According to a report by American celeb-news website tmz.com, the singer promised a performance by the “Jackson Five”, but his siblings were outraged he had used their name to boost ticket sales.
His brother Tito even claimed he had not been invited to the event taking place on 26 September at Viennas Schönbrunn Palace.
A spokeswoman for concert organiser World Awards Media Gmbh, however, said the event was not in doubt and added tickets would go on sale as planned from Thursday (www.tribute2009.com), and they would announce next week who would perform.
Rumour has it U2, Lionel Richie and Madonna may be among the acts hitting the stage in front of the top tourist attraction in the Austrian capital.
Vienna tourism bosses, meanwhile, hope for an immense “image boom” for the city, which is already one of the most-popular tourism destinations in the world.
Von Thomas Hochwarter
