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Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater was the scene of a massive Michael Jackson love fest Tuesday as fans sang, cheered and danced in the aisles to celebrate the King of Pop at the historic venue that helped to launch his career.
Reuters reported late Tuesday that the line to gain entry to Jackson’s memorial stretched across 10 city blocks from the theater with fans chanting Jackson’s name to passing tourist buses and singing his songs as they waited to see a 45-minute music and video tribute being repeated throughout the day.
The crowd stood eight to 10 abreast in the 80-degree weather, waiting hours for a chance to enter the theater. Fans were allowed in 600 at a time, where they lay flowers and other mementos at the foot of the stage and danced to Jackson’s music as it played over the sound system.
On the stage a spotlight shone on the singer’s signature fedora, sparkly glove and sunglasses placed on a stool next to a microphone. Jackson’s hits such as “Bad,” “ABC” and “Billie Jean” played.