Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour" Brings Two Atlanta Natives Back To Their Hometown

When Philips Arena welcomes Cirque du Soleil next weekend for its “Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour” show, it will be more than just another show for some of the Cirque du Soleil team. It will also be a homecoming of sorts for two of the tour’s members.

Travis Payne is an Atlanta native and graduate of Northside School of the Arts. He began working with Michael Jackson as a choreographer in 1991 for Jackson’s music video, “Remember the Time.” He continued to work with the King of Pop until his death in 2009, including working with Jackson on his “This is It” tour.

Now, Payne is working as a Principal Choreographer for Cirque du Soleil’s tribute to Jackson’s life. However, he doesn’t plan to go with the show to Las Vegas for its expected opening in spring of 2013. Instead, Payne is hoping to open a dance studio in Atlanta, a dream he has had for a long time. He has been in talks to take over the former Atlanta Ballet building in Midtown according to a recent Access Atlanta article.

The other member of the Cirque du Soleil team coming back to his roots is saxophonist Mike Phillips. As part of the live band that accompanies most of the 25 song show, Phillips has had a chance to experience the whole spectacle but actually names part of the show that he isn’t involved in as his favorite. He says the quieter moment with a video of young Michael singing “I’ll Be There” reminds him of Jackson’s childhood intentions and that they were the same intentions he had when he passed.

The show is undoubtedly one that any Michael Jackson fan won’t want to miss. According to Travis Payne, via Access Atlanta, “You will laugh, cry, cheer, and reminisce. You’re never going to see a Michael Jackson concert again, but this is a wonderful homage.”

We hope to see you all at Philips Arena to welcome back these fellow Atlantans as they bring us the life story and music of the iconic Michael Jackson!

Tickets are still available for the shows June 29 – July 1. Get yours HERE!

 

For more information on Travis Payne and Mike Phillips, please visit http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-events/michael-jacksons-immortal-a-1462742.html.

Philips Arena Flashback: June 11 & 12, 2010

Two years ago, on June 11 & 12, 2010, Maxwell brought down the house with special guests Erykah Badu and Jill Scott! Were you there? Go to our Facebook page, tag yourself in this picture, and add a comment about the show!

Maxwell Goes (RED) for his 2012 Summer Tour

Maxwell is coming to Philips Arena on July 27 & 28 with his special TWO NIGHT tour and he's gone (RED)!

Many people have seen the (RED) logo around, whether it’s on various products or commercials on tv, but do you really know what the iconic (RED) logo means? We decided to take a little deeper look into the organization behind the color so that you can know how Maxwell is helping millions of people who are affected by HIV/AIDS and how you can too!

Here’s a little background video:

So, (RED) wants to see an AIDS Free Generation by 2015. That’s great, but how can you help? The (RED) manifesto states that all you have to do is decide to buy (RED) products, and their partner organizations will donate some of their profits (up to 50%!) to fight AIDS. It’s that easy.

The money that (RED) collects goes straight to The Global Fund, an organization dedicated to eradicating AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. All of the money that (RED) gives is spent directly on HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. Thanks to The Global Fund, 3.2 million people have received AIDS treatment! If you combine the AIDS, TB, and malaria programs supported by The Global Fund, a total of 7.7 million deaths have been averted. That’s pretty incredible!

What does this have to do with Maxwell?

Well, Maxwell is teaming up with (RED)ROWS to bring you a chance to see him live and UP CLOSE while also contributing to this great cause. All you have to do is go HERE for a chance to bid on tickets to his two shows at Philips Arena on July 27 & 28! But you better hurry, because auctions end on June 10!

Good luck & we’ll see you at Maxwell at Philips Arena on July 27 & 28!

 

If you’re interested in learning more about (RED) or The Global Fund, please go to www.joinred.com/aboutred or http://www.theglobalfund.org/.

Sneak Peek: Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour"

We are so excited to have Cirque du Soleil coming to Philips Arena in July with their new "Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour"! This spectacular show features more than 60 musicians, dancers, and acrobats from all around the world in 22 scenes surrounding the King of Pop’s life. Check out this video for a sneak preview of the show. It'll make you want to get up and dance!

And as a bonus, here's another video! This just goes to show how universal Michael Jackson truly is. Not only do the performers from "Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL" enjoy dancing to MJ's tunes, but so do ALL Cirque du Soleil employees! Look at this fun video for a chance to see Cirque du Soleil performers from across the globe all dancing in a choreographed routine to "They Don't Care About Us."

 

 Get your tickets here to see this THRILLER at Philips Arena June 29-July 1!

Spotlight On: APASSIONATA's Sylvie Willms

Philips Arena is thrilled to welcome APASSIONATA “The Beginning” to Atlanta on June 23* for two performances! This show features over 40 horses from across 13 breeds that are trained and handled by an extremely diverse group of people. Here’s an inside look at what it takes to become an internationally acclaimed equestrian:

Meet one of APASSIONATA’s stars: Sylvie Willms! Sylvie was truly born to ride. She comes from a family of horse experts, including father Alex and mother Céline, who have been training and riding thoroughbred horses in Belgium and France for more than 300 years. The family is often touring with their horses, but when they aren’t, you can find them at their castle in Burgundy, France, training horses for film productions. This year, however, Sylvie will be hitting the road to join APASSIONATA “The Beginning” on their North American tour. She will be performing several numbers of freestyle Liberty Dressage and Friesian Quadrille.

Sylvie works with her horses every day, which has lead her to develop special relationships with them. Her 18-year-old Lusitano (an ancient Portuguese breed developed for war, dressage, and bull-fighting), named Litador, is no exception. Litador joined the Willms family when he was three years old and was extremely timid from being ridden at too early of an age. Sylvie remained patient and, by taking his training slowly, gradually persuaded Litador to trust her. Now, the Lusitano allows Sylvie to ride him with no reservations.

Though Sylvie’s numbers in APASSIONATA “The Beginning” make dressage and quadrille look easy, it is anything but. She works with each of her horses every day, even if she’s only watching sometimes. According to Sylvie, “You need an incredible amount of patience and time for every single horse.” It’s clear that she provides this, too. All you have to do is watch her Arabian, Friesian, and Arab-Welsh horses gracefully dance through the arena to know that her passion and patience have truly made her a star!

*APASSIONATA “The Beginning” at Philips Arena on June 23 has been cancelled.

Roger Waters - The Wall

You've seen the pictures, watched the video clips, and read the reviews all confirming that Roger Water's The Wall tour is a masterpiece production not to be missed. But do you know what goes into this amazing production? Here's some facts for you:

• The Wall is 240' wide, 35'6" high, and 18" deep
• There are 424 bricks in the wall
• 3,000 bricks will be used for the US and European tour (all bricks are made from recycled sources and will be re-recycled after use)
• The tour has 12 touring crew building the wall and 8 local crew assisting
• It takes 45 minutes to build the wall
• The tour has 21 trucks
• Length of all electric cables including lighting and sound and power is over 100,000' (almost 20 miles!)
• The tour uses 23 projectors (see video clip below)

 Tickets are still available for the June 13 performance here at Philips Arena.  

Click HERE to get yours today!

The Wall Returns

After selling out in 2010, Roger Waters is back with an encore performance on June 13, 2012! Don’t miss your chance to see this masterpiece production, The Wall 2012. Roger Waters, co-founder and principal songwriter of Pink Floyd will perform one of the most influential albums in history, The Wall, in its entirety featuring a full band and state-of-the-art production. 

We are counting down the days until the return of The Wall! For the next few weeks we'll be featuring videos and photos of this amazing production. Check out the interview with Roger Waters on the Wall Tour and a preview of what you can expect.

Tickets are still available, get yours today before this extraordinary event sells out.

Get Tickets Now!