When Michael Jackson Bad Tour Concert?
Michael Jackson’s Bad World Tour is the second concert tour by the American singer Michael Jackson. The tour was in promotion of his seventh studio album, known as Bad, which was released in 1987. The tour started in Japan on September 12, 1987, and lasted until the final concert in Los Angeles on January 27, 1989. In conclusion, the ‘Bad World Tour’ spanned across fifteen different countries in a total of sixteen months.
The Bad World Tour can be considered one of the most significant events in Michael Jackson’s career. After the release of 1982’s Thriller, arguably the biggest pop record ever made, the pressure was high for Jackson to replicate the success of his previous work. Although it did not sell as many copies as Thriller, Bad was another blockbuster for Michael. The high expectations were that Jackson had to perform a remarkable concert tour just like the release.
Planning and Preparations The Bad World Tour was not an easy task since it entailed a lot of coordination, planning, and preparation. The show entailed coordination with dancers, costumes, pyrotechnics, and sound and light facilities that were most advanced. As it became essential to maintain absolute perfection at over one hundred shows, it was crucial to operate like a well-oiled machine.
Rehearsals started as early as November 1986 when the band was informed that the Bad album would be released in September 1987. Jackson devoted countless hours in the recording studio ensuring even the slightest move in the choreography or changing gears in the music. These were the creation of the BAD logo and Iconic outfits, which were a combination of Jacko’s style with a little twist of fashion and rocker looks that would not be compromised with the rigors of performance.
Jackson also changed the setlist numerous times when rehearsing how the concert could effectively present a new album to the audience alongside the popular songs from his previous records. It involved a lot of discussion with the production and creative team on the best way of turning songs into spectacular performances. The final show cost more than $10 million of investment and was recognized as one of the most expensive tours at that time.
The Statistics The Bad World Tour concluded that it took sixteen months and performed 123 concerts in fifteen countries. More than 4. 4 million fans were able to see Michael Jackson live in stadiums and other big halls that were filled to the brim.
It began in the Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, on September 12th, 1987. It toured Asia in 1984, moving through Japan, Australia, and the United States before reaching Europe in 1988. The first leg of the tour involved fifty-five concerts throughout Europe while the second part involved forty-two concerts in the United States and Canada.
The Bad Tour was again a success, with many records being set in different countries. All seven shows were fully packed with an average of 72, 000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London. Seven performances in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium proved to be completely sold out and broke records for ticket sales at this stadium. The tour was fittingly concluded by two more shows in Los Angeles on the 26th and 27th of January 1989.
Critical and Commercial Success As with the album, the promotion through the Bad World Tour was also met with praise from the critics and the audience. The reviews depicted the tour as a sensational event, with the Los Angeles Times stating it as the “Greatest Show on Earth”. Variety described it as an “extravaganza of technology that had never been witnessed in a concert tour”.
From the commercial perspective, the Bad Tour was something that had not been seen before. All in all, it grossed over $125 million and contributed to Jackson’s image as a touring powerhouse. Jackson had five of the first thirty biggest concert-grossing tours of all time and Bad Tour was ranked eighth in that list.
Set List and Production The songs performed on the stage during the Bad World Tour included all the hits of Michael Jackson as well as his recent creations. It was broken into five distinct acts: It was broken into five distinct acts:
- Act 1: Jackson was dressed in his black leather outfit from the Beat It video, and the audience was thrilled by the dance moves demonstrated on Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and Thriller. A red carpet appearance with a white suit and fedora accompanied the performance of I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.
- Act 2: The highlight was doing seven songs in a row from the new Bad album such as Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal. Jackson wore aggressive silver shirts, black trousers, and dominating postures.
- Act 3: Jackson appeared dressed in the all-white ensemble in The Way You Make Me Feel and I Just Can’t Stop Loving You as the concert shifted to a more ballad-driven and tender segment. The medley of ballads ‘She’s Out of My Life’ and ‘Can’t Help It’ was performed with Jackson donning a blue shirt and a golden vest.
- Act 4: Jackson sang early hits and songs that were originally performed by Jackson 5 during the fourth act. The main examples of Michael Jackson’s soulful mastery, vocal abilities, and cheerful songs are Rock with You, Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, and Rockin’ Robin. For the Flintstones melody and Shirley Temple tribute, Jackson was dressed in his red leather jacket with a white tank top seen in the Thriller music video.
- Act 5: also saw a new costume change where everyone was dressed in red and black. The last five songs were Bad, Beat It, Thriller, Billie Jean, and Bad Reprise ended the concert on a high-spirited note. The fun dancing and the beat Jackson made the fans on their feet longing for more.
As engaging as the song selection was, the tour’s spectacle was equally amazing. The audience witnessed the effects of exploding elevators, perfect video processing, and stage designs with staircases rising through the floor. Bright lasers and sparks supplemented important parts, stunning the viewers with unexpected illuminations.
Michael Jackson also adopted the headset microphone at a concert level to give him more flexibility in singing and dancing at the same time with no interference or incapacitation. From this innovation, freer creative expression and movement were given to concerts for the following decades.
Cultural Impact The Bad World Tour of Michael Jackson solidified his place in pop culture history as the King of Pop and as the biggest entertainer in the world. His concert raised the bar on what was expected of performers during live performances due to the ambitious nature of the show.
Jackson would be welcomed by thousands of his fans whenever he arrived in a new city and gave countless performances in packed auditoriums. The hysteria of the sort reaffirmed his place as the biggest star on the planet, someone who transcended the music business. A quarter of a century later, few others can equal the electrifying aura that Michael Jackson created.
Those who were able to attend a Bad tour concert saw it for themselves. Crazy voices, perfect choreography, stunning pyrotechnics, and so many outfit swaps ensured the audience received their money’s worth. The Bad Tour proved that one could give a performance of a lifetime and also set a precedent for tours for many years to come.
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