Jackson’s tour to become tribute concert

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

The show will go on for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour.

The announcement was made at a June 26 memorial gathering for Jackson, held by the tour’s cast and crew.

According to a tour organizer, one performance will now be held in September and will be a replica of what was planned for “This Is It” in London.

High-profile singers are expected to perform in place of Jackson. Among them, possibly Madonna, who was expected to appear at one of Jackson’s shows in London. A firm decision has not been made as to where the tribute concert will take place, but it’s likely to be in Los Angeles.

Never a normal life
In the hours since Jackson’s death, everyone has had a different story to tell about how the “King of Pop” touched their life.

My mom recalled when “The Love You Save” came on the car radio during her first date with my dad; co-workers talked about the “Thriller” video scaring the hell out of them; a surprising number of people have admitted not just to owning one white glove, but wearing it often, as if an entirely normal part of one’s wardrobe.

The overwhelming number of memories swapped have been fond ones, but they’re punctuated the same way — with sadness that Jackson’s life ended so early. And that’s entirely appropriate; like all deaths of iconic figures, it takes time to distance ourselves enough to critically examine a legacy.

Slideshow   Michael Jackson: 1958 - 2009 Click to see pictures from the highs and lows of Michael Jackson's career.

Though the facts aren’t all in, one thing is evident even at this early stage. The real tragedy of Jackson’s story is not his death, but the fact that he never had a life.

Yes, his death at just 50 years old is surprising to his fans and the worst of tragedies for his family. But the saddest part of the story is that Jackson never stood a chance at experiencing the kind of life for which we're all meant. That’s one where everyone gets a shot at experiencing a real childhood, making mistakes and learning from them, then growing up to love and live an adult life that is textured with a manageable range of failures and successes.

Jackson had none of this, and some will say enablers are largely to blame. Fair enough — Jackson was more than famous, he was a celebrity’s celebrity, as the outpouring of A-list tributes reveals.

The people who surrounded him professionally and always said yes to his requests were partly responsible for building him up, and certainly culpable in not bringing him down.

Slideshow   Fans remember the ‘King of Pop’ From Encino, Calif., to India, Michael Jackson fans mourn his death and celebrate his life. more photos

But were we, the fans, to blame too? Should we have been tougher on a guy who dangled a baby over a balcony? Showed up to court in pajamas?

Maybe, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. The problem with all success — whether it’s a singer, an athlete, or a model — is that what people really care about is the talent.

Sure, everyone loves to connect to an icon’s wedding, or the birth of their child, but even that interest can be fleeting. At the end of the day, the most important part of a celebrity’s success is their continued success.

The pendulum of Jackson’s legacy has yet to settle on a point on the fame-versus-infamy scale, but it wouldn’t be fair to judge him against those who’ve truly lived life. And maybe Jackson had already considered that fact when he sang about the man in the mirror. Tragically, only he could see what he’d lost; all we, the fans could see, was pure fame.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter: @ courtneyatmsnbc.

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