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The media yelping seemed pretty tame, at times, compared with the back biting among some Jackson advisers. One even suggested last week that it was Paterfamilias Joe Jackson's "black-music-business voodoo" that made a large advance from the promoter such a stumbling block and could even have kept his sons from earning still more on box-office percentages. Says the source: "Joe's philosophy is, 'My boys are the biggest, and they get their money up front.' " As a result of all this, in two of the first three cities on the tour, the money has been a little slow in coming. Ticket sales were sluggish in Dallas until the shows finally sold out July 3; as of the past Friday there were lots of ticket coupons at the Spec's Music stores in Miami waiting to be filled out and sent in. (The new system for buying tickets will be determined by local stadium owners. It will go into effect, at the latest, by the time tickets for the early-August New York City engagement go on sale.) Sullivan also confirmed concert dates in ten additional cities, including Detroit, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Ticket sales there, as well as the commercial longevity of Victory, will determine whether the public has turned its back on the Jacksons or whether Michael, with the help of some fast business footwork and some dazzling family showmanship, has managed to turn them around again.
There is still a lot of money on the ta ble, but after Kansas City all bets have been settled. That was not summer thunder in the air— over Arrowhead Stadium. It was the unmistakable sound of the Jacksons hitting the jackpot, all to the strains — yes, Michael sings them both —of Billie Jean and Beat It.
—By Jay Cocks. Reported by Denise Worrell/Kansas City