Triumph Tour
The Triumph Tour was a concert tour by The Jacksons, covering the United States from July 9 to September 26, 1981. The tour grossed a total of $5.5 million, setting a record breaking 4 sold out concerts in Los Angeles, California.
Overview
History
By 1981, the Jacksons had regained success as a platinum-selling recording group with two albums, Destiny and Triumph and lead singer Michael Jackson was in the final stages of promoting his multi-platinum hit, Off the Wall. Embarking on this tour provided Michael to bring in new ideas as to how the group can produce a show to his liking. Inspired by the live shows by Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael created the costumes and designed the stage and alongside his brothers collaborating, created an intro that signaled similarities to their "Can You Feel It" music video. As since the early days the choreography was done by Michael, Jackie and Marlon Jackson. The shows included magical elements designed by Doug Henning, for example Michael disappearing in smoke during Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough[1][2][3][4].
Touring tenure
The Triumph Tour began in Memphis, Tennessee and ended with a sold-out week of shows in Los Angeles, California. The tour was given great reviews upon every show in part due to Michael's leadership and showmanship. The brothers also came in for praise, particularly Randy and Tito's musicality and Marlon's dance ability. The tour also marked the last truly integrated group effort as Michael's solo career would soon eclipse his success with his brothers. The tour was so well-received and popular that Epic had the brothers record one of the shows (though it's not entirely clear where the recording took place in one show or on a bevy of other tours that were put together for the recording. However, it was rumored that the tracks were recorded during stops in Memphis, New York City, Buffalo and Providence.). The live album, The Jacksons Live!, came out in the winter of 1981 and went gold in its initial run, current sales are two million. After the tour ended, Michael went back to record his follow-up to Off the Wall. It would be three years before The Jacksons would go back on the road again. Rolling Stone later named the Triumph Tour one of the best 25 tours of 1967-1987. To showcase the success of the Triumph Tour, Michael Jackson commented that it was their first show without any marginal material. Michael patterned the Victory Tour and his Bad World Tour after the Triumph Tour.
Stage
The stage was dark and had three groups of strobe lights, all of them containing different colors of lights, facing the stage diagonally. The stage also had a spotlight that followed the main performers. In addition to the lighting, the musicians played their instruments on fixtures (the horn section to the left of the stage, the drums to the center, and keyboards to the right; with the exception of the guitarists and Randy Jackson who played the piano, keyboards, and assorted percussion).
Setlist
Tour dates
| # |
Date |
City |
Country |
Venue |
| 1 |
July 8, 1981 |
Memphis |
United States |
Mid-South Coliseum |
| 2 |
July 10, 1981 |
Oklahoma City |
The Myriad |
| 3 |
July 11, 1981 |
Dallas |
Reunion Arena |
| 4 |
July 12, 1981 |
Houston |
The Summit |
| 5 |
July 15, 1981 |
San Antonio |
HemisFair Arena |
| 6 |
July 17, 1981 |
Baton Rouge |
Riverside Centroplex |
| 7 |
July 18, 1981 |
Mobile |
Municipal Auditorium |
| 8 |
July 19, 1981 |
Lakeland |
Lakeland Civic Center |
| 9 |
July 22, 1981 |
Atlanta |
The Omni |
| 10 |
July 24, 1981 |
Greensboro |
Greensboro Coliseum |
| 11 |
July 25, 1981 |
Charlotte |
Charlotte Coliseum |
| 12 |
July 26, 1981 |
Hampton |
Hampton Coliseum |
| 13 |
July 31, 1981 |
Landover |
Capital Centre |
| 14 |
August 1, 1981 |
| 15 |
August 2, 1981 |
Buffalo |
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
| 16 |
August 4, 1981 |
Richmond |
Richmond Coliseum |
| 17 |
August 7, 1981 |
Uniondale |
Nassau Coliseum |
| 18 |
August 8, 1981 |
Cincinnati |
Riverfront Coliseum |
| 19 |
August 10, 1981 |
Columbus |
Veterans Memorial Auditorium |
| 20 |
August 13, 1981 |
Pittsburgh |
Civic Arena |
| 21 |
August 15, 1981 |
Philadelphia |
The Spectrum |
| 22 |
August 16, 1981 |
Providence |
Providence Civic Center |
| 23 |
August 18, 1981 |
New York City |
Madison Square Garden |
| 24 |
August 19, 1981 |
| 25 |
August 22, 1981 |
Chicago |
Chicago Stadium |
| 26 |
August 23, 1981 |
Trotwood |
Hara Arena |
| 27 |
August 26, 1981 |
Milwaukee |
Milwaukee Arena |
| 28 |
August 28, 1981 |
Indianapolis |
Market Square Arena |
| 29 |
August 29, 1981 |
Detroit |
Joe Louis Arena |
| 30 |
September 3, 1981 |
Denver |
McNichols Arena |
| 31 |
September 5, 1981 |
Chicago |
Chicago Stadium |
| 32 |
September 7, 1981 |
Paradise |
Thomas & Mack Center |
| 33 |
September 8, 1981 |
Kansas City |
Kemper Arena |
| 34 |
September 16, 1981 |
San Diego |
San Diego Sports Arena |
| 35 |
September 17, 1981 |
Daly City |
Cow Palace |
| 36 |
September 18, 1981 |
Inglewood |
The Forum |
| 37 |
September 19, 1981 |
| 38 |
September 25, 1981 |
| 39 |
September 26, 1981 |
Lead performers
Band members
- Drums: Jonathan Moffett
- Bass: Mike McKinney
- Guitar: David Williams
- Synthesizer: Bill Wolfer
- Horns: (East Coast Horns): Wesley Phillips, Cloris Grimes, Alan (Funt) Prater, Roderick (Mac) McMorris
References
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yb_ghov9uEMC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=Doug+Henning+michael+jackson+-wind+triumph&source=bl&ots=CYjPESXwxN&sig=87gplJqNd8ymjNDW0OpKc8_w1fc&hl=en&ei=heOkS-ScJ4b60wT39sT0CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Doug%20Henning%20michael%20jackson%20-wind%20triumph&f=false
- ^ http://www.winnipegsun.com/entertainment/music/2009/06/26/9949321.html
- ^ http://www.allmichaeljackson.com/era/off-the-wall/index.html
- ^ http://www.michael-jackson-trader.com/biography/thejacksons-years.html
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