By Germaine Lim

FAREWELL,Michael Jackson.

As in America and elsewhere, fans here too gathered to remember the King of Pop who died at 50, on 25 Jun.

This week alone, there are four tribute parties.

On Sunday, there was one at St James Power Station's Bar None and Gallery Bar.

On Wednesday, there were two - at Zirca and at M Hotel's J Bar.

Tomorrow, nightclub Butter Factory will turn its monthly Thriller event - previously unrelated to Jackson - into a tribute.

While the events so far have been well-attended, somethink they are in questionable taste. Local netizens have accused party organisers of being "disrespectful". Netizen caniggia wrote on local forum Hardware Zone: "Please don't try to make (the commemoration of his passing) sound heavenly. The real mass MJ tribute has already (been) done at Hong Lim Park..."

On 28 Jun, 300 people attended a free, five-hour Tribute to the King memorial at Hong Lim Park.

Jackson's music videos and concerts were beamed on to a big screen at the event which was organised by three fans in two days.

And caniggia wondered whether there had been any thought of forwarding the proceeds to the singer's family trust.

"Clearly it's a commercial act."

AsusEpoxy, also on the same website, compared Sunday's St James Power Station party with one held at New York's Apollo Theater on 30 Jun, where fans had gathered at the music hall "to listen to his music, watch a video tribute and leave flowers and memorabilia".

The US tribute was not about "dancing and drinking in a clubbing atmosphere".

"The very fact... that (Jackson needed) to perform because he (was) broke makes it all the more ironic..."

Event organisers however, say their intention was not to cash in.

A spokesman for the St James function told The New Paper that a portion of ticket sales - there were about 500 attendees and admission was $18 a person - would be donated to the Kings of Freedom Project.

The spokesman declined to say how much would be donated.

Kings of Freedom is a local charity which promotes peace and tolerance of other social groups and love.

No alcohol was served - only carbonated drinks were available - because the event was open to 16-year-olds, the spokesman added.

A video montage celebrating Jackson's works was shown.

Butter Factory's marketing director Celeste Chong told The New Paper she does not think tomorrow's Michael Jackson-themed party will see a surge in crowds.

Moreover, she added, Butter Factory's Thriller night was not "conjured up because of his death".

She said: "Our monthly Thriller nights are already doing very well. When we were planning the upcoming event, we thought, what better way to remember Michael than to let DJ Inquisitive who's the event's headline act and a big fan of Michael to spin his tracks?"

Ms Chong added that those dressed as Michael Jackson can enter for free before 11pm.

There is also no change in the prevailing cover charge - $21 for girls and $26 for guys, both inclusive of two standard drinks.

Admission was free at J Bar which gave patrons free mojito cocktails between 7pm and 8pm on Wednesday.

Club operator Lifebrandz, which owns Zirca, told The New Paper that its Wednesday event was "practically free-of-charge" for patrons.

The party was moved from its original venue Yello Jello to the larger Zirca.

Lifebrandz chief executive Bernard Lim said: "It made sense to move it to Zirca whose capacity is about four times that of Yello Jello.

"There were no cover charges for everyone who entered before 10pm. There was alcohol available but we didn't impose its purchase on patrons."

Performers volunteered

As it was Ladies' Night, female party-goers received free entry all night and five complimentary drinks.

Guys had to pay $15 (inclusive of two drinks) to enter after 10pm and $20 (inclusive of one drink) after 11pm.

Mr Lim added that performers like Gold 90.5FM DJs Hamish Brown and 987 DJ and singer Vanessa Fernandez had volunteered their time for free.

A professional Jackson impersonator, Mr V Prakash, 39, told The New Paper he had initially hesitated to accept Zirca's request because he felt other clubs which had contacted him earlier "were cashing in on Michael's death".

But he eventually agreed, and performed a dance routine with five friends.

He said: "I was convinced Zirca didn't have the intention to cash in because they already have regular patrons."

The ardent Jackson fan had also considered doing the gig for free, but he said he had to give his friends a token of appreciation for their efforts.

Mr Prakash eventually accepted Lifebrandz's fee of $800 for the 10-minute gig, even though he usually charges $500 for a 3-minute show.

He added that he will be donating a part of his fees to charity, but did not specify which organisation.

He said: "A lot of people hadn't thought of Michael's music until his death - they only ridiculed him. It's human nature to remember the good only after he dies.

"Regardless of their intentions, these tribute parties still spread Michael's music. They are making him even more popular."

Added Vanessa: "I understand these netizens want to uphold as pure a love for Michael as they can. They don't want people to abuse his death for commercial reasons.

"It's up to personal interpretation what these tributes mean. But I'm just going to view it as an opportunity to celebrate his life."

And that is what party-goers did at the events at Zirca and M Hotel.

Mr Coco Goh is 68, blind and has difficulty walking.

But it didn't not stop him from turning up at Zirca at 5pm on Wednesday - three hours before the doors were to open.

He was the first in line to join the party, which was free until 10pm, after which the usual cover charges applied.

He was accompanied by his wife, Madam Helen Thong, 53, and joined more than 1,000 others at the nightclub.

Mr Goh, who sells tissue paper for a living, said: "I want to pay my last respects to Michael. His songs are very edifying. He really made an impact in the world."

Patrons dressed in black and white, which was part of the dress code, formed a snaking queue about 100m long.

One of them, 21-year-old student Shamini Gunasagar, even brought along a homemade banner which read "Michael Jackson's Legacy Will Live On Forever".

She was with her brother, 23-year-old police officer Theeban, and a friend, 19-year-old beauty consultant Lydia Razak.

There was even a Black and White cocktail, concocted just for the night.

Meanwhile, J Bar's party drew patrons like Singapore Idol 2 finalist Jasmine Tye.

Resident musicians The DouglasOBand, fronted by veteran singer Douglas Olivero, dished out a 5-song set.

Ms Sharon Wong, 42, a senior consultant, told The New Paper: "I came here to enjoy Michael's music. You can't go wrong with Douglas belting out his songs."

gerlim@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.