Jermaine Jackson promised some of the planet's biggest stars would take the stage in front of a 17th century palace in Vienna for what's been billed as the major global tribute to Michael Jackson.
So far, though, he hasn't delivered top acts like Madonna for the Sept. 26 outdoor concert. And two of the supposedly confirmed headliners announced this week Mary J. Blige and Chris Brown apparently are out.
Blige's publicist says she has another commitment, a person close to the situation told The Associated Press in Los Angeles that Brown won't perform either and a spokeswoman for Natalie Cole suggested she, too, is iffy.
That leaves a smattering of B-list artists such as Sister Sledge, Akon and German boy band US5 and unhappy fans who paid up to $745 for VIP seats have a stern message for organizers still scrambling for talent: Don't stop 'til you get enough.
“The lineup announced so far really disappoints me," said Dieter Kircher, 36, of Vienna, who shelled out $91 on a standing-room ticket to the event outside Vienna's former imperial Schoenbrunn Palace. “I can only hope some real stars will come."
Austrian media ran withering headlines Thursday about the much-hyped tribute to the King of Pop, who died June 25 in Los Angeles, denouncing it as a flop.
“Chaos and cancellations," the daily Heute said. Public broadcaster ORF called the lineup a “farce" and a “debacle."
“Right now, the list of 'stars' probably wouldn't even fill the Vienna Stadthalle," an arena in the Austrian capital that draws top acts, ORF said.
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