'E&P' Contributor Attends Michael Jackson Services -- Tells the Story Here

By: Charles Geraci When I went online to register my name last weekend for two tickets to Michael Jackson?s memorial service, I didn?t think anything would come of it. I was mainly curious to see how the process was being handled and figured I?d quickly submit my name despite the long odds of actually being selected.

The next morning at my job as a reporter for a Utah daily, the topic of conversation among my colleagues was a CNN.com story detailing the ticketing process for the service, along with a photo of two lucky winners in the online lottery. I jokingly told the staff about how I entered my name but didn?t hear anything back.

When I checked my e-mail a few minutes later, I was stunned. I thought that the winning e-mails would all be sent earlier in the day Sunday, but that was not the case.
Now I was one of 8,750 people out of the more than 1.6 million registered to be assigned the coveted tickets.

Following the steps in the e-mail, I printed out the unique voucher needed to trade for the tickets. The only problem? I was in Utah, and the tickets had to be picked up within four hours ? by 7:30 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

Since it was logistically impossible for me to pick them up, I quickly started calling my contacts. Robert, a friend from college who now works as a filmmaker in L.A., rushed over to the ballpark to get the two tickets with accompanying wristbands.

Within a couple hours, myself and a friend from the newspaper boarded his silver Volvo and took off for L.A. ? passing by the red rock formations of southern Utah, the cacti of Arizona and the Las Vegas Strip in the process.

We were exhausted when Robert did the hand-off Tuesday morning about an hour and a half before the service was to start. But we were excited to be one of the chosen few to witness such a historical moment not just in pop music history, but for the media as well.

Dozens of news crews and their equipment stretched from Figueroa Street to Georgia Street just north of the Staples Center. The outlets ranged from local stations such as KABC-TV, to Australian radio, to the big networks, such as CBS and CNN, positioned a little further back and higher up than the others.

We finally got inside the arena with about a half hour to spare ? time to find our seats and quickly buy a couple of blueberry muffins that cost about $4 apiece.

After Smokey Robinson read the statements from Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela, there were about 25 minutes of silence. Suddenly, the program started back up. And then the unexpected happened. Michael Jackson?s older brothers carried his coffin to the front of the stage to the surprise of many attendees, as the media had originally reported that his body would not be present for the ceremony.

After the service, dozens of Jackson?s fans lined up on Georgia Street, hoping for glimpses of the hearse and the Jackson family, while several helicopters hovered above.

Boxing promoter Don King greeted the crowd outside, as Rev. Jesse Jackson made his way down the long row of media. Stevie Wonder, who sang his ballad ?Never Dreamed You?d Leave in Summer? at the memorial, also made himself available for interviews before being abruptly taken away on a golf cart as security ran alongside it.

Around the same time, Katie Couric was anchoring the CBS Evening News in her flip flops outside the Staples Center, where the crowd lingered.

A Michael Jackson impersonator wowed onlookers with his version of the moonwalk, while police guarded the five large memorial walls fans had been signing in tribute to Jackson.

Some people sold Jackson shirts and buttons along Figueroa Street into the evening, but the hottest souvenir by far seemed to be the official program distributed to ticketholders as they entered the service Tuesday.

At least 20 people asked to buy my program, but it wasn?t for sale.

When I finally got back to the car Tuesday night, I was exhausted. I put my commemorative ticket in the glove box, placed my program on the back seat and tucked another memory away in my mind, concluding it was worth the drive.