| World tour byMichael Jackson | |
 Promotional poster for the tour | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Associated album | Bad |
| Start date | September 12, 1987 |
| End date | January 27, 1989 |
| Legs | 7 |
| No. of shows | 123 |
| Attendance | 4,400,000 |
| Box office | $125 million ($317.08 million in 2024 dollars)[1] |
| Michael Jackson concert chronology | |
| |
Bad was the first soloconcert tour by the American singerMichael Jackson, launched in support of his seventh studio albumBad (1987). The 123-show world tour began on September 12, 1987 in Japan, and concluded on January 27, 1989 in the United States, and sponsored by soft drink manufacturerPepsi. It grossed a total of $125 million, making it the secondhighest-grossing tour of the 1980s afterPink Floyd'sMomentary Lapse of Reason tour, and earning two new entries in theGuinness World Records for the largest grossing tour in history and the tour with the largest attended audience.[2] It was nominated for "Tour of the Year 1988" at the inauguralInternational Rock Awards.[3]
At the end of the Bad tour, Jackson made a public statement that he intended for it to be his last as a touring artist, as he had plans to transition to filmmaking;[4] however, it was followed by theDangerous World Tour in 1992–1993 and theHIStory World Tour in 1996–1997. Except for two shows in Hawaii during theHIStory Tour, this would be the only time that Jackson would tour the United States as a solo artist.
On June 29, 1987, Jackson's managerFrank DiLeo held a press conference in Tokyo to announce that the 29-year-old Jackson would embark on his first concert tour as a solo artist. It marked his first concerts since theVictory Tour in 1984 which he performed with his brothers asthe Jacksons. DiLeo said the tour would start with a Japanese leg because of the country's loyal fans.[5] In a written statement, Jackson, who was completingBad in Los Angeles, promised "thrilling and exciting" concerts.[6] The soft drink manufacturerPepsi, with whom Jackson and his brothers had a deal worth an estimated $5 million per year, sponsored the tour. Sales of the drink in Japan doubled during the summer following the announcement, helped by an advertising campaign that offered free tickets and 30,000 souvenirs.[7] The entire entourage were instructed not to be seen drinking a product from rivalCoca-Cola in public.[8]Marlon Brando's son Miko joined the tour as a production assistant.[9]
Auditions for Jackson's backing band, and subsequent rehearsals, were held at the Leeds facility in North Hollywood. Keyboardist Rory Kaplan, who had played on the Victory Tour, was touring with theChick Corea Elektric Band when he was asked by Jackson's secretary to join his group as musical director, which Kaplan accepted.[10] Jackson intended to include drummerJonathan Moffett and guitarist David Williams, who had both played in the Victory Tour, as part of his touring band. However, both were on tour withMadonna at the time and thus unavailable.[11] Jackson wanted the music on stage to sound like the original recordings, and asked Chris Currell, who had played theSynclavier synthesizer/sampler onBad, to play it live.[11] Currell arranged to have three complete systems: two to handle the music on stage and one for his hotel room for Jackson to record ideas while traveling, plus a dismantled setup for spare parts in case of a problem, and a full time technician. Currell estimated the Synclaviers alone cost $1.4 million.[11] Since he was primarily a guitarist and not a keyboardist, he purchased aSynthAxe MIDI controller guitar to trigger cues to a computer which operated the Synclavier.[11] The audition performances were filmed and played to Jackson at his home in the evening.[11] The band had just two weeks to rehearse at Leeds before production rehearsals followed atUniversal Studios for another three, although no full production in its entirety happened until the first show.[10][8]
The tour began with a 14-date leg across Japan, marking Jackson's first performances in the country since1973 as part of the Jackson 5.[12] Nine shows were originally announced but they sold out within hours, so five more were added due to the high demand.[13] The shows cost the sponsors $8.6 million to stage.[14] Jackson arrived at Tokyo'sNarita International Airport on September 9, where over 300 reporters and photographers greeted him upon his arrival. The staging, lighting, and musical equipment for the 1987 dates weighed 110,000 lbs. Jackson assisted in the stage design, which consisted of 700 lights, 100 speakers, 40 lasers, three mirrors, and two 24-by-18 foot screens. Performers wore 70 costumes, four of which were attached withfiber optic lights.[15]
While in Osaka, Jackson received thekey to the city by the mayor.[16] In Tokyo, Jackson donated $20,000 to the parents of Yoshiaki Hagiwara, a five-year-old boy who was kidnapped and murdered, after he watched a news report about the tragedy.[17] Attendance figures for the first 14 dates in Japan totaled a record-breaking 570,000.[13][18] Crowds of 200,000 were what past performers could manage to draw for a single tour.[19] Some shows were filmed byNippon TV and the September 26 show in Yokohama was broadcast on Japanese television.[14] Jackson wrapped the Japanese leg by donating several personalised items for a charity auction, including clothes and glasses worn during the tour.[20]
Jackson left Japan for a rest period inHong Kong and China before the Australian leg.[21][22] On October 30, a planned New Zealand leg was cancelled as local promoters were unable to meet demands that the audience be seated,[23] although dates there and Australia were also cancelled due to low ticket sales.[24] Between November 13 and 28, Jackson performed five concerts inMelbourne,Sydney, andBrisbane. The loud and enthusiastic crowds were a contrast to the Japanese audience, who were instructed to remain quiet and make little noise, and made it difficult for the group to hear the count-ins at the beginning of a number.[8] The November 28 show in Brisbane was recorded and broadcast. During the concert, Jackson broughtStevie Wonder on stage to sing "Bad" with him.[8]
Following the 1987 dates Jackson wanted to revamp the production with a larger stage set-up, the addition of new numbers including "Smooth Criminal" and "Man in the Mirror", and new musical arrangements. Kaplan revisited the studio recordings and prepared tapes for each band member to follow. During this time Phillinganes took over as musical director and Kaplan became technical director.[10] Rehearsals for the new set-up took place at thePensacola Civic Center in Florida from January 22 to February 18, 1988.[25]Vincent Paterson, who had worked with Jackson on several videos, was brought in to choreograph and co-direct the tour. On the final day, Jackson allowed 420 school pupils to watch him perform a full dress rehearsal after the children made him a rap music video in his honor.[26] The band rehearsed "Speed Demon" fromBad prior to Jackson's arrival two weeks in, and he liked the performance, but it was dropped from the set as he had no choreography to accompany the song.[8]Siegfried and Roy were brought in to advise on some stage illusions.[8]
The first performances were to begin inAtlanta, but Pepsi officials objected the plan as it was home to Coca-Cola.[27] For both Atlanta shows, Jackson gave 100 tickets to the Children's Wish Foundation for terminally ill children to attend.[28] The first of three concerts atMadison Square Garden in New York City in March served as a benefit to raise $500,000 to theUnited Negro College Fund.[29] Jackson presented a check of $600,000 to the fund.[30] He performed "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Man in the Mirror" during the 30th anniversary of the Grammy Awards on March 2nd.[31]
The European leg began in Rome on May 23, where police and security guards rescued hundreds of fans from being crushed in the crowd of 35,000.[32] Police reported 130 women had fainted at the concert in Vienna.[33] While in Switzerland, Jackson went toVevey to meetOona O'Neill, the widow of actorCharlie Chaplin.[34] On June 19, Jackson performed inWest Berlin close to theBerlin Wall in front of theReichstag Building. After Jackson's death it was revealed that theStasi had kept a file on him, making extensive preparations to prevent East German fans to gather at theBrandenburg Gate to listen to the concert. The plan also involved broadcasting the concert in a stadium inEast Berlin with a two-minute delay, so the East Germans could replace the live performance with a videotape of a previous performance in case Jackson made any undesirable political comments.[35]
The most successful of the European dates were those in London atWembley Stadium, where demand for the five July dates exceeded 1.5 million, enough to fill the 72,000-capacity venue 20 times.[36] Jackson went on to perform seven sold-out shows at Wembley for a total of 504,000 people which entered him into theGuinness World Records, the first of three times from the tour alone.[37] The record surpassed the previous attendance record shared byMadonna,Bruce Springsteen, andGenesis. More shows could have been added, but the venue had reached its quota for live performances.[36] The third concert was attended byDiana, Princess of Wales andPrince Charles, and subsequently released asLive at Wembley July 16, 1988.[38] On July 30,NBC airedMichael Jackson Around the World, a 90-minute special documenting the singer on tour.[39] On August 29, after a birthday performance inLeeds, Jackson donated $130,000 to Give for Life.[37] The final European show was held inLiverpool atAintree Racecourse, where 1,550 fans were reported injured among the crowd of 125,000, the largest show of the tour.[37][40]
Jackson toured the United States for a second time between September 1988 and January 1989, with a return to Tokyo for nine shows in December which included a concert on Christmas Day. This would be the last time he toured his native country, aside from two shows inHawaii in 1997 and a handful of one-off appearances in 2001 and 2002. On October 23, 1988, he donated $125,000, the net proceeds of the first show inAuburn Hills, to the city'sMotown Museum.[41] This second American tour alone grossed a total of$20.3 million, the sixth largest of the year.[2] The tour was planned to end in Tokyo, but Jackson suffered from swollen vocal cords after the first of six concerts inLos Angeles in November, and the remaining five were rescheduled for January 1989. Due to this rescheduling, Phillinganes had to disembark from the tour in early January, having already made commitments to tour withEric Clapton. Studio musician John Barnes was hired to take Phillinganes' place.
During the run of shows 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.[42]
Five performances in Los Angeles were held to conclude the tour on January 27, 1989. Currell remembered a minor earthquake shook the stage as the band were taking their final bow at the end of the final show.[8] In 16 months, Jackson performed 123 concerts in 15 countries to an audience of 4.5 million for a total gross of$125 million.[2][43] The American tour alone grossed a total of$20.3 million, the sixth largest of the year.[2]Guinness World Records recognized the tour as the largest grossing in history and the tour to play to the most people ever.[2] In April 1989, the tour was nominated for "Tour of the Year 1988" at the inaugural International Rock Awards. It lost toAmnesty International.[44]
A live album and DVD of the July 16, 1988, concert inLondon titledLive at Wembley July 16, 1988 was released along with the special edition reissue of theBad album titledBad 25 on September 18, 2012, as well as a stand-alone DVD.[45] Video of the September 26, 1987, Concert inYokohama,Japan, was broadcast onNippon Television and is available onYouTube. A number of amateur-shot concerts and short snippets were leaked onYouTube a few years later. Half-show footage ofRome (May 23, 1988) andBrisbane (November 28, 1987), and a high-quality 30-minute segment of live footage ofTokyo (December 9, 1988), as well as full low-quality leaks ofTokyo (September 12 & 13, 1987) andOsaka (October 10, 1987) are also available online. Audio recordings of the finalLos Angeles (January 27, 1989) concert have been crowdfunded and released on YouTube. Audio recordings from the rehearsal atPensacola,Florida (February 18, 1988) have also been released as well.Atlanta (April 13, 1988),Auburn Hills (October 24, 1988),Osaka (October 12, 1987),Tokyo (September 13, 1987), have been leaked.
The following set list was performed during the first leg of the tour, but is not intended to represent the majority of performances.[48]
The following set list was performed during the second leg of the tour, but is not intended to represent the majority of performances.[48]
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12, 1987 | Tokyo | Japan | Korakuen Stadium | 135,000 / 135,000 | $52,423,603[49][a] |
| September 13, 1987 | |||||
| September 14, 1987 | |||||
| September 19, 1987 | Nishinomiya | Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium | 120,000 / 120,000 | ||
| September 20, 1987 | |||||
| September 21, 1987 | |||||
| September 25, 1987 | Yokohama | Yokohama Stadium | 240,000 / 240,000 | ||
| September 26, 1987 | |||||
| September 27, 1987 | |||||
| October 3, 1987 | |||||
| October 4, 1987 | |||||
| October 10, 1987 | Osaka | Osaka Stadium | 120,000 / 120,000 | ||
| October 11, 1987 | |||||
| October 12, 1987 | |||||
| November 13, 1987 | Melbourne | Australia | Olympic Park Stadium | 45,000 / 45,000 | — |
| November 20, 1987 | Sydney | Parramatta Stadium | 90,000 / 90,000 | ||
| November 21, 1987 | |||||
| November 27, 1987 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | 27,000 / 27,000 | ||
| November 28, 1987 |
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 23, 1988 | Kansas City | United States | Kemper Arena | 50,877 / 50,877 | $963,137 |
| February 24, 1988 | |||||
| March 3, 1988 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | 57,000 / 57,000 | $1,800,000 | |
| March 5, 1988 | |||||
| March 6, 1988 | |||||
| March 13, 1988 | St. Louis | St. Louis Arena | 17,000 / 17,000 | — | |
| March 18, 1988 | Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | 34,000 / 34,000 | ||
| March 19, 1988 | |||||
| March 20, 1988 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | 19,000 / 19,000 | ||
| March 24, 1988 | Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | 40,251 / 40,251 | $842,918 | |
| March 25, 1988 | |||||
| March 26, 1988 | |||||
| March 30, 1988 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | 45,188 / 45,188 | $1,071,148 | |
| March 31, 1988 | |||||
| April 1, 1988 | |||||
| April 8, 1988 | Houston | The Summit | 51,000 / 51,000 | — | |
| April 9, 1988 | |||||
| April 10, 1988 | |||||
| April 13, 1988 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | 51,000 / 51,000 | ||
| April 14, 1988 | |||||
| April 15, 1988 | |||||
| April 19, 1988 | Rosemont | Rosemont Horizon | 40,000 / 40,000 | ||
| April 20, 1988 | |||||
| April 21, 1988 | |||||
| April 25, 1988 | Dallas | Reunion Arena | 57,000 / 57,000 | ||
| April 26, 1988 | |||||
| April 27, 1988 | |||||
| May 4, 1988 | Bloomington | Met Center | 50,662 / 50,662 | $1,139,895 | |
| May 5, 1988 | |||||
| May 6, 1988 | |||||
| May 23, 1988 | Rome | Italy | Stadio Flaminio | 80,000 / 80,000 | — |
| May 24, 1988 | |||||
| May 29, 1988 | Turin | Stadio Comunale | 60,000 / 60,000 | ||
| June 2, 1988 | Vienna | Austria | Praterstadion | 55,000 / 55,000 | |
| June 5, 1988 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Stadion Feijenoord | 145,200 / 145,200 | |
| June 6, 1988 | |||||
| June 7, 1988 | |||||
| June 11, 1988 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Eriksberg | 106,000 / 106,000 | |
| June 12, 1988 | |||||
| June 16, 1988 | Basel | Switzerland | St. Jakob Stadium | 50,000 / 50,000 | |
| June 19, 1988 | West Berlin | West Germany | Platz der Republik | 43,000 / 43,000 | |
| June 27, 1988 | Paris | France | Parc des Princes | 63,000 / 63,000 | |
| June 28, 1988 | |||||
| July 1, 1988 | Hamburg | West Germany | Volksparkstadion | 50,000 / 50,000 | |
| July 3, 1988 | Cologne | Müngersdorfer Stadion | 70,000 / 70,000 | ||
| July 8, 1988 | Munich | Olympiastadion | 72,000 / 72,000 | ||
| July 10, 1988 | Hockenheim | Hockenheimring | 80,000 / 80,000 | ||
| July 14, 1988 | London | England | Wembley Stadium | 504,000 / 504,000[b] | |
| July 15, 1988 | |||||
| July 16, 1988 | |||||
| July 22, 1988 | |||||
| July 23, 1988 | |||||
| July 26, 1988 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff Arms Park | 55,000 / 55,000 | |
| July 30, 1988 | Cork | Ireland | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | 130,000 / 130,000 | |
| July 31, 1988 | |||||
| August 5, 1988 | Marbella | Spain | Estadio Municipal de Marbella | 28,000 / 28,000 | |
| August 7, 1988 | Madrid | Vicente Calderón Stadium | 60,000 / 60,000 | ||
| August 9, 1988 | Barcelona | Camp Nou | 95,000 / 95,000 | ||
| August 12, 1988 | Montpellier | France | Stade Richter | 35,000 / 35,000 | |
| August 14, 1988 | Nice | Stade Charles-Ehrmann | 35,000 / 35,000 | ||
| August 19, 1988 | Lausanne | Switzerland | Stade olympique de la Pontaise | 45,000 / 45,000 | |
| August 21, 1988 | Würzburg | West Germany | Talavera Mainwiesen | 43,000 / 43,000 | |
| August 23, 1988 | Werchter | Belgium | Werchter Festivalpark | 55,000 / 55,000 | |
| August 26, 1988 | London | England | Wembley Stadium | —[b] | |
| August 27, 1988 | |||||
| August 29, 1988 | Leeds | Roundhay Park | 90,000 / 90,000 | ||
| September 2, 1988 | Hannover | West Germany | Niedersachsenstadion | 40,000 / 40,000 | |
| September 4, 1988 | Gelsenkirchen | Parkstadion | 52,000 / 52,000 | ||
| September 6, 1988 | Linz | Austria | Linzer Stadion | 40,000 / 40,000 | |
| September 10, 1988 | Milton Keynes | England | Milton Keynes Bowl | 60,000 / 60,000 | |
| September 11, 1988 | Liverpool | Aintree Racecourse | 125,000 / 125,000 | ||
| September 26, 1988 | Pittsburgh | United States | Civic Arena | 48,694 / 48,694 | $1,144,917 |
| September 27, 1988 | |||||
| September 28, 1988 | |||||
| October 3, 1988 | East Rutherford | Brendan Byrne Arena | 61,061 / 61,061 | $1,600,755 | |
| October 4, 1988 | |||||
| October 5, 1988 | |||||
| October 10, 1988 | Richfield | Richfield Coliseum | 38,000 / 38,000 | — | |
| October 11, 1988 | |||||
| October 13, 1988 | Landover | Capital Centre | 69,883 / 69,883 | $1,747,075 | |
| October 17, 1988 | |||||
| October 18, 1988 | |||||
| October 19, 1988 | |||||
| October 24, 1988 | Auburn Hills | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 50,010 / 50,010 | — | |
| October 25, 1988 | |||||
| October 26, 1988 | |||||
| November 7, 1988 | Irvine | Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre | 45,000 / 45,000 | ||
| November 8, 1988 | |||||
| November 9, 1988 | |||||
| November 13, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 93,198 / 93,198[c] | $2,423,603[c] | |
| December 9, 1988 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome | 450,000 / 450,000[59] | —[a] |
| December 10, 1988 | |||||
| December 11, 1988 | |||||
| December 17, 1988 | |||||
| December 18, 1988 | |||||
| December 19, 1988 | |||||
| December 24, 1988 | |||||
| December 25, 1988 | |||||
| December 26, 1988 |
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 16, 1989 | Los Angeles | United States | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | —[c] | —[c] |
| January 17, 1989 | |||||
| January 18, 1989 | |||||
| January 26, 1989 | |||||
| January 27, 1989 | |||||
| Total | 4,559,065 / 4,559,065 (100%) | $63,212,402 | |||
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 17, 1987 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Hong Kong Coliseum | Cancelled for unknown reasons[60] |
| October 18, 1987 | ||||
| November 3, 1987 | Perth | Australia | WACA Ground | Cancelled for unknown reasons |
| November 8, 1987 | Adelaide | Thebarton Oval | ||
| December 2, 1987 | Wellington | New Zealand | Athletic Park | |
| December 6, 1987 | Auckland | Mount Smart Stadium | ||
| March 14, 1988 | St. Louis | United States | St. Louis Arena | Laryngitis |
| April 1, 1988 | Cincinnati | Riverfront Coliseum | Tour restructuring[61] There were also initial plans to take the tour to Birmingham, AL and Chapel Hill, NC[62] | |
| April 2, 1988 | ||||
| May–June, 1988 | Milan | Italy | San Siro | Tour restructuring (Jackson was initially planned to do 2 concerts in Milan between late May and early June, but the San Siro stadium was unusable due to renovations)[63] |
| June 23, 1988 | Lyon | France | Stade de Gerland | Low ticket sales |
| October 31, 1988 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome | Laryngitis[64] |
| November 1, 1988 | ||||
| November 2, 1988 | ||||
| 1988–1989 | N/A | Canada | N/A | Planned concerts did not take place for unknown reasons[65] |
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help)He was scheduled to appear at the Tacoma Dome in October 1988—selling more than 70,000 tickets over three nights—but canceled the day before the opening show, due to the flu.
