North Carolina Group Celebrates
His Retaining Control of Fabled California Estate
LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2008-Who's Bad, the world's
top Michael Jackson tribute band, is delighted
with the news their musical inspiration won't
be losing his celebrated home. The group has
dubbed its upcoming concerts the "Neverland
Victory Tour" to celebrate Jackson managing
to avoid foreclosure on his longtime Santa Ynez,
CA, estate.
The tour began March 22 at the
Surrey Tavern in Augusta, GA, and goes through
May 30 at the Triangle Town Center in Raleigh,
NC.
The band had previously announced
that the concerts would be dedicated to "saving
Neverland," and considered donating a portion
of the proceeds to help Jackson avoid having
the house taken away and auctioned by the court.
"We were ready to take up
a collection for him," says Tadepalli.
"We especially wanted to help him keep
the giraffes. We really felt sorry for the animals
who were being uprooted from their environment."
Who's Bad performs 120-150 shows
a year to sold-out audiences around the United
States, including clubs, summer festivals and
corporate shows, giving the crowd its money's
worth with a live show that miraculously duplicates
the music and showmanship of one of the world's
greatest musical artists.
"We celebrate the songs and
the memorable live performances," explains
Tadepalli, who arranges all the charts for the
group, which includes the remarkable Joseph
Bell, Jr. on vocals, with some of the area's
finest musicians, including Ray McCall, Kevin
Timmons, Stephen Coffman and Hugh Swaso. "We
incorporate as much of the original choreography
that we can. We want to remind people of those
great videos and why he remains the King of
Pop."
"We want them to have that
feeling they had hearing 'Billie Jean,"
'Thriller,' "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough'
and 'Off the Wall' for the first time,"
explains Tadepalli. "We don't get involved
in the media controversies. We're all about
the music and putting on a great show that gets
people up in the aisles and dancing."
Since the beginning of the year,
which marks Jackson's 50th birthday and the
25th anniversary re-release of Thriller, which
has hovered near the top of the chart all over
the world, Who's Bad? has sold out every show
they've played.
"Once they see us perform,
they're convinced," says Tadepalli. "We're
big fans of Michael Jackson's music, and that
shows in our performances. We're all about honoring
the music."
The North Carolina-based Who's Bad, widely acknowledged
as the world's ultimate Michael Jackson tribute
band, was founded by Vamsi Tadepalli in Chapel
Hill five years ago to recreate the music, the
choreography and the over-the-top showmanship
of the self-proclaimed King of Pop, from his
days in the Jackson 5 up to Invincible.
Who's Bad fills the void created
in the absence of Michael Jackson himself, who
hasn't toured in the continental U.S. since
1988's Bad Tour, except for performances at
the 1993 Super Bowl, the 1995 MTV Video Awards
and a benefit concert at Washington, DC's RFK
Stadium in 2001.
Who's Bad have dedicated the performances
on their "Neverland Victory Tour"
to helping him celebrate the fact his beloved
home is now safely out of foreclosure.
"We have continued to offer
our moral support to Michael through this entire
ordeal," says Tadepalli of the band's dedication.
"Each performance is the ultimate party
waiting to happen… Everyone who's seen us ends
up 'gloving' it."
For a taste of what you can expect,
visit
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=29352670
Link to website:
http://www.whosbadmusic.com/
TOUR DATES
March 27: Taboo, Columbia, SC
March 29: The Soapbox, Wilmington, NC
April 4: The Pourhouse, Charleston, SC
April 6: Greene Street Club, Greensboro, NC
April 11: Rhythm and Brews, Chattanooga, TN
April 12: The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
April 18: The Canal Room, New York, NY
April 19: Rhythm House Café, Bridgeville,
PA
April 25: Andrews Upstairs, Atlanta, GA
April 26: Cats Cradle, Carrboro, NC
April 28: Rehab Lounge, Greenville, NC
May 1: Duffy's, Chicago, IL
May 2: John Barleycorn, Schanburg, IL
May 3: The Bluebird, Bloomington, IN
May 8: Duke University, Durham, NC
May 9: The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
May 10: Santa Fe Café, College Park,
MD
May 15: Five Points Pub, Columbia, SC
May 16: Party on the Point, Charleston, SC
May 29: City Center After 5, Charlotte, NC
May 30: Triangle Town Center, Raleigh, NC
