Victory Tour
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| Victory Tour | ||
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| Tour by The Jacksons | ||
| Start date | July 6, 1984 | |
| End date | December 9, 1984 | |
| Legs | 1 | |
| Shows | 55 | |
| Michael Jackson tour chronology | ||
| Triumph Tour (1981) |
Victory Tour (1984) |
Bad World Tour (1987-89) |
The Victory Tour was a music tour of the United States and Canada by The Jacksons that started on 6th July, 1984 in Kansas City and ended 9th December, 1984 in Los Angeles. The Victory Tour consisted of 55 concerts to about 2 million fans. It was the biggest tour any group had ever had at that point. It was named after the newly released Jacksons' album Victory, although none of the songs from that album were on the tour's setlist. The tour reportedly grossed $75 million and set a new record for the then-largest grossing tour. Michael split all his proceeds ($5 million) to three charities including the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukaemia and Cancer Research, The United Negro College Fund, and the Ronald McDonald Camp for Good Times.
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[edit] Setlist
The set-list of the Victory Tour not only included songs from albums Destiny and Triumph from The Jacksons, but also songs from Michael's solo albums Off The Wall and Thriller. It is worth noting that the setlist did not include the hit Thriller. Although it was suggested that it is omitted due to pressures from the Jehovah's Witnesses who complain that it glorifies Satanic worship, the occult and evil in general, aides insist that it is because Michael was not yet satisfied with the live set.
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
- "Things I Do For You"
- "Off the Wall"
- "Human Nature" (with "Ben" introduction)
- "Heartbreak Hotel"
- "She's Out Of My Life"
- Jermaine Jackson Medley ("Let's Get Serious"/"You Like Me Don't You"/"Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin'")
- Jackson 5 Medley ("I Want You Back"/"The Love You Save"/"I'll Be There")
- "Rock With You"
- "Lovely One"
- "Working Day and Night"
- "Beat It"
- "Billie Jean"
- "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"
[edit] Ticket Controversy
On the 5th July, 1984 after receiving a letter from eleven-year-old fan Ladonna Jones, in which she accuses the Jacksons and the promoters of being 'selfish and just out for money,' Michael Jackson holds a major press conference to announce changes in the tour's organisation and also to announce that the whole of his share of the proceeds from the Victory tour will be donated to charity. Jones later received VIP treatment to a concert in Dallas.
Those wanting to see the concert had to buy the tickets in blocks of four, with a limit of one block of four per address. Also, tickets must be paid for using a US Post Office money order, using the original application form found in participating newspapers; copies of forms not allowed. Because of these requirements, some post offices had run out of money orders, and some enterprising entrepreneurs bought extra copies of newspapers with an application form, for cities that don't have a participating newspaper.[citation needed]
According to J Randy Taraborelli's "Michael Jackson: the Magic and the Madness" Michael Jackson already reluctant to perform on the tour was against this policy, but was outvoted by his brothers. However, being the most famous member, Michael Jackson became the focus of intense media scrutiny because of this. A young fan wrote an open letter to Jackson accusing him of avarice. As a result, the policies were changed, but not before fans in Kansas City began ordering tickets based on this policy.
The following is Michael's speech at a press conference on 5th July, 1984, the day before the tour began:
"We're beginning our tour tomorrow and I wanted to talk to you about something of great concern to me. We've worked a long time to make this show the best it can be. But we know a lot of kids are having trouble getting tickets. The other day I got a letter from a girl in Texas named Ladonna Jones. She'd been saving her money from odd jobs to buy a ticket, but with the current tour system, she'd have to buy four tickets and she couldn't afford that. So, I've asked our promoter to work out a new way of distributing tickets, a way that no longer requires a $120.00 money order. There has also been a lot of talk about the promoter holding money for tickets that didn't sell. I've asked our promoter to end the mail order ticket system as soon as possible so that no one will pay money unless they get a ticket. Finally, and most importantly, there's something else I am going to announce today. I want you to know that when I first agreed to tour, I decided to donate all the money I make from our performances to charity."
[edit] Tour Dates
| No. | Date | City | Venue | Attendance per concert | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | |||||
| United States | |||||
| 1-3 | 6th-8th July | Kansas City, Missouri | Arrowhead Stadium | 45,000 | |
| 4-6 | 13th-15th July | Dallas, Texas | Texas Stadium | 40,000 | |
| 7-9 | 21st-23rd July | Jacksonville, Florida | Gator Bowl Stadium | 45,000 | |
| 10-12 | 29th-31st July | New York / East Rutherford, New Jersey | Giants Stadium | 42,000 | |
| 13-14 | 4th-5th August | New York City, New York | Madison Square Garden | 19,000 | |
| 15-17 | 7th-9th August | Knoxville, Tennessee | Neyland Stadium | 7th: 48,783 8th: 50,239 9th: 49,485 | |
| 18-20 | 17th-19th August | Detroit, Michigan | Pontiac Silverdome | 17th-18th: 47,900 19th: 49,200 | |
| 21-22 | 25th-26th August | Buffalo, New York | Rich Stadium | 47,000 | |
| 23-26 | 1st-2nd, 28th-29th September | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | JFK Stadium | 60,000 | |
| 27-28 | 7th-8th September | Denver, Colorado | Mile High Stadium | 26,840 | |
| Canada | |||||
| 29-30 | 17th-18th September | Montreal | Olympic Stadium | 58,270 | |
| United States | |||||
| 31-32 | 21st-22nd September | Washington D.C. | RFK Stadium | 45,000 | |
| Canada | |||||
| 33-35 | 5th-7th October | Toronto, Ontario | Canadian National Exhibition Stadium | 5th: 37,000 6th-7th: 35,000 | |
| United States | |||||
| 36-38 | 12th-14th October | Chicago, Illinois | Comiskey Park | 12th: 40,000 13th: 39,000 14th: 40,000 | |
| 39-40 | 19th-20th October | Cleveland, Ohio | Municipal Stadium | 32,000 | |
| 41-42 | 19th-20th October | Atlanta, Georgia | Fulton County Stadium | 26th: 31,000 27th: 30,000 | |
| 43-44 | 2nd-3rd November | Miami, Florida | Orange Bowl | 2nd: 32,000 3rd: 34,000 | |
| 45-46 | 9th-10th November | Houston, Texas | Astrodome | 40,000 | |
| Canada | |||||
| 47-49 | 16th-18th November | Vancouver, British Columbia | BC Place Stadium | 16th: 42,000 17th-18th: 40,000 | |
| United States | |||||
| 50-55 | 30th November, 1st-2nd, 7th-9th December | Los Angeles, California | Dodger Stadium | 60,000 | |
[edit] Trivia
- The Victory Tour reunited all Jackson brothers including Michael, who had just released the highly successful Thriller album in 1982, two years previous to the tour, and Jermaine, who had not recorded or toured with his brothers since they left Motown in 1975. Jackie was the only member not present on the final leg of the tour, due to a knee injury. However, Jackie made a full recovery and joined the Jacksons on stage during the final concert in Los Angeles.
- Before each performance of Human Nature, Michael would 'pretend' to sing Ben, and even have the music starting to play. Michael would then say "Wait...hold on...stop the music. I want to do one of my favourite songs...give me something new".
- A man from Mount Vernon was caught making bootleg videos of the opening concert at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City by tapping into the transmitted closed-circuit multi camera signal from the video feed to the giant screen above the stage. He is later arrested for selling the bootlegs in the state of New York.
- In his 1988 autobiography "Moonwalk", Michael mentions that the Victory Tour was originally to be called "The Final Curtain", to highlight the fact that himself and his brothers would be touring for the final time. However, the name was changed as they did not want to emphasize this point.
- During the last concert at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Michael announced his split from The Jacksons during "Shake Your Body", the last performance of the concert. Marlon left the group in 1987, and after recording their last album in 1989, The Jacksons formally split in 1990.
[edit] Performers
Lead Performers
- Michael Jackson: vocals, assorted percussion
- Jermaine Jackson: vocals, bass
- Tito Jackson: vocals, guitar
- Randy Jackson: vocals, keyboards
- Marlon Jackson: vocals, percussion
- Jackie Jackson: vocals, percussion
Band members
- Music director: The Jacksons
- Drums: Jonathan Moffett
- Bass: Don Boylette
- Guitars: David Williams, Gregg Wright
- Keyboards: Rory Kaplan, Pat Leonard & Jai Winding
[edit] Credits
- Tour Coordinator: Larry Larson
- Assistant Coordinator: Marla Winston
- Production Manager: Peyton Wilson
- Assistant Production Managers: Gary Bouchard & Debbie Lyons
- Stage Manager: Mike Hirsh
- Assistant Stage Manager: Pee Wee Jackson
- Production Consultant: Ken Graham
- Site Coordinators: John "Bugzee" Hougdahl, Jose Ward
- Stage Construction and Engineering: Plainview, Inc. - John McGraw
- Robotic Lighting: Design - Michael Jackson
- Eidophor Video Projection: M.B. Productions, Inc.
- Design Execution & Manufacturing: Applied Entertainment Systems
- Lighting Company: TASCO
- Site Coordinators : Bugzee Hougdahl & Jose Ward
- Sound Company: Clair Brothers Audio
- House Mixers: M.L. Procise & Mike Stahl
- Laser Effects: Showlasers, Inc., Dallas, Texas
- Musicians Costumes Design: Enid Jackson
- Magical Illusions: Franz Harary
- Video Director: Sandy Fullerton
- Jackson Crew Sportswear: Nike
- Community Affairs: Harold Preston
- Consultant to Community Affairs: Cynthia Wilson
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