Long-quiet pop superstar Michael Jackson will return to the spotlight in September with a massive concert tribute to his own career that will include a reunion with the Jackson 5 and collaborations with ‘NSYNC, Britney Spears and Whitney Houston.
The September 7 event at New York’s Madison Square Garden will reunite Jackson and his brothers for the first time since the ’80s, with the Jacksons teaming with ‘NSYNC on at least one song, according to Jackson’s publicists.
Jackson will duet with both Spears and Houston, as well as debut a new single from his upcoming album during the show, billed as Michael Jackson: The Solo Years 30th Anniversary Celebration.
The show will also include performances from Marc Anthony, Shaggy, Jill Scott, Mya, Tamia and Deborah Cox.
“I am very excited to celebrate my 30th anniversary as a solo artist with such a distinguished array of talent, friends and fans,” Jackson said in a statement. “I look forward to performing live and reuniting with my brothers on this special night.”
According to a press release from Jackson’s publicists, the show’s lavish production will include a 300-member gospel choir, a 200-member children’s choir, a 48-piece orchestra, 40 dancers and 12 background singers. The show will climax with “40 pop, R&B and country legends singing together” in tribute to Jackson, the press release said.
The show will be taped for a two-hour television special.
Jackson, who was inducted last month into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (see “Aerosmith Thrilled, Steely Dan Unimpressed At Rock Hall Ceremony”), has not released a full-length album of new music since 1991’s Dangerous, and has not toured the United States since the ’80s.
