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 in total
Michael Jackson concert chronology
Bad World Tour (1987–89) Dangerous World Tour (1992–93) HIStory World Tour (1996–97)

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.^[1]

Overview

Following the huge success of the Bad World 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 rumoured 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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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

Other songs where due to rehearsed for the 4th and/or 5th Legs:

• "Gone Too Soon"
• "Dirty Diana" was supposed to be next "Beat It"
• "In The Closet" was rehearsed In 1992 Germany Leg of the tour. It was later scheduled to be part of a medley with "Why You Wanna Trip On Me" and "She Drive's Me Wild".
• "Who Is It"
• "Give It To Me" was supposed to be somewhere between "Beat It" and "Black Or White", possibly right before "Dangerous".
• "Keep The Faith" was supposed to be after "Will You Be There".
• "Can't Let Her Get Away"
• "Rock With You", which was originally cut from the original first and second leg set list due to time restraints, was to be in a medley ("Off the Wall Medley") , along with "Off the Wall" and "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough", right after "The Jackson 5 Medley". The medley was performed on the HIStory World Tour.
• "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" was supposed to be performed after "The Jackson 5 Medley" or "Billie Jean".

Notes

• Jackson often wore the black jacket used for "I'll Be There" in the first and second legs for "Human Nature" in the third leg.
• 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 and second legs was often used for "The Jackson 5 Medley" in the third leg.
• A black jacket was often used for "Dangerous" instead of the normal black suit.
• In the third leg, Michael often wore a black jacket for "Heal the World" instead of the normal white jacket.
• "Man in the Mirror" and the "Rocket Man" finale were often cut from some 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 in 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 in Bangkok 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.
• 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.
• 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 in only in Oslo, as opposed to the hand microphone.
• In Michael's performances of "Bad", Michael introduced the band, crew and vocalists. But when it was taken off the setlist, Michael introduced the performers in "Man in the Mirror" before he took off for "Rocket Man".
• During the first and second legs, the We Are the World interlude consisted of 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.

Tour dates

Cancellations and rescheduled shows

First Leg (1992)

• Venice, Italy; CANCELLED (Michael Jackson was scheduled to perform in Venice after the Monza shows. This show was cancelled and later dropped from the touring plans.)^[8][9]
• 07/22/92: Brussels, Belgium; CANCELLED (This concert was moved to Werchter.) Rescheduled for July 22, 1992, Werchter, Belgium^[10][11]
• 08/01/92: London, England, Wembley Stadium; CANCELLED (Michael succumbed to a viral infection and therefore could not perform the planned show.) Rescheduled for August 23, 1992^[12]
• Liverpool, United Kingdom; Aintree Racecourse; CANCELLED (It is possible that the Liverpool show was cancelled because of the logistical problems caused by the previously rescheduled London show from 1 August 1992 or it was later dropped from the touring plans.)^[13]
• 09/06/92: Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Parkstadion; CANCELLED (Due to health problems.) Rescheduled for June 15, 1997
• 09/11/92: Basel, Switzerland, St. Jakob Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to health problems.) Rescheduled for July 25, 1997
• 09/24/92: Seville, Spain; CANCELLED (The most likely cause of the cancellation of this show was logistical.)^[14][15][16]
• 09/29/92: Bucharest, Romania, Lia Manoliu Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to scheduling problems.) Rescheduled for October 1, 1992
• 10/02/92: Izmir, Turkey, İzmir Atatürk Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to scheduling problems.)^[17]
• 10/04/92: Istanbul, Turkey, Inonu Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to health problems.)^[18][19]Rescheduled for September 23, 1993
• 10/10/92: Athens, Greece, Olympic Stadium; CANCELLED (Due to logistical and health problems.)^[20][21]

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 15th and 16th. Those dates were cancelled and could not be rescheduled because it would conflict with the start of the racing season.)^[22][23]
• 08/16/93: Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Sha Tin Racecourse; CANCELLED (Originally, The Dangerous tour was to begin in Hong Kong with shows on August 15th and 16th. Those dates were cancelled and could not be rescheduled because it would conflict with the start of the racing season.)^[24][25]
• 08/25/93: Bangkok, Thailand, National Stadium; CANCELLED (Michael recovered from dehydration.) Rescheduled for August 26, 1993^[26]
• 08/26/93: Bangkok, Thailand, National Stadium; CANCELLED (Michael wasn't fully recovered from dehydration.) Rescheduled for August 27, 1993^[27]
• 08/30/93: Singapore, Singapore, National Stadium; CANCELLED (Michael collapsed before the show had begun.) Rescheduled for September 1, 1993^[28]
• 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.)^[29] Rescheduled for October 10, 1997
• 10/02/93: Johannesburg, South Africa; CANCELLED^[30] Rescheduled for October 12, 1997
• 10/??/93: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Maracanã Stadium; (Due to problems with the structure of the venue); CANCELLED^[31][32]
• 10/21/93: Santiago, Chile, Chile National Stadium; CANCELLED (Problems with his back.) Rescheduled for October 25, 1993 CANCELLED^[33][34]
• 10/26/93: Lima, Peru, Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz; CANCELLED (Problems with his back.)^[35]
• 11/02/93: Mexico City, Mexico, Azteca Stadium; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 7, 1993 (Toothache was the reason.)^[36]
• 11/04/93: Mexico City, Mexico, Azteca Stadium; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 9, 1993 (Michael recovered from oral surgery.)^[37]
• 11/06/93: Mexico City, Mexico, Azteca Stadium; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 11, 1993 (Michael continued to recover.)^[38]
• 11/12/93: Caracas, Venezuela, Poliedro de Caracas; CANCELLED Rescheduled for November 19, 1993 CANCELLED^[39][40][41]
• 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 12th and this concert was therefore cancelled, too.)^[42]
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Al-Maktoum Stadium; BANNED/CANCELLED (Michael Jackson planned to give 2 concerts in Dubai. These concerts were banned.)^[43][44]
• 12/03/93: Sydney, Australia; CANCELLED^[45] Rescheduled for November 14, 1996
• 12/04/93: Sydney, Australia; CANCELLED^[46] Rescheduled for November 16, 1996
• 12/07/93: Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Cricket Ground; CANCELLED^[47][48] Rescheduled for November 22 and 24, 1996
• Jakarta, Indonesia, Gelora Bung Karno Stadium; BANNED/CANCELLED (This concert was banned by the authorities.)^[49]
• 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.)^[50][51][52] Rescheduled for November 1, 1996; Mumbai, India

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

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 broadcast on television across the world, with an unedited version airing on the BBC. This was released officially on DVD called Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour in 2005. The DVD was well received by most publications, however video and audio quality as well as the post production tweaks made for the release were criticised by many fans.

Another professionally filmed concert in Buenos Aires on October 12, 1993 was leaked to the internet (only 5 songs – Human Nature, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Smooth Criminal, I Want You Back, The Love You Save and the audio of Billie Jean). A VHS recording of the concert surfaced in 2011, given by Jackson to his chauffeur as a gift in the early nineties. It was later put on Auction in 2011 valued at £4 million but failed to sell due to copyright issues with Sony BMG. At this point it is unknown whether Jackson's Estate has acquired the film for future release.

A number of full, or near-full amateur recording concerts were also available on the internet. Small parts of other certain concerts (typically "Jam" and/or "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'") were also shown on news reports around the world.

Performers

Notes