Michael Jackson's seemingly improbable appearance at the event can be attributed to his friendship with Exeter City's non-executive chairman, Uri Geller. Jackson travelled to Exeter on a specially chartered train and although his fans were not treated to any songs, he did make a short speech to a packed stadium before being presented with a special team shirt bearing his name. The event raised funds for the Children with Aids Charity, Support for Africa and the Prince's Trust.
The stage, which was erected on the pitch, also played host to a series of bands and performers before and after Jackson's speech. Artists performing at the event included rock band spoonbender, pop newcomers Bless'd, the Golden Jubilee Gospel Choir and celebrated magician David Blaine (another friend of Geller's).
Stage Electrics' audio department manager Glen Beckley (who operated the ML4000 himself whilst colleague Tony Wyatt mixed monitors) explained why he picked the ML4000 for An Audience with Michael Jackson: "The desk is part of our hire stock. It's reliable, it's compact and it offers really good value for the money. It's also a very flexible console so it fits all kinds of jobs."
(Lee Baldock)
