Michael Jackson Performs in Devon

King of Pop-ped Into Barnstaple

What would be the last thing you’d expect to see at a martial arts demonstration in the sleepy Devon town of Barnstaple on a wet weekend in October? If your answer was ‘an unscheduled performance by King of Pop Michael Jackson including pyrotechnics and backing dancers’ then I would grow very suspicious. As that’s exactly what happened.Confusion and conspiracy akin to the Loch Ness Monster surround the ‘Barnstaple incident’ that occurred on this day in 1999. Apparently after receiving a few hours notice, the Queen’s Theatre saw a white limousine and a number of bodyguards appear. Then ‘Michael’ patiently watched the scheduled martial arts display before getting on stage and performing four numbers.Only one, distant, blurry photo of the performance has emerged, though theatre staff and audience members were convinced it was Jacko. Though his record company swear that the star was home in Los Angeles at the time, some still believe it was Michael paying an unexpected visit to the Devon area. Let’s face it, he did do weirder stuff than that.