventually included performances from Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson, Ne-Yo, Leona Lewis and JLS.

The show reportedly attracted 50,000 fans, although it’s not known how many were comped.

Documents filed with Companies House indicate Henry and Hunt both quit Global Events LLP on show day, as a new raft of newspaper reports suggested some acts were stranded in the UK because the company hadn’t paid its travel company.

At the time, Hunt told Pollstar that someone planted stories in the press “without checking the facts.”

This week, Henry told the Western Mail that all inquiries about Global Events should be made to the administrators.