What do you think of the 2001 ‘Invincible’ album signing event?

mj_frenzy

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On November 7th (2001), MJ made his first ever in store appearance (at the Virgin Megastore).

The event took place at Time Square (New York City) & lasted for nearly two & a half hours.

MJ talked to his fans, signed many autographs & also gave a very brief interview to Carson Daly about his recently released album (‘Invincible’).

MJ behaved very candidly at that event. He also appeared kind, relaxed & down-to-earth as well. But, he also looked slightly sad during this whole event.

I personally liked the diversity of his fans who came to meet him in person (both in terms of race & age).

That event aimed mostly at making his public image more approachable to the audience/fans. It was also his intention that event to gain big media coverage at the time, which it did.

Also, do you believe that event was a good move on his part, or a rather unnecessary one that did not really change anything?

Discuss.
 
I enjoyed watching the video very much, he looks so warm and kind to his fans, and willing to give them a good experience. Also, like when he hums the songs :wub:
Think it was good movement from his part and for what I saw, the fans there were thrilled with the experience!
 
In many regards it was cool for fans to be able to meet and interact with him.. And for the footage that was shared, we got the opportunity to see more of him.. On the other hand, he's MICHAEL freakin' JACKSON - mega stars should not need to do autograph sessions for any publicity reasons. I think having a fan event somewhere to celebrate the album with him there would have 'looked' better.
 
I was there :)
I travelled from Ireland the day before, slept out on the street the night before.

Only 500 people were allowed in. Honestly looking back from actaully being there, it was crap.

The night before was very stressful. No one knew how many they would let in or what the procedure would be. All the staff who were asked, from store staff to night time security all just said wait until morning.

We counted the people in front of us in the queue, and figure out we were around 150 in the queue. If 200 were let we would just about make it, if only 100 then we wouldnt make the cut.

About 7am that morning staff started handing out cloakroom tickets, phew we got a ticket, now what?

At 9am there was movement, ok so now we all enter the store, buy the album, get our laminated pass on a chain and then.... exit the store. Once every had their laminated passes we all had to requeue to enter the store.

At about 11am we were back in the queue inside the shop. They lined us up in single file along the ground floor and lower ground floor and then locked the doors. They had screens on in the store and we could watch Michaels appearance outside and on TRL.

Then once he started the signing event we moved slowly slowly along. The album was playing in a loop and the screens alternated between the signing and music videos

It was sometime after 3pm when we finally got to meet Michael. We were about 4 hours queuing in the store at this stage, and for most of that time we only saw Michael on the screens. We only had snacks and soda in our bags, no other food, in fact I dont even remember going to the toilet, it was just endless queuing.

As we approached the area where Michael was we were told not to give him anything, he would only sign the album booklet, nothing else. We were told to open the album and take out the booklet. As we approached the table one security guard took the booklet from us and handed it to Michael. He signed it and unless you made an effort to talk to him or do something, the security guard just pulled you away from him. Quick, fast and very like a factory line, give him the book to sign, he signs, then next person.

Thats why he looks bored, thats why when people DID something, he came alive. So many people there were casual fans or autograph hunters and dealers. They did not care about talking to him or care about him.

In the queue the night before, me and my friends were discussing the CRY video which had just been released a few days before. So many people in the queue around us did not know that this song was on Invincible, in fact they had never hear ANY of the songs on the album or any recent Michael songs. They didnt know about the September concerts. Alot of them did this on a regular basis, as Virgin Megastore in Times Square had cd signings about once a week.

After Michael signed the album booklet you were literally dragged away from him and you had to immediately exit the building. That was it, done. Me and my friends were so disapointed, yes we got to meet him, yes we got an autograph, but we didnt really care about the autograph, we just wanted to see him, talk to him, thank him for looking after us after the Terror attacks, and so much more.

As the cd signing was on the lower floor, you couldnt even see him from outside the store. We waited near the exit for his car to leave, but the car came out of the building fast and no one had a chance to see him again.

We were so disapointed with the short time we had and how impersonal the whole experience was that we wanted to meet him again and have a better experience. So the next day we went to his hotel.

It was cold and we waited all day but finally we did see him and this time was so much fun and we had a much better experience.

One thing we couldnt understand though, Times Square shut down, almost 2000 people queued around the block, 500 people took part in the cd signing event, yet 10 Europeans and 1 American fan were outside his hotel the next day, wanting nothing more than to give him gifts and make him smile.

It made us realise that very few really truly cared about Michael the person, that most people saw him as a commodity, a product, a puppet on a string, something that can be used. They wanted the autograph but had no interest in the person writing the autograph.
 
moonstreet, can you show us your autograph? and other pictures?
 
In many regards it was cool for fans to be able to meet and interact with him.. And for the footage that was shared, we got the opportunity to see more of him.. On the other hand, he's MICHAEL freakin' JACKSON - mega stars should not need to do autograph sessions for any publicity reasons. I think having a fan event somewhere to celebrate the album with him there would have 'looked' better.

You have to put yourself back in 2001 to understand the event.

The cd signing was 6 weeks after the terror attacks, there was still smoke in the air and funerals were still taking place when we were there. The event was not just about Michael Jackson, it was part of the city healing, bringing the fun and life back to a city which had been ripped apart.

Also the whole Invincible promotion was all over the place. Michael fan base and Invincible sales were strong outside USA. This event was to bring Michael back into the eyes of America. At that time everyone did cd signings and appeared on TRL as part of album promotion. Getting him to do a cd signing was a way of generating sales in a low sales market. Like it or not, in 2001 the attitude to Michael in America was very different to what it is today after his death.

Also there were fan events in Europe, I went to an official Sony fanclub listening party in London afew days before Invincible went on sale. I know many other European countries had the same fan club events.


moonstreet, can you show us your autograph? and other pictures?
No sorry I dont put my photos or my autographs online
 
It was cool for the fans and it showcased MJ in a different light but at the same time, it's kind of sad. that an artist as big as MJ had to do a signing event like an ordinary artist.
 
moonstreet - I get the purpose behind it, and I get that it holds a special place in your heart because you were a part of that special special moment.. I just don't think it was the smartest use of promoting the album.. Like you said US sales were not the best, having him sit at a table and sign autographs to many reinforced a 'B list" look from an A++++ artist..

This is a man that had not done large press, interviews, much of his career and did not do an autograph session since being forced to in J5 days.. To have him sit their - does not put him on the level he deserved.

This of course my opinion!

Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to have been their. If I could have made it happen I would have.. 1000%, but looking from a PR and Marketing standpoint I don't think it was the best use of time for promotion of the Michael Jackson brand.

His presence shutting down Time Square = GOOD coverage / Him sitting at a table like a newbie to the industry = bad promotion to me

Especially at a time where people were using "bad sales" as an example of him not being as big as he used to.. This reinforces that belief.

Having the need to sign autographs due to bad sales comes off as desperate to me.. sorry to say! Having a couple thousand people buying the album to get autographs does not help sales enough to have HIM do that.

Good promotion would have sold that plus some!
 
I always hatet this signing! In contrast to moonstreet I wasn´t there, but I´ve seen it at about the same time on a good old videotape. It seemed to me as an endless and boring session. For Michael. I always thought that such kind of promotion never ever was Michaels decision - it was not his style! Till today I´m sure he was forced by his recordlabel to do it. And I comprehend to what moonstreet told: to take part at such an event with ´Michael Jackson´ must have been a nightmare for a lot of Michaels fans. Though I remember a former friend of mine loved to watch the video again and again.
 
You have to put yourself back in 2001 to understand the event.

The cd signing was 6 weeks after the terror attacks, there was still smoke in the air and funerals were still taking place when we were there. The event was not just about Michael Jackson, it was part of the city healing, bringing the fun and life back to a city which had been ripped apart.

Also the whole Invincible promotion was all over the place. Michael fan base and Invincible sales were strong outside USA. This event was to bring Michael back into the eyes of America. At that time everyone did cd signings and appeared on TRL as part of album promotion. Getting him to do a cd signing was a way of generating sales in a low sales market. Like it or not, in 2001 the attitude to Michael in America was very different to what it is today after his death.

Also there were fan events in Europe, I went to an official Sony fanclub listening party in London afew days before Invincible went on sale. I know many other European countries had the same fan club events.



No sorry I dont put my photos or my autographs online
Thanks for sharing. I thin k sometimes the people around MJ do more damage than fans; and the people they need to keep from MJ like the Chandlers, Conrad Murray, and others, they did not. I disagree about the way he was seen in America at that time. MJ was big and many people still came to see him. If his American days were pass, then then the security would had no rules and hardly no one would have showed up. But they did and got, as you say, disappointed in not spending more time with Mj. I liked the girl who gave him the ring and he put it on his finger. Priceless.
 
I remember watching it on my computer. Which was hard since I still had dial up internet service at the time. But I really loved it at the time. I even remember so badly wishing that I was there. I only live just 2 or 3 hours away from where it took place in New York City. I even have the event on dvd. I bought it from Ebay. Probably over 10 years or so ago. Of course now I won't watch it. Mainly because of my depression and panic/anxiety attacks that I suffer with now. If I so much as to remember, watch, or listen to anything related to him.:( :boohoo
 
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^ Yup I was on that dial up watching it with you haha! AND did the same bought the DVD (I think from ebay as well)
 
That was the era where MJ's upper lip was frozen, making him unable to smile and show his teeth. You'll notice in that footage, at the MSG and in the YRMW video, that he hides his mouth, and sometimes his whole face, when he laughs. So it was a sad time, made sadder by MJ's frozen expression. We didn't know back then whether some nerve damage had been permanently done to his lip, but luckily the smile was back in later years.

Sony had a hard time getting MJ to promote the album, so this was probably something that was put to him and that he agreed to do as it was a minimal effort on his part. It did feel like something "small" for a star of MJ's wattage, like appearing on the Tonight Show or something.
 
Always felt uncomfortable with this and sad probably due to what happened previously , and also i didnt like that 2004/5 ? short appearance when he was in the carpark in LOndon...at sony music UK studios? anyway , he was standing on the car roof. it was a time of change for society , the beginning of the end of whimsical , contained, fantastical entertainment as we knew it
All media and ?now mostly every fan with their camera phones in his face..
 
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I remember seeing footage of that on Total Request Live, and wishing I could've been there that day. It was interesting, seeing Michael so relaxed amid all the chaos just after 9/11.
 
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