MONTREAL - Michael Jackson's mother, his siblings, and his children were among those attending the premiere of Michael Jackson: The Immortal World tour, produced by the Cirque du Soleil at the Bell Centre Sunday evening.
Daniel Lamarre President of the Cirque du Soleil, was particularly excited that the late king of pop's mother Katherine Jackson was at the show.
"She played a deciding role choosing the Cirque du Soleil for this project and disappointing her is out of the question," he said.
Jackson's two brothers, Jackie and Tito were also at the show.
Fans watched dancers and acrobats pay tribute to about 60 songs from the vast Michael Jackson songbook, ranging from his earliest material with the Jackson 5 to songs from his final studio album.
Plenty of video, including never-before-seen video from the This Is It tour, was presented.
The organizers ruled out hiring an imitator for the show.
"We refused to do that, and were very clear, as was the family. There's only one Michael Jackson and we're going to see him plenty on the video," said Daniel Lamarre.
The show will stop at about 50 Canadian and American cities by July 2012 and will travel with a $60 million budget.
Altogether, 38 trucks -- three devoted entirely to costumes -- will roll throughout North America as 76 artists, including 15 musicians will participate in the show.
Fans who missed opening night in Montreal will have plenty of other opportunities to catch the show: the tour is scheduled to return to Montreal in March and July of 2012.
With files from The Canadian Press
