Dangerous World Tour

Dangerous World Tour

World tour by Michael Jackson
Promotional image for the tour
Location	Europe, Asia, South America, North America
Associated album	Dangerous
Start date	June 27, 1992
End date	November 11, 1993
Legs	3
No. of shows	40 in Europe 18 in Asia 6 in South America 6 in North America 70 played
Michael Jackson concert chronology

The Dangerous World Tour was the second worldwide solo concert tour by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The tour, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, included 70 performances to an audience of 3.5 million. All profits were donated to various charities including Jackson's own "Heal the World Foundation". The tour ran from June 27, 1992, to November 11, 1993. In November 1993, Jackson ended the tour due to, as he announced, illness that required hospitalization. The performer became dependent on painkillers, having suffered from dehydration, migraines and injuries. Originally, the Dangerous World Tour was supposed to run until Christmas of 1993.

Overview

Following the huge success of the Bad tour, Jackson's first solo world tour, where he earned $125 million, the star claimed that he would not tour again, and would instead concentrate on making films and records. On February 3, 1992 in a Pepsi press conference, it was announced that Jackson would be touring again. The announcement coincided with a new deal between Jackson and Pepsi, with a reported $20 million deal to sponsor the tour.

In an interview, Jackson stated, “The only reason I am going on tour is to raise funds for the newly-formed Heal the World Foundation, an international children's charity, that I am spearheading to assist children and the ecology. My goal is to gross $100 million by Christmas 1993. I urge every corporation and individual who cares about this planet and the future of the children to help raise money for the charity. The Heal the World Foundation will contribute funds to paediatric AIDS in honour of my friend, Ryan White. I am looking forward to this tour because it will allow me to devote time to visiting children all around the world, as well as spread the message of global love, in the hope that others will be moved to do their share to help heal the world.”

Preparations and Set Designs

The stage used for the tour required more time to set up than before. This was seen in the tour schedule where a considerable number of concerts were one-stop performances. Equipment, which in total weighed over 100 tons, required two Boeing 747 jet aircraft and multiple lorries to transport to each venue.

Before the tour began, Jackson and his band (which had changed a little since the Bad tour) rehearsed the whole concert. The footage of the rehearsals has been leaked into the Internet. However, the exact date and location of the performances is not clear, but it was rumored that the rehearsals took place in Jackson's Neverland home. The rehearsals included performances that never made it into the final show, including "Remember the Time," "The Way You Make Me Feel," Bad" and "Rock with You," among others.

For the tour's design, Jackson was influenced by the uniform worn in the military. For "Jam", the first performance on the tour's set list, Jackson wore two variations of a faux-military uniform. Costumes worn for the performances of "Workin' Day and Night", "Bad", as well as his later HIStory World Tour, were examples of this. During the first and second legs, the uniform was a grey-green jacket with a one bolted strap which sparkled with multicolour. For the third leg, Jackson wore a black uniform with three gold bolted straps, one going from his collar to his waist in one direction and the other two in another; he also used this costume at the first Dangerous Tour concert in Munich, first second leg concert in Tokyo, the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in 1993, and later at the Royal Brunei Concert (pre-HIStory Tour concert) in 1996. Another interesting fact is that Michael's gold leotard costume for his Dangerous Tour was designed by Gianni Versace, whom later also designed Michael's gold costume for his HIStory Tour.

The tour also incorporated several stage illusions.The Dangerous era was considered one of Michael's best. Each concert on the tour ended by a stuntman, Kinnie Gibson, who secretly switched with Jackson as he kneels down a trap hole in the stage, dressed in a full astronaut costume (therefore appearing as Jackson), flying out of the arena using a rocket belt. Each concert also began with a illusion-like stunt dubbed "the Toaster" in which following the ringing of bells and the roar of a panther, Jackson catapults on to the stage through a trap door in the front, sending off pyrotechnics that electrified the crowd. A similar version of "the Toaster" stunt was used in the beginning of Michael's Super Bowl XXVII Halftime Show performance in 1993. In the first and second legs, the transition from "Thriller" to "Billie Jean" was another stage trick. When Jackson walks into two pillars, he secretly switches with a werewolf-masked backup dancer while he changes for Billie Jean. The backup dancer posing as Jackson is placed into a coffin which disappears when dancers posing as skeletons and zombies drape a cloth over the coffin and pull it out. Jackson appears fully dressed for Billie Jean in the upper stage level as it lowers down. The coffin portion of this stage illusion was removed in some of first leg shows and the entire third leg of the tour, and replaced with the Jackson impersonator and the backup dancers performing an encore of the "Monster Breakdown" (the dance sequence in "Thriller").

First and Second Legs (1992)

The original set list for the first leg featured "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Bad", but these were taken out after the eighth concert in Oslo, Norway. However, these two songs were returned for the first four performances in Tokyo, Japan (the second leg).

During the Europe leg in 1992, MTV was allowed to film backstage and broadcast six fifteen minute episodes on the tour. The show was called Dangerous Diaries and presented by Sonya Saul.

Jackson sold the film rights to his October 1, 1992 concert in Bucharest, Romania to HBO for $21 million. The deal was the highest ever paid for a live concert. The concert was broadcast live on radio and shown on television across 61 countries, and received the highest TV ratings in the history of the HBO network, in which Jackson was honoured with a CableACE Award. In 2004, the concert was released on DVD as part of Jackson's The Ultimate Collection box set. It was released in 2005 as the separate DVD Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour. The footage used on the released version is actually a mixture of footage from Bucharest – The BBC broadcast, HBO live telecast (pay per view) and the HBO TV version, however for the DVD shots of many fans were included to give the show a feeling of hype.

On December 31, 1992 during the New Year's Eve concert in Tokyo, Japan, Slash made a special guest appearance for the performance of "Black or White". Slash also made a special appearance for "Black or White" at the concert in Oviedo, Spain in September 1992.

Super Bowl XXVII

Unlike many previous years, Michael Jackson was the only performer in the entire Super Bowl XXVII halftime show. The show started with Jackson dancing on certain jumbotrons, followed by impersonators that posed on top of the screen, which gave the illusion of Jackson moving from one side of the stadium to the other. Then Jackson himself catapulted on stage and simply stood frozen in front of the audience. Jackson's set included songs "Jam" (with the beginning of "Why You Wanna Trip On Me"), "Billie Jean" and "Black or White". The finale featured an audience card stunt, a video montage showing Jackson participating in various humanitarian efforts around the world, and a choir of 3,500 local Los Angeles area children singing "We Are The World", later joining Jackson as he sang his single "Heal the World".

It was the first Super Bowl where the audience figures actually increased during the half-time show. The selection of Michael Jackson for the halftime show was in response to sagging interest in recent performances, notably in the two years immediately prior. The N.F.L and FOX network officials decided it was necessary to sign top acts for the halftime in future years to boost future viewership and interest. The N.F.L. donated $100,000 to Jackson’s Heal the World Foundation.

Third Leg (1993)

The day the third leg began on August 24, 1993 in Bangkok, the accusations of child sexual abuse against Jackson was made public. Three days beforehand, a search warrant was issued, allowing police to search Jackson's Neverland Ranch, Santa Ynez Valley, California.

On 29 August, Jackson performed in front of 47,000 on his 35th birthday in Singapore.

During his visit to Moscow in September, Jackson came up with the song "Stranger in Moscow" which would be released on his 1995 album HIStory. It was during a time when Jackson felt very alone, far away from his family and friends, yet every night throughout his tours fans would stay by his hotel and support him.

The tour was to last longer, but it was the huge pressure from the child abuse accusations (which was generating huge media and press attention), as well as various health problems and injuries that made Jackson end the tour in Mexico. Jackson began taking Valium, Xanax and Ativan (known as lorazepam in the UK) to deal with the stress of the accusations made against him. After the tour ended, Jackson voluntarily entered a rehabilitation program. In a taped statement, he credited Elizabeth Taylor, his sister Janet Jackson, and his family for support during the accusations and dealing with his drug addiction.

Set list

Rehearsal Set List

1. "Jam"
2. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
3. "Human Nature"
4. "Smooth Criminal"
5. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
6. "She's Out of My Life"
7. The Jackson 5 Medley
   • "I Want You Back"
   • "The Love You Save"
   • "I'll Be There"
8. "Rock with You"
9. "Thriller"
10. "Billie Jean"
11. "Remember the Time"
12. "Workin' Day and Night"
13. "Beat It"
14. "Will You Be There"
15. "The Way You Make Me Feel" (first and second legs only)
16. "Bad" (first and second legs only)
17. "Dangerous" (third leg only)
18. "Black or White"
19. "Heal the World"
20. "Man in the Mirror"

First and Second Legs (1992)

1. "Brace Yourself" introduction
2. "Jam"
3. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
4. "Human Nature"
5. "Smooth Criminal"
6. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" featuring Siedah Garrett
7. "She's Out of My Life"
8. The Jackson 5 Medley
   • "I Want You Back"
   • "The Love You Save"
   • "I'll Be There"
9. "Thriller"
10. "Billie Jean"
11. Black Panther Video Interlude
12. "Workin' Day and Night"
13. "Beat It"
14. "Someone Put Your Hand Out" Instrumental
15. "Will You Be There"
16. "The Way You Make Me Feel" Munich to Oslo; Performed on Tokyo concerts
17. "Bad" Munich to Oslo; Performed on Tokyo concerts
18. "Black or White"
19. "We Are the World" Video Interlude
20. "Heal the World"
21. "Man in the Mirror"
22. "Rocket Man" Finale

Super Bowl XXVII halftime show

1. Medley
   • "Jam" Features snippet of "Why You Wanna Trip On Me"
   • "Billie Jean"
   • "Black or White"
2. "We Are the World" Interlude
3. "Heal the World"

Third Leg (1993)

1. "Brace Yourself" Introduction
2. "Jam"
3. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
4. "Human Nature"
5. "Smooth Criminal"
6. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" featuring Siedah Garrett
7. "She's Out of My Life"
8. The Jackson 5 Medley
   • "I Want You Back"
   • "The Love You Save"
   • "I'll Be There"
9. "Thriller"
10. "Billie Jean"
11. "Someone Put Your Hand Out" Instrumental
12. "Will You Be There"
13. "Dangerous"
14. "Black or White
15. "We Are the World" Interlude
16. "Heal the World"
    Encore
17. "Man in the Mirror" (this song was not performed in the first 13 shows of this leg (August 23-September 26), having begun to be performed from the first show in Buenos Aires, on October 8)
18. "Rocket Man"

Notes

• The so-called "toaster", where Michael is catapulted on stage and the end of the show, where he jet-packs out of the stadium, hit headlines all around the world.
• "Man in the Mirror" and the "Rocket Man" finale were often cut from some of the third leg shows due to time constraints.
• "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Bad" were cut after the concert in Oslo, but they returned in the early Tokyo concerts.
• "Dangerous" was performed only during the third leg of the tour.
• "Beat It" and "Workin' Day and Night" were taken off the setlist after their performances in Tokyo. However, both of the songs were rehearsed for the third leg.
• During the tour, Jackson performed "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with background vocalist Siedah Garrett.
• Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, who was featured in "In the Closet", was present during the concert in Toulouse, so Michael had the band perform an instrumental version of "In the Closet" before "Man in the Mirror". This was the only time the song featured during the Dangerous Tour.
• At the December 30, 1992 performance at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, Slash made a special guest appearance for "Black Or White". He also joined Jackson on stage for the following show at this Special New Year's Eve Countdown Concert in Tokyo. Michael wished all his fans a Happy New Year from his changing room.
• At every Dangerous Tour stop, during "She's Out Of My Life", one lucky girl was allowed to meet with Michael on stage.
• In Brazil, the singers Sandy & Junior made a performance in "Will You Be There", translating the final message for signals.
• Jackson sang "Bad" with his headset microphone only in Oslo, as opposed to the hand microphone.
• Michael introduced the band, crew and vocalists during the performances of "Bad" in the early second leg concerts, but when it was taken off the setlist, Michael started to introduce them during the "Man in the Mirror" performance.
• During the first and second legs, the We Are the World interlude consisted only the video interlude. During the third leg, the interlude was extended by adding an instrumental with the band and vocalists.
• The August 29, 1993 performance in Singapore, it was Michael's birthday and just after "Jam" the fans sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and he then thanked them.
• Jackson changed between a white, red or black jacket during performances of "Heal The World" and "Man in the Mirror" in Tokyo.
• The cherry picker that was used for "Beat It" during the first and second legs was used for "Black or White" in the third leg.
• During the performance of "Smooth Criminal" in Frankfurt, a fan climbed onto the stage. The dancers reacted and carried him away.
• In Munich, Michael wore the black uniform for "Jam" and then later on he wore the blue uniform. After the concert in Bucharest, the black uniform returned.
• Some of the performances for "Dangerous" showed Michael wearing a suit, for some other concerts he just wore a black jacket and a t-shirt.
• Jackson often wore the black jacket used for "I'll Be There" for "Human Nature" in the third leg. Some amateur footage shows that he wore the jacket in Chile.
• In the third leg, a black jacket was often used for "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "She's Out of My Life".
• The jacket worn for "Jam" in the first two legs was often used for "The Jackson 5 Medley" in the third leg.

Opening Act

• Kris Kross

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
First Leg
Europe
June 27, 1992	Munich	Germany	Olympiastadion
June 30, 1992	Rotterdam	Netherlands	Feijenoord Stadium
July 1, 1992
July 4, 1992	Rome	Italy	Stadio Flaminio
July 6, 1992	Monza		Stadio Brianteo
July 7, 1992
July 11, 1992	Cologne	Germany	Müngersdorfer Stadion
July 15, 1992	Oslo	Norway	Valle Hovin
July 17, 1992	Stockholm	Sweden	Stockholm Olympic Stadium
July 18, 1992
July 20, 1992	Copenhagen	Denmark	Gentofte Stadion
July 22, 1992	Werchter	Belgium	Werchter Festival Ground
July 25, 1992	Dublin	Ireland	Lansdowne Road
July 30, 1992	London	United Kingdom	Wembley Stadium
July 31, 1992
August 5, 1992	Cardiff		Cardiff Arms Park
August 8, 1992	Bremen	Germany	Weserstadion
August 10, 1992	Hamburg		Volksparkstadion
August 13, 1992	Hamelin		Weserbergland Stadium
August 16, 1992	Leeds	United Kingdom	Roundhay Park
August 18, 1992	Glasgow		Glasgow Green
August 20, 1992	London		Wembley Stadium
August 22, 1992
August 23, 1992
August 26, 1992	Vienna	Austria	Prater Stadium
August 28, 1992	Frankfurt	Germany	Waldstadion
August 30, 1992	Ludwigshafen		Südweststadion
September 2, 1992	Bayreuth		Volks Stadium
September 4, 1992	Berlin		Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark
September 6, 1992[A]	Gelsenkirchen		Parkstadion
September 8, 1992	Lausanne	Switzerland	Stade Olympique de la Pontaise
September 11, 1992[B]	Basel		St. Jakob Stadium
September 13, 1992	Paris	France	Hippodrome de Vincennes
September 16, 1992	Toulouse		Stadium Municipal de Toulouse
September 18, 1992	Barcelona	Spain	Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
September 21, 1992	Oviedo		Estadio Carlos Tartiere
September 23, 1992	Madrid		Estadio Vicente Calderón
September 26, 1992	Lisbon	Portugal	Estádio José Alvalade
October 1, 1992	Bucharest	Romania	Lia Manoliu Stadium
October 2, 1992[C]	Izmir	Turkey	İzmir Atatürk Stadium
October 4, 1992[D]	Istanbul		İnönü Stadium
October 10, 1992[E]	Athens	Greece	Olympic Stadium
Second Leg
Asia
December 12, 1992	Tokyo	Japan	Tokyo Dome
December 14, 1992
December 17, 1992
December 19, 1992
December 22, 1992
December 24, 1992
December 30, 1992
December 31, 1992
Super Bowl XXVII halftime show
January 31, 1993	Pasadena	United States	Rose Bowl Stadium
Third Leg
Asia
August 24, 1993	Bangkok	Thailand	Suphachalasai Stadium
August 27, 1993
August 29, 1993	Singapore	Singapore	Singapore National Stadium
September 1, 1993
September 4, 1993	Taipei	Taiwan	Taipei Municipal Stadium
September 6, 1993
September 10, 1993	Fukuoka	Japan	Fukuoka Dome
September 11, 1993
Europe
September 15, 1993	Moscow	Russia	Luzhniki Stadium
Asia
September 19, 1993	Tel Aviv	Israel	Yarkon Park
September 21, 1993
Europe
September 23, 1993	Istanbul	Turkey	İnönü Stadium
September 26, 1993	Tenerife	Spain	Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
South America
October 8, 1993	Buenos Aires	Argentina	Estadio River Plate
October 10, 1993
October 12, 1993
October 15, 1993	Sao Paulo	Brazil	Estádio do Morumbi
October 17, 1993
October 23, 1993	Santiago	Chile	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
North America
October 29, 1993	Mexico City	Mexico	Estadio Azteca
October 31, 1993
November 7, 1993
November 9, 1993
November 11, 1993

Cancellations and postponements

First Leg (1992)

• 08/01/92: London, England, Wembley Stadium; CANCELLED (Jackson succumbed to a viral infection and therefore could not perform the planned show.) Rescheduled for August 23, 1992
• ^A 09/06/92: Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Parkstadion; CANCELLED (Due to serious health problem.)
• ^B 09/11/92: Basel, Switzerland, St. Jakob Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to serious health problem.)
• ^C 10/02/92: Izmir, Turkey, İzmir Atatürk Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to serious health problem. This date was the originally planned tour date for this city. It was probably changed before Jackson`s health got worse.)
• ^D 10/04/92: Istanbul, Turkey, İnönü Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to serious health problem. Jackson arrived in Istanbul 2nd October. Five hours before Jackson was due to perform, an announcement was made that, due to a vocal cord ailment, the concert had been cancelled.)
• ^E 10/10/92: Athens, Greece, Olympic Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to serious health problem.)

• The cancellation of concerts in Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey and Athens in Greece brought an untimely end to the European leg of the Dangerous tour. Of the 42 scheduled concerts for Europe, Jackson performed 37, with five cancellations due to ill-health. Jackson had to rest for several weeks before flying to Japan.

Third Leg (1993)

• 08/15/93: Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Sha Tin Racecourse; CANCELLED (Originally, The Dangerous tour was to begin in Hong Kong with shows on August 15 and 16. Those dates were cancelled and could not be rescheduled because it would conflict with the start of the racing season.)
• 08/16/93: Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Sha Tin Racecourse; CANCELLED
• 08/25/93: Bangkok, Thailand, National Stadium; CANCELLED (Jackson recovered from dehydration.) Rescheduled for August 26, 1993
• 08/26/93: Bangkok, Thailand, National Stadium; CANCELLED (Jackson wasn't fully recovered from dehydration.) Rescheduled for August 27, 1993
• 08/30/93: Singapore, Singapore, National Stadium; CANCELLED (Jackson collapsed before the show had begun.) Rescheduled for September 1, 1993
• 09/30/93: Johannesburg, South Africa; CANCELLED (Marcel Avram, a concert promoter, claimed that he had no contract with the local promoter and other various reasons.)
• 10/02/93: Johannesburg, South Africa; CANCELLED
• 10/12/93: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Maracanã Stadium; (This concert was cancelled because of the tour policy. Jackson did not perform two or more consecutive nights in a row in late 1993. He always had an interval of one day or more between each of the concerts.

Therefore, three concerts in Buenos Aires, Argentina were initially rescheduled from October 7, 8 & 9, 1993 to October 8, 10 and 12 and the show scheduled in Rio for October 12 was cancelled days before - leaving this date available.) CANCELLED

• 10/21/93: Santiago, Chile, Chile National Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to health problems.) Rescheduled for October 25, 1993 CANCELLED
• 10/26/93: Lima, Peru, Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz; CANCELLED (Due to health problems.)
• 11/02/93: Mexico City, Mexico, Azteca Stadium; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 7, 1993 (Due to health problems.)
• 11/03/93: Mexico City, Mexico, Azteca Stadium; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 9, 1993 (Jackson recovered from surgery.)
• 11/06/93: Mexico City, Mexico, Azteca Stadium; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 11, 1993 (Jackson continued to recover.)
• 11/12/93: Caracas, Venezuela, Poliedro de Caracas; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 19, 1993 CANCELLED
• 11/14/93: San Juan, Puerto Rico; CANCELLED (The next stop after Mexico would have been Puerto Rico. The Dangerous tour was cancelled on November 12 and this concert was therefore cancelled, too.)
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Al-Maktoum Stadium; BANNED/CANCELLED (Jackson planned to give 2 concerts in Dubai. These concerts were banned.)
• 12/03/93: Sydney, Australia; Sydney Cricket Ground; CANCELLED
• 12/04/93: Sydney, Australia; Sydney Cricket Ground; CANCELLED
• 12/06/93: Melbourne, Australia; Waverley Park; CANCELLED
• Jakarta, Indonesia, Gelora Bung Karno Stadium; BANNED/CANCELLED (This concert was banned by the authorities.)
• New Delhi, India; CANCELLED (These concerts were supposed to be the last Dangerous tour concerts in December 1993. There were plans to give 2 concerts in India, because the tickets were sold out according to the sources.)

Legacy

• The Dangerous World Tour was the biggest tour any performer had done, breaking his own record from his Bad world tour. Michael would later break this record with the HIStory World Tour.

• Michael donated all the proceeds from the tour to his "Heal The World" Foundation and to other charities.

• Michael sold the film rights to his Dangerous World Tour concert in Bucharest, Romania to HBO for UK£ 12 million. The deal is the highest ever paid for a live concert. The special received the highest TV ratings in the history of HBO [21.4 % rating, 34% share]. Michael was honored with a Cable Ace Award. The Bucharest concert [performed on October 1, 1992] was broadcast live on radio and shown on TV in 61 countries. Director Andy Morahan, who directed "Give In to Me" used more than 14 camera operators to tape the concert.

Broadcasts & Recordings

The DVD cover from the concert taken place at Bucharest, Romania.

• All concerts were professionally filmed by Nocturne Productions Inc., which filmed all of Jackson's tours and private affairs. The concert in Bucharest on October 1, 1992 was filmed and broadcasted on television all across the world, with an unedited version airing on the BBC. This concert film was officially released on DVD called Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour in 2005.

Personnel

Dangerous World Tour

Lead performer

• Vocals, Dance & Choreographer: Michael Jackson

Dancers

• LaVelle Smith (choreographer), Jamie King, Evaldo Garcia, Randy Allaire (1st & 2nd legs), Travis Payne (3rd leg), Damon Navandi, Bruno "Taco" Falcon, Michelle Berube, Yoko Sumida

Band members

• Musical Director: Greg Phillinganes (1st & 2nd legs), Brad Buxer (3rd leg)
• Assistant Musical Director: Kevin Dorsey
• Keyboards: Greg Phillinganes (1st & 2nd legs), Brad Buxer, Isaiah Sanders (3rd leg)
• Drums: Ricky Lawson
• Guitars: Jennifer Batten (1st & 2nd legs), Becky Barksdale (3rd leg), David Williams
• Bass: Don Boyette
• Vocal Director: Dorian Holley
• Vocals: Kevin Dorsey, Dorian Holley, Siedah Garrett, Darryl Phinnessee