Bad (tour)
Tour by Michael Jackson | |
File:Bad World Tour 1988.jpg | |
Associated album | Bad |
---|---|
Start date | September 12, 1987 |
End date | January 27, 1989 |
Legs | 4 |
No. of shows | 123 |
Michael Jackson concert chronology |
Bad World Tour was the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. Sponsored by Pepsi and spanning 16 months, the tour included 123 concerts to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries. When the tour concluded it grossed a total of $125 million, adding two new entries in the Guinness World Records for the largest grossing tour in history and the tour with the largest attended audience.[1] In April 1989, the tour was nominated for "Tour of the Year 1988" at the inaugural International Rock Awards.
Background
On June 29, 1987, Jackson's then-manager Frank DiLeo announced the singer's plan to embark on his first solo world concert tour.[2] Sponsored by Pepsi,[3] the tour began in Japan, marking Jackson's first performances in the country since 1973 as part of The Jackson 5.[4] The first nine scheduled concerts that began on September 12 sold out within hours, and five more were added due to high demand.[5] Over 600 journalists, cameramen and fans waited for Jackson's arrival to the country at Tokyo's Narita International Airport.[6] His pet chimpanzee Bubbles, who took a separate flight, was greeted by more than 300 people.[6] A chartered jumbo jet was used to carry 22 truckloads of equipment, along with Jackson's entourage of 132 for the tour.[7] The stage set used 700 lights, 100 speakers, 40 lasers, three mirrors and two 24-by-18 foot screens. Performers wore 70 costumes, four of which were attached with fiber optic lights.[8]
While in Tokyo, Australian pop music critic Molly Meldrum conducted an exclusive interview Jackson and DiLeo that was featured on 60 Minutes in the United States.[6] On September 18, Jackson was handed the Key to the City by Yasushi Oshima, the mayor of Osaka. He was accompanied by Bubbles, who was the first animal allowed inside the city's town hall. Jackson dedicated his Japanese concerts to Yoshioka Hagiwara, a five-year-old boy who was kidnapped and murdered, and gave £12,000 to the parents of Hagiwara.[9] Attendance figures for the first 14 dates in Japan totalled a record-breaking 450,000.[5] Crowds of 200,000 were what past performers could manage to draw for a single tour.[10] Nippon Television was a co-sponsor with Pepsi for the Japanese dates.[5]
In October 1987, scheduled shows in Perth and Adelaide in Australia were cancelled. A New Zealand leg was also scrapped. Kevin Jacobson, the tour's promoter, put it down to financial reasons with the original schedule having to cost $8 million to stage.[11] Jackson performed five concerts in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in Australia in November. While off stage, he spent time visiting sick children at their homes in the Sydney suburbs.[6]
Second leg (1988–1989)
Rehearsals for the tour's second leg took place at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida from January 22 to February 18, 1988.[12] On the last day of preparation, Jackson allowed 420 school pupils to watch him rehearse after the children made him a rap music video in his honour.[13] The first performances were to begin in Atlanta, Georgia, yet Pepsi officials objected as the city was home to rival drinks company Coca-Cola.[14] For both Atlanta shows, Jackson gave 100 tickets to the Children's Wish Foundation for terminally ill children.[15] The first of three concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City in March served as a benefit to raise $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund.[16] Jackson presented a check of $600,000 to the fund.[17] Two performances in St. Louis, Missouri were cancelled after Jackson came down with a cold that developed into laryngitis.[15]
Jackson began his European tour in Rome at the Flaminio Stadium on May 23, 1988. Police and security guards rescued hundreds of fans from being crushed in the crowd of 30,000.[18] Police reported 130 women fainted at the concert in Vienna on June 2.[19] A scheduled performance in Lyon was cancelled after 16,000 of a planned 30,000 tickets were sold.[20] On June 17, Jackson travelled to the town of Vevey to meet Oona O'Neill, the widow of comic actor Charlie Chaplin. "I have fulfilled by biggest childhood dream", said Jackson after the visit.[21] The most successful of the European dates were those in London at Wembley Stadium. Ticket demand for the five July dates exceeded 1.5 million, enough to fill the 72,000 capacity venue 20 times.[22] Jackson performed seven sold out shows, beating the previous record held by Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Genesis. More shows could have been added, but the venue had reached its quota for live performances.[22] The third concert on July 16 was attended by Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles.[23] On September 8, Jackson was entered into the Guinness World Records, the first of three times from the tour alone. The Wembley shows were attended by a record 504,000 people. Management also presented him with a special award.[24] On July 30, NBC aired Michael Jackson Around the World, a 90-minute special documenting the singer on tour.[25] On August 29, after a birthday performance in Leeds, Jackson donated $130,000 to Give For Life.[24] The final European show was held in Liverpool on September 11, staged at Aintree Racecourse. 1,550 fans were reported injured among the crowd of 125,000.[24][26]
In September 1988, Jackson toured the United States for the second time. On October 23, he donated $125,000, the net proceeds to first show in Detroit, to the city's Motown Museum.[27] Three concerts in Tacoma, Washington were cancelled after Jackson came down with the flu.[28] The tour was planned to end in Tokyo, but Jackson suffered from swollen vocal cords after the first of six concerts in Los Angeles in November. The remaining five were rescheduled for January 1989. During the December 11 show in Tokyo, nine-year old Ayana Takada was selected to receive a certificate by Jackson to commemorate the four millionth person to attend the tour.[29]
Five performances in Los Angeles were held to conclude the tour on January 27, 1989. In 16 months, Jackson performed 123 concerts in 15 countries to an audience of 4.4 million for a total gross of $125 million.[1][30] The American tour alone grossed a total of $20.3 million, the sixth largest of the year.[1] Guinness World Records recognized the tour as the largest grossing in history and the tour to play to the most people ever.[1] In April 1989, the tour was nominated for "Tour of the Year 1988" at the inaugural International Rock Awards. It lost to Amnesty International.[31]
Set list
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
- "Things I Do for You"
- "Off the Wall"
- "Human Nature"
- "This Place Hotel"
- "She's Out of My Life"
- Jackson 5 Medley
- "Rock with You"
- "Lovely One"
- "Bad Groove" Interlude
- "Workin' Day and Night"
- "Beat It"
- "Billie Jean"
- "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" featuring snippet of Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
- "Thriller"
- "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with Sheryl Crow
- "Bad"
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
- "This Place Hotel"
- "Another Part of Me"
- "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with Sheryl Crow
- "She's Out of My Life"
- Jackson 5 Medley
- "Rock with You"
- "Human Nature"
- "Smooth Criminal"
- "Dirty Diana"
- "Thriller"
- "Bad Groove" Interlude
- "Workin' Day and Night"
- "Beat It"
- "Billie Jean"
- "Bad"
- "The Way You Make Me Feel"
- "Man in the Mirror"
Song Info
The "Bad Groove" interlude involved the band playing an extended instrumental of "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" by Prince from his 1987 album Sign o' the Times. The second leg piece grew longer and an instrumental of "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough" from Jackson's 1979 album Off The Wall was added. The band members also perform their own solo with keyboards first, followed by bass guitar then drums. During the second leg spots in the interlude session varied, such as the additional solo from guitarist Jennifer Batten.
At some 2nd leg shows, "Human Nature" and "Smooth Criminal" were performed after "Another Part of Me", rather than "Rock With You".
For some concerts during the second leg, there were some order switches and songs removed such as "The Way You Make Me Feel" or "Man In The Mirror".
For his March 1988 performances at Madison Square Garden in New York, Steve Stevens (Guitar - Billy Idol) performed on "Dirty Diana", as he had on the recording.
In Brisbane, on November 28, 1987 where Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance at a concert to perform "Bad". This is the only ever live performance of the song Wonder joined Michael.
During the show in New York, Michael hit the headlines for kissing Tatiana Thumbtzen on stage during a great performance of "The Way You Make Me Feel". Tatiana Thumbtzen is known from her appearance in Michael's "The Way You Make Me Feel" video clip.
Tour dates
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
Asia | |||
September 12, 1987 | Tokyo | Japan | Korakuen Stadium |
September 13, 1987 | |||
September 14, 1987 | |||
September 19, 1987 | Hyogo | Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium | |
September 20, 1987 | |||
September 21, 1987 | |||
September 25, 1987 | Yokohama | Yokohama Stadium | |
September 26, 1987 | |||
September 27, 1987 | |||
October 3, 1987 | |||
October 4, 1987 | |||
October 10, 1987 | Osaka | Osaka Stadium | |
October 11, 1987 | |||
October 12, 1987 | |||
Oceania | |||
November 13, 1987 | Melbourne | Australia | Olympic Park Stadium |
November 20, 1987 | Sydney | Parramatta Stadium | |
November 21, 1987 | |||
November 25, 1987 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | |
November 28, 1987 | |||
North America | |||
February 23, 1988 | Kansas City | United States | Kemper Arena |
February 24, 1988 | |||
March 3, 1988 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | |
March 4, 1988 | |||
March 5, 1988 | |||
March 12, 1988 | St. Louis | St. Louis Arena | |
March 13, 1988 | |||
March 18, 1988 | Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | |
March 19, 1988 | |||
March 20, 1988 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | |
March 23, 1988 | Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | |
March 24, 1988 | |||
March 30, 1988 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | |
March 31, 1988 | |||
April 1, 1988 | |||
April 8, 1988 | Houston | The Summit | |
April 9, 1988 | |||
April 10, 1988 | |||
April 13, 1988 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | |
April 14, 1988 | |||
April 15, 1988 | |||
April 19, 1988 | Rosemont | Rosemont Horizon | |
April 20, 1988 | |||
April 21, 1988 | |||
April 25, 1988 | Dallas | Reunion Arena | |
April 26, 1988 | |||
April 27, 1988 | |||
May 4, 1988 | Minneapolis | Met Center | |
May 5, 1988 | |||
May 6, 1988 | |||
Europe | |||
May 23, 1988 | Rome | Italy | Stadio Flaminio |
May 24, 1988 | |||
May 29, 1988 | Turin | Stadio Comunale di Torino | |
June 2, 1988 | Vienna | Austria | Prater Stadium |
June 5, 1988 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Feijenoord Stadion |
June 6, 1988 | |||
June 7, 1988 | |||
June 11, 1988 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Eriksberg Shipyard |
June 12, 1988 | |||
June 16, 1988 | Basel | Switzerland | St. Jakob Stadium |
June 19, 1988 | Berlin | Germany | Reichstag Building |
June 27, 1988 | Paris | France | Parc des Princes |
June 28, 1988 | |||
July 1, 1988 | Hamburg | Germany | Volksparkstadion |
July 3, 1988 | Cologne | Mungersdorfer Stadium | |
July 8, 1988 | Munich | Munich Olympic Stadium | |
July 10, 1988 | Hockenheim | Hockenheimring | |
July 14, 1988 | London | England | Wembley Stadium |
July 15, 1988 | |||
July 16, 1988 | |||
July 22, 1988 | |||
July 23, 1988 | |||
July 26, 1988 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff Arms Park |
July 30, 1988 | Cork | Ireland | Páirc Uí Chaoimh |
July 31, 1988 | |||
August 5, 1988 | Marbella | Spain | Estadio Municipal de Marbella |
August 7, 1988 | Madrid | Vicente Calderón Stadium | |
August 9, 1988 | Barcelona | Camp Nou | |
August 11, 1988 | Nice | France | Stade Charles-Ehrmann |
August 14, 1988 | Montpellier | Stade Richter | |
August 19, 1988 | Lausanne | Switzerland | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise |
August 21, 1988 | Würzburg | Germany | Talavera Wiesen |
August 23, 1988 | Werchter | Belgium | Werchter Festival Grounds |
August 26, 1988 | London | England | Wembley Stadium |
August 27, 1988 | |||
August 29, 1988 | Leeds | Roundhay Park | |
September 2, 1988 | Hannover | Germany | Niedersachsenstadion |
September 4, 1988 | Gelsenkirchen | Parkstadion | |
September 6, 1988 | Linz | Austria | Linzer Stadion |
September 10, 1988 | Milton Keynes | England | National Bowl |
September 11, 1988 | Liverpool | Aintree Racecourse | |
North America | |||
September 26, 1988 | Pittsburgh | United States | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
September 27, 1988 | |||
September 28, 1988 | |||
October 3, 1988 | East Rutherford | Meadowlands Arena | |
October 4, 1988 | |||
October 6, 1988 | |||
October 10, 1988 | Richfield | Coliseum at Richfield | |
October 11, 1988 | |||
October 13, 1988 | Landover | Capital Centre | |
October 17, 1988 | |||
October 18, 1988 | |||
October 19, 1988 | |||
October 24, 1988 | Auburn Hills | The Palace of Auburn Hills | |
October 25, 1988 | |||
October 26, 1988 | |||
November 7, 1988 | Irvine | Irvine Meadows Amphitheater | |
November 8, 1988 | |||
November 9, 1988 | |||
November 13, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | |
Asia | |||
December 9, 1988 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome |
December 10, 1988 | |||
December 11, 1988 | |||
December 17, 1988 | |||
December 18, 1988 | |||
December 19, 1988 | |||
December 24, 1988 | |||
December 25, 1988 | |||
December 26, 1988 | |||
North America | |||
January 16, 1989 | Los Angeles | United States | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena |
January 17, 1989 | |||
January 18, 1989 | |||
January 26, 1989 | |||
January 27, 1989 |
- Cancellations
November, 1987 | Perth | Cancelled | |
November, 1987 | Adelaide | Cancelled | |
December 2, 1987 | Wellington | Athletic Park | Cancelled |
December 6, 1987 | Auckland | Mt Smart | Cancelled |
May 30, 1988 | Lyon | Stade de Gerland | Cancelled |
October 30, 1988 | Tacoma | Tacoma Dome | Cancelled |
November 1, 1988 | Tacoma | Tacoma Dome | Cancelled |
November 2, 1988 | Tacoma | Tacoma Dome | Cancelled |
November 14, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Rescheduled to January 16, 1989 |
November 15, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Rescheduled to January 17, 1989 |
November 20, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Rescheduled to January 18, 1989 |
November 21, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Rescheduled to January 26, 1989 |
November 22, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Rescheduled to January 27, 1989 |
Trivia
- The "Bad" World Tour was Michael Jackson's first ever solo tour.
- Michael's 1987 - 1989 "Bad" World Tour was the largest tour in history. This tour was also the highest grossing concert at the time, grossing over US$ 125 million.
- One "Bad" concert in Yokohama, Japan in September 1987 at Yokohama Stadium was recorded by Nippon TV and later televised in many countries. Also were televised Osaka and Tokyo concerts.
- On June 16, 1988, Michael performed a sell-out concert in Basel, Switzerland. While in Basel, Michael met with Mrs. Oona Chaplin, the widow of one of Michael's all-time heroes, Charlie Chaplin. Elizabeth Taylor and Bob Dylan came to the concert in Basel.
- On March 3, 1988 Michael performed a "private" concert at New York's Madison Square Garden. All the proceeds were donated to the United Negro College Fund. Tickets for the show could not be purchased at ticket box offices.
- On September 8, 1988, Michael received a special award by London's Wembley Stadium management for setting a new record for playing more dates at Wembley Stadium than any other artist. His 7 sell-out concerts were attended by 504,000 people, a distinction that earned him another entry in The Guinness Book Of World Records.
- During the tour, Michael performed "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" live on stage with background singer Sheryl Crow.
- At every tour stop (except for the very first one), during "She's Out Of My Life", one girl was allowed to dance with Michael on stage.
- On August 29, 1988 it was Michael's 30th birthday - he performed in front of an audience of around 125,000 people at Roundhay Park in Leeds and the entire audience had the rare privilege of singing "Happy Birthday to You" to Michael and he appeared overwhelmed.
DVD Release Petition
- There has been several professionally filmed concerts released or leaked from Yokohama, Tokyo, Osaka and half of Brisbane. Despite these three releases and several amateur videos from various concerts across the whole tour, many fans are disappointed that professionally filmed full concert footage of the second leg does not exist.
- In August 2005, fans created an online petition to support an official release of a Bad Tour concert in 1988, with heavy interest in the release of a London concert at Wembley Stadium. Although footage of concerts at Wembley were prominently featured in promos and music videos such as Another Part of Me, the entire concert has never been released.
- Although the target was 10,000 signatures, the petition continues to grow even to this day, with a total of more than 20,000.
- Rumors have been speculated to the release of a concert in 2012 to mark the 25 year anniversary of the Bad album being released, however nothing has been confirmed.
Personnel
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References
- ^ a b c d Campbell 1993, p. 236.
- ^ "Jackson sets solo world tour". The Miami News. June 30, 1987. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ Campbell 1993, p. 186.
- ^ "Michael Jackson's new tour to start in Japan". Manila Standard. July 2, 1987. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c Campbell 1993, p. 208.
- ^ a b c d Bad Tour Programme (1988), Far East Report Cite error: The named reference "tourbook" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "TheMichaelJacksonArchives - Bad Japan Tour 1987". Geraldine Hosier. News of the World. 1987.
- ^ "Michael Jackson craze hits Japan". New Straits Times. September 12, 1987. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- ^ "TheMichaelJacksonArchives - Bad Japan Tour 1987". Unknown publisher, editor and date.
- ^ "Jackson to Make First Solo U.S. Tour". Richard Harrington. The Washington Post. January 12, 1988.
- ^ "Bad tour news". The Age. October 30, 1987. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- ^ Snider, Eric (January 15, 1988). "'Bad' tour: Pensacola is southern limit". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Michael Jackson entertains 420 Florida pupils". St. Petersburg Times. February 20, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ Campbell 1993, p. 212.
- ^ a b Campbell 1993, p. 213.
- ^ Decurtis, Anthony (February 10, 1988). "Michael Jackson plans U.S., European tours". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ Campbell 1993, p. 189.
- ^ "Michael Jackson". Gettysburg Times. May 25, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "130 fans faint at Jackson concert". The Telegraph. June 4, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Jackson's French tour lags". St. Petersburg Times. June 20, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Michael Jackson Oona Chaplin". Gettysburg Times. June 20, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ a b Campbell 1993, p. 216.
- ^ Campbell 1993, p. 217.
- ^ a b c Halstead 2003, p. 80.
- ^ "Stay up tonight to catch Michael Jackson on tour". Boca Raton News. July 30, 1988. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ "1,550 injured at Jackson concert". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 12, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Michael Jackson Donates $125,000 to Motown Museum". The Argus-Press. October 24, 1988. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ "Jackson concert cancelled". Ellensburg Daily Record. October 31, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Jackson greets 4 millionth fan". Anchorage Daily News. December 12, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Michael's Last Tour". Ebony. April 1989. pp. 142–153. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ Halstead 2003, p. 85.
- ^ a b Halstead 2003, p. 79.
Sources
- Campbell, Lisa D. (1993). Michael Jackson: The King of Pop (1st ed.). Branden Books. ISBN 978-0828319577.
- Halstead, Craig (2003). Michael Jackson The Solo Years (1st ed.). Authors On Line, Ltd. ISBN 978-0755200917.