Dangerous World Tour

The Dangerous World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson to promote his eighth studio album Dangerous. The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various charities including Jackson's own "Heal the World Foundation". It began in Munich, Germany, on June 27, 1992, and concluded in Mexico City, Mexico, on November 11, 1993, playing 69 concerts in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Jackson performed in stadiums across the world with all being sold out in countries in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. At the tour's end, it grossed over $100 million and was attended by 3,500,000 people.[3]

"Dangerous Tour" redirects here. For the film, see Dangerous Tour (film).

Dangerous World Tour
Tour by Michael Jackson
Promotional image for the tour
Location
Associated albumDangerous
Start dateJune 27, 1992
End dateNovember 11, 1993
Legs3
No. of shows69
Attendance3,500,000
Box officeUS $100 million[1] ($253.23 million in 2021 dollars)[2]
Michael Jackson concert chronology

The October 1, 1992, concert in Bucharest, Romania was filmed for broadcast on the HBO network on October 10. Jackson sold the film rights for the concert for $20 million, then the highest amount for a concert performer to appear on television.[4] The special, Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour, earned Jackson the second of two CableACE Awards of his career, this one for Outstanding Performance Musical Special.[5]

Background
Jackson in Monza
Jackson In Lisbon
Jackson performing in 1992 with Will You Be There in Monza, Italy (top) and Jam in Lisbon, Portugal (bottom).

In January 1989, Jackson finished his Bad tour, his first as a solo artist, which had grossed over $125 million. Initially he planned not to tour again and concentrate on making albums and films. Following the release of his eighth studio album Dangerous in November 1991, a press conference was held on February 3, 1992 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to announce the Dangerous Tour.[6][7] The event, attended by 200 people, was organized by Jackson's sponsor Pepsi with the artist also present. Jackson explained his sole reason for touring once more was to raise funds for his newly-formed Heal the World Foundation to aid children and the environment. He aimed to raise $100 million for the charity by Christmas 1993.[7] It was revealed that Jackson planned to perform across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia, with no dates in the United States or Canada.[6] Jackson commented: "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".[8]

Development

In June 1992, a Russian Antonov AN-124 cargo jet, then the world's largest operating airplane, was booked to transport the equipment and stage set from Los Angeles to London for the opening European leg.[9] However, problems regarding its civilian aircraft certification led to Jackson using a Federal Express Boeing 747 instead.[10] Upon arrival, the equipment was transported across Europe by 65 lorries.[9] The cargo included 1,000 lights, 10 miles of electrical cable, 9 video screens, and 168 speakers.[11] Around 2 tons of clothing was transported. The outfits were designed by Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, who worked with Jackson to gain an idea on what he wanted, and aimed to "bring his ideas to life".[12] Two outfits were 9 feet tall, 7 feet wide, and weighed 40 lbs each, with fibre optic lights controlled by a computerised laser. One jacket was fitted with a battery belt generating 3,000 volts to light the 36 strobe lights on it. Another had hidden flaps to conceal explosive effects.[12] 1,000 yards of fabric from Europe was used to make the costumes, including a black and gold outfit for Jackson which included 18-karat gold.[12] The costumes alone cost $2 million.[13]

Michael Jackson performing Jam in Tel Aviv, Israel, during the second leg of the Dangerous World Tour

The show incorporated various stage illusions. Among them was the "toaster" effect where Jackson entered the stage on a rapidly rising catapult from underneath, sending off pyrotechnics at the same time. His sister Janet Jackson said: "That opening was kick-ass. I'm sitting in the sound tower and all the kids are everywhere. And when he jumped out of whatever the hell that thing was [...] the kids in front of me were looking back and I didn't even know it".[14] Most of the 1992 shows included a stage trick during the transition from "Thriller" to "Billie Jean", whereby Jackson walks into two pillars and is secretly switched with a werewolf-masked backup dancer disguised as himself while he changes outfits for "Billie Jean". The masked "Jackson" is placed into a coffin which disappears when dancers posing as the skeletons and zombies drape a cloth over the coffin and pull it out. Jackson then appears on an upper stage level and sings "Billie Jean". When the full trick was not performed, it featured a sequence with the Jackson impersonator and the backup dancers performing dances from "Thriller". In some concerts, the Jackson impersonator would go back stage after singing the main chorus of the song, instead of doing a reprise of the "Thriller" dance, and the Zombie backup-dancers would do a reprise of the dance by themselves. Another such illusion was used to transition to "Beat It" from "Working Day And Night".

This was the first tour to have Jackson doing 'the lean' during "Smooth Criminal"; the song was part of his Bad tour set list, but its choreography did not match the music video (which only premiered on tv during the second American leg of the tour).

Overview

Europe and Asia (1992)

During the Europe leg in 1992, MTV was allowed to film backstage and broadcast six fifteen-minute episodes of the tour. The show was called The Dangerous Diaries and was presented by Sonya Saul. MTV released footage of "Billie Jean" and "Black Or White" at the first show in Munich. "Billie Jean" was released with two different versions, one by MTV as a special, and the other on the Dangerous Diaries documentary. Both versions have placed a snippet of Jackson's original a cappella recording for "Billie Jean" over the live vocals when Jackson throws his fedora.

Jackson performing "Human Nature".

During the Cardiff concert performed on August 5, 1992, the show was temporarily halted between "She's Out of My Life" and the "Jackson 5 Medley" due to heavy rain, with a message being sent out over the speakers. Jackson also had to stand on a towel to keep balance during "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." The Toulouse, France concert performed on September 16, 1992, featured a special instrumental performance of the first half of the song "In the Closet" as an interlude between the songs "Heal the World" and "Man in the Mirror". Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, who was the "Mystery Girl" in the actual song, was in attendance at this concert. This concert marked the first and only time that this song was performed during this tour, although it was performed on his next tour.

Super Bowl halftime show (1993)

Between the two legs of the tour, Jackson performed a brief but very widely seen and highly acclaimed concert at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show on January 31, 1993. The National Football League donated $100,000 to the Heal the World Foundation in lieu of payment to Jackson.[15]

Eurasia and Latin America (1993)

The 1993 leg of the tour started in Bangkok, Thailand on August 24, the same day that accusations against Jackson of sexual abuse were made public. The September 1, 1993, concert in Singapore was scheduled for August 30, 1993, but was rescheduled due to Jackson collapsing before the show. 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: Past, Present and Future, Book I. 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.[16]

Set lists
1992
  1. "Brace Yourself" (Video Introduction) (contains elements of "Carmina Burana: I. O Fortuna" and "Great Gates Of Kiev")
  2. "Jam"
  3. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
  4. "Human Nature"
  5. "Smooth Criminal"
  6. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett)
  7. "She's Out of My Life"
  8. Jackson 5 Medley: "I Want You Back" / "The Love You Save" / "I'll Be There"
  9. "Thriller"
  10. "Billie Jean"
  11. "Black or White Panther" (Video Interlude)
  12. "Working Day and Night"
  13. "Beat It"
  14. "Someone Put Your Hand Out" (Instrumental Interlude)
  15. "Will You Be There"
  16. "The Way You Make Me Feel"
  17. "Bad"
  18. "Black or White"
  19. "We Are the World" (Video Interlude)
  20. "Heal the World"
  21. "Man in the Mirror" / "Rocket Man"
1993
  1. "Brace Yourself" (Video Introduction) (contains elements of "Carmina Burana: I. O Fortuna")
  2. "Jam"
  3. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
  4. "Human Nature"
  5. "Smooth Criminal"
  6. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett)
  7. "She's Out of My Life"
  8. Jackson 5 Medley: "I Want You Back" / "The Love You Save" / "I'll Be There"
  9. "Thriller"
  10. "Billie Jean"
  11. "Black or White Panther" (Video Interlude)
  12. "Will You Be There"
  13. "Dangerous"
  14. "Black or White"
    Encore
  15. "We Are the World" (Video Interlude)
  16. "Heal the World"
Notes
  • "Rock with You", "Remember the Time", and "In the Closet" were rehearsed for the initial setlist in 1992, but were cut for time and technical reasons.
  • From July 17 to October 1, 1992, "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Bad" were temporarily removed from the setlist. These songs were re-added to the setlist for the first four Tokyo shows. Despite being rehearsed for 1993 leg they were ultimately cut for the 1993 leg.
  • Slash made guest appearances for the performances of "Black or White" in Oviedo, Santa Cruz, and the last two concerts in Japan.
  • For the 1993 leg, "Workin' Day and Night", "Beat It", and the instrumental of "Someone Put Your Hand Out" were not performed, despite being rehearsed.
  • Starting on October 31, 1993, "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" were permanently cut from the setlist.
  • The instrumental version of "In the Closet" was played in between "Heal The World" and "Man In The Mirror" in Toulouse.
  • "Dangerous" was performed twice for the concert in Fukuoka on September 10, 1993. The first performance was the regular performance of the song. The second was an instrumental, performed after “Heal the World.”
  • "Man in the Mirror" and "Rocket Man" were only performed on select dates in 1993.
  • "Thriller" was not performed in Istanbul show on September 23, 1993. This marks the only concert where the song was not performed during the tour.
  • The white shirt worn during the tour for "Will You Be There" was replaced with a black 'armband' jacket at the Istanbul concert on September 23, 1993.

Broadcasts and recordings
Jackson performing "Smooth Criminal".
Jackson performing "Beat It".
Jackson performing Smooth Criminal and Beat It during the Dangerous World Tour.

All concerts were professionally filmed by Nocturne Productions Inc., which filmed all of Jackson's tours and private affairs. During the 1992 European leg of the tour, MTV was given permission to film backstage reports, interview the cast and film live performance. The mini-show was hosted by Sonya Saul and had six, 15-minute mini-episodes of concerts in Munich, Werchter, Dublin, Stockholm, Hamburg, Cardiff, London, Leeds, Berlin, Oviedo, and Madrid. Performances include "Billie Jean", "Black or White", "Jam", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", and "Will You Be There". The concert in Bucharest on October 1, 1992, was filmed and broadcast on television all across the world, giving HBO the highest rating garnered in cable TV History, with an alternate version airing on the BBC. The concert film titled Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour was officially released on DVD on July 25, 2005.[17] Full concerts at Oslo (July 15, 1992) and Copenhagen (July 20th, 1992) were fundraised for online by the fans & purchased from private owners of those respective concerts, and performances at Bremen (August 8, 1992), Buenos Aires (October 12th, 1993) and several scattered amateur recordings have been shared online and can be found on YouTube.

Opening acts

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue Attendance
Europe
June 27, 1992 Munich Germany Olympiastadion 72,000 / 72,000[18]
June 30, 1992 Rotterdam Netherlands Stadion Feijenoord 100,000 / 100,000
July 1, 1992
July 4, 1992 Rome Italy Stadio Flaminio 40,000 / 40,000
July 6, 1992 Monza Stadio Brianteo 46,000 / 46,000
July 7, 1992
July 11, 1992 Cologne Germany Müngersdorfer Stadion 50,000 / 50,000
July 15, 1992 Oslo Norway Valle Hovin 35,000 / 35,000
July 17, 1992 Stockholm Sweden Stockholm Olympic Stadium 106,000 / 106,000
July 18, 1992
July 20, 1992 Copenhagen Denmark Gentofte Stadion 30,000 / 30,000
July 22, 1992 Werchter Belgium Werchter Festivalpark 60,000 / 60,000
July 25, 1992 Dublin Ireland Lansdowne Road 43,000 / 43,000
July 30, 1992 London England Wembley Stadium 160,000 / 160,000
July 31, 1992
August 5, 1992 Cardiff Wales Cardiff Arms Park 50,000 / 50,000
August 8, 1992 Bremen Germany Weserstadion 42,000 / 42,000
August 10, 1992 Hamburg Volksparkstadion 50,000 / 50,000
August 13, 1992 Hamelin Weserberglandstadion 25,000 / 25,000
August 16, 1992 Leeds England Roundhay Park 60,000 / 60,000
August 18, 1992 Glasgow Scotland Glasgow Green 65,000 / 65,000
August 20, 1992 London England Wembley Stadium 240,000 / 240,000
August 22, 1992
August 23, 1992
August 26, 1992 Vienna Austria Praterstadion 50,000 / 50,000
August 28, 1992 Frankfurt Germany Waldstadion 60,000 / 60,000
August 30, 1992 Ludwigshafen Südweststadion 35,000 / 35,000
September 2, 1992 Bayreuth Hans-Walter-Wild-Stadion 32,000 / 32,000
September 4, 1992 Berlin Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Stadion 35,000 / 35,000
September 8, 1992 Lausanne Switzerland Stade olympique de la Pontaise 45,000 / 45,000
September 13, 1992 Paris France Hippodrome de Vincennes 85,000 / 85,000
September 16, 1992 Toulouse Stade de Toulouse 40,000 / 40,000
September 18, 1992 Barcelona Spain Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc 60,000 / 60,000
September 21, 1992 Oviedo Estadio Carlos Tartiere 55,000 / 55,000
September 23, 1992 Madrid Vicente Calderón Stadium 25,000 / 25,000
September 26, 1992 Lisbon Portugal Estádio José Alvalade 55,000 / 55,000
October 1, 1992 Bucharest Romania Lia Manoliu National Stadium 90,000 / 90,000[19]
Asia
December 12, 1992 Tokyo Japan Tokyo Dome 360,000 / 360,000
December 14, 1992
December 17, 1992
December 19, 1992
December 22, 1992
December 24, 1992
December 30, 1992
December 31, 1992
Eurasia
August 24, 1993 Bangkok Thailand Suphachalasai Stadium 140,000 / 140,000
August 27, 1993
August 29, 1993 Singapore Singapore National Stadium 94,000 / 94,000
September 1, 1993
September 4, 1993 Taipei Taiwan Taipei Municipal Stadium 80,000 / 80,000
September 6, 1993
September 10, 1993 Fukuoka Japan Fukuoka Dome 70,000 / 70,000
September 11, 1993
September 15, 1993 Moscow Russia Luzhniki Stadium 70,000 / 70,000[20]
September 19, 1993 Tel Aviv Israel Yarkon Park 170,000 / 170,000[21]
September 21, 1993
September 23, 1993 Istanbul Turkey BJK İnönü Stadium 48,000 / 48,000
September 26, 1993 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Spain Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 45,000 / 45,000
Latin America
October 8, 1993 Buenos Aires Argentina Estadio Más Monumental 240,000 / 240,000[22]
October 10, 1993
October 12, 1993
October 15, 1993 São Paulo Brazil Estádio do Morumbi 210,000 / 210,000[23]
October 17, 1993
October 23, 1993 Santiago Chile Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos 85,000 / 85,000[24]
October 29, 1993 Mexico City Mexico Estadio Azteca 550,000 / 550,000[25]
October 31, 1993
November 7, 1993
November 9, 1993
November 11, 1993
Total 4,106,000

Cancelled shows
List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, and reason for cancellation
Date City Country Venue Reason
September 6, 1992 Gelsenkirchen Germany Parkstadion
September 11, 1992 Basel Switzerland St. Jakob Stadium
September 24, 1992 Seville Spain Estadio Benito Villamarín
October 2, 1992 Istanbul Turkey BJK İnönü Stadium
October 4, 1992 Izmir İzmir Atatürk Stadium
October 8, 1992 Athens Greece Olympic Stadium
August 15, 1993 Hong Kong Sha Tin Racecourse Racing season conflicts, rehearsals were done instead
August 16, 1993
September 7, 1993 Seoul South Korea Seoul Olympic Stadium Banned by authorities
September 8, 1993
September 30, 1993 Johannesburg South Africa Johannesburg Stadium Violence within the country
October 2, 1993
October 19, 1993 Rio de Janeiro Brazil Maracanã Stadium Health problems[26][27]
October 21, 1993 Santiago Chile Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
October 26, 1993 Lima Peru Estadio José Díaz
November 8, 1993 Guadalajara Mexico Estadio Tres de Marzo
November 14, 1993 Bayamón Puerto Rico Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel
November 16, 1993
November 19, 1993 Caracas Venezuela Poliedro de Caracas Rehabilitation[28][29]
November 21, 1993 Monterrey Mexico Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey
November 24, 1993 New Delhi India Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
November 25, 1993
November 28, 1993 Dubai United Arab Emirates Al Maktoum Stadium
November 30, 1993 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Stadium Merdeka
December 1, 1993 Jakarta Indonesia Gelora Senayan Main Stadium
December 2, 1993
December 3, 1993 Sydney Australia Sydney Cricket Ground
December 4, 1993
December 7, 1993 Melbourne Waverley Park

Personnel

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dangerous World Tour.
Citations
  1. "Review: Fabulous 'MJ the Musical' in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. August 10, 2023.
  2. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. "Review: Fabulous 'MJ the Musical' in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. August 10, 2023.
  4. Zad, Martin (October 10, 1992). "Michael Jackson on HBO". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  5. George, pp. 37–52.
  6. "Michael Jackson to tour the world". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. February 4, 1992. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Hunt, Dennis (February 4, 1992). "Jackson plans tour to fund charity". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Crampton, Luke (2009). Michael Jackson (Music Icons (Taschen)). Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8365-2081-2. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  9. "Jackson hires giant Russian transport". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. June 15, 1992. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Jackson tour changes planes". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California. June 19, 1992. p. 37. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Sing a simple song". Chicago Tribune. June 18, 1992. p. 24. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Michael Jackson ships explosives, 2 tons of clothes for tour". The Times. Munster, Indiana. June 18, 1992. p. 2. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Jackson's clothes take a 'Dangerous' turn". Post-Tribune. June 26, 1992. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  14. Q, June 1993
  15. "How Jackson Redefined the Super Bowl". The New York Times. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  16. Frank Cascio's Book: My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship With An Extraordinary Man
  17. "Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest -The Dangerous Tour". Amazon. July 26, 2005. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  18. Halstead, Craig; Cadman, Chris (September 2, 2023). Michael Jackson the Solo Years. Authors On Line. ISBN 9780755200917.
  19. "Michael Jackson's concert in Bucharest uploaded on YouTube to counter negative documentary". March 4, 2019.
  20. "Jackson's Moscow gig a success, despite the rain - UPI Archives".
  21. "Behind the Headlines: Michael Jackson Visit to Israel Was Taste of Normalcy for Teens". March 20, 2015.
  22. "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company. December 6, 1993.
  23. "Relembre a épica passagem de Michael Jackson pela cidade em 1993". April 27, 2021.
  24. "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company. December 6, 1993.
  25. "Récord de Michael Jackson".
  26. "Michael Jackson chega ao Chile e cancela o primeiro show". March 9, 2021.
  27. "» la historia del concierto cancelado de Michael Jackson en Perú en 1993". Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  28. García, Álvaro (May 2, 2020). "El concierto de Michael Jackson en Monterrey que fue cancelado". Monterrey Rock (in Mexican Spanish). Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  29. "Lot Detail – Michael Jackson Personally Owned "Meditation" Note and Original 1993 World Tour Itinerary". Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

Sources

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