Londoners moonwalk en masse for Michael

LONDON – On the afternoon following the popstar’s death, droves of fans gathered outside London’s Liverpool Street train station for a mass moonwalk in tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

Organized via social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, the impromptu gathering caused police to close off the street as the crowd sang and danced to “Billie Jean” and other classics played through loudspeakers.

Organizers, who had to negotiate with British Transport Police and Network Rail for permission to hold the event, were originally told the gathering would have to be limited to 300 people. But as the event continued to grow police opted not to break up the jubilant but well-behaved crowd, whose members seemed much more interested in celebrating Jackson’s life than mourning his death.

Later that night in the Enterprise bar in London’s music-minded Camden Town – the neighbourhood famous for venues that launched the careers of British music legends such as Oasis and Coldplay – DJs played Jackson 5 tracks as well as selections from his solo career.

As the Jackson 5’s “ABC” played, one patron explained, “This is how we want to remember him. Not for all of the media antics, but for his music and everything he created.”