The BBC reports that The King Of Pop, Michael Jackson, has postponed several of the first dates of his “This Is It” run of concerts at London’s O2 Arena.

Jackson reportedly needs more rehearsal time before starting the 50-concert run, which was originally scheduled to begin on July 8th, will be moved back to July 13, promoters said. In addition, shows scheduled for July 10, July 12 and July 14 will instead be held in March 2010.

“We wanted to ensure that all of Michael’s fans attending the concerts get the same quality in staging and level of entertainment,” promoters AEG Live said in a statement. “It is AEG Live’s sincere hope that those lucky enough to have purchased tickets will have enough time to change their personal schedules and travel plans if they are coming from outside of London… We understand the inconvenience this may have caused and for this reason we have secured some excellent hotel deals for Michael Jackson fans traveling to London on these rescheduled dates.”

The delays are likely to fuel speculation that Jackson is suffering from health ailments that may curtail his comeback bid.