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166-593: The inaugural event at the Chiba Marine Stadium was on April 13, 1990, with a sold-out performance of the Blond Ambition Tour by American singer Madonna ; the concert was the first of three sold-out dates (April 13, 14 & 15, 1990) by Madonna at the stadium. In addition to the April 13th concert being the big opening event for the stadium, it was also the first date of Madonna’s tour itself. The April 13th show

332-545: A US$ 5 million deal with Madonna to feature her and her then upcoming single " Like a Prayer " in a television commercial. The deal also included Pepsi sponsorship of Madonna's next concert tour , announced at the time as the Like a Prayer World Tour. Madonna wanted to use the commercial to launch the song globally before its actual release — the first time this had been done in the music industry. Pepsi also benefited from having their product associated with Madonna. Titled "Make

498-450: A country-and-western performer, and worked part-time at Sears . She was a Jehovah's Witness . His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson , a former boxer, was a crane operator at US Steel and played guitar with a local rhythm and blues band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's income. Joe's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a US Army scout ; family lore held that he was also

664-460: A "fat nose", and physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals. He recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, ready to punish any mistakes. Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Michael. Katherine said that although whipping came to be considered abuse, it was a common way to discipline children when Michael was growing up. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon denied that their father

830-418: A "flashy, high-energy Broadway production". In his review of the show on May 7, 1990, at Dallas ' Reunion Arena , Tom Maurstad felt that, "it wasn't so much a concert as it was a musical extravaganza, with each song functioning more as its own production"; however, he criticized the singer for mixing up Dallas with Houston when addressing the crowd. Peter Buckley, author of The Rough Guide to Rock , praised

996-518: A Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". In 1981, Jackson was the American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in

1162-582: A Native American medicine man . Michael grew up with three sisters ( Rebbie , La Toya , and Janet ) and five brothers ( Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , Marlon , and Randy ). A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly after birth. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which included Jackie, Tito and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine . Michael said his father told him he had

1328-399: A Time that, "[Blond Ambition] forever changed audience expectations for pop concerts. Even if you didn't go, you're probably familiar with that tour". Co-director/Choreographer Vincent Paterson recalled that Madonna's goal was to "break every rule we can. She wanted to make statements about sexuality , cross-sexuality and the church. And she did". Dancer Luis Camacho said that Madonna "set

1494-414: A Virgin ". Madonna was decked out in the gold Gaultier corset and simulated masturbating on top of a red velvet bed. She was flanked by two male dancers wearing tights and gold pointy bras. For "Like a Prayer", Madonna wore a black robe and knelt down in the middle of the stage, which was surrounded by votive candles , while her dancers, who were dressed like priests and nuns, gyrated around her and uttered

1660-446: A Wish", the commercial had its premiere during the global telecast of the 31st Grammy Awards on February 22, 1989, with an estimated 250 million people around the world viewing it. The following day, Madonna released the music video for "Like a Prayer" on MTV . Featuring a church and Catholic images such as stigmata , Ku Klux Klan -style cross burning and the singer kissing a black saint. Religious groups worldwide, including

1826-468: A better time". However, Madonna was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her role in the film. It was released on video by LIVE Entertainment on October 9, 1991. The 2016 documentary Strike a Pose chronicled the life of six of the dancers after the tour finished. Blond Ambition has been noted for its theatricality and fashion, something uncommon for concerts at the time. Drew Mackie from People , said that, "Blond Ambition changed

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1992-400: A cage vest, skintight shorts, knee-pads and bowler hat. She started singing "Family Affair", then midway through the song switched back to "Keep It Together". During the mid-section of the song, her and the dancers performed a choreography with the chairs. At the end, all the musicians, dancers and collaborators came to say goodbye to Madonna and disappeared into a hole on the stage. The singer

2158-503: A chamber. DiLeo added "I don't know if he sleeps in it. I'm not for it. But Michael thinks it's something that's probably healthy for him. He's a bit of a health fanatic." When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee Bubbles to tour in Japan, the media portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended animals. It was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "Elephant Man"). In June 1987,

2324-476: A choreographed routine with a chair while a muscular dancer watched her from afar. For " Causing a Commotion " the singer wore a colorful cycling jacket and wrestled Haris and De Lory. The final song of the act was "Where's the Party". Three male dancers did an elaborate choreography while Madonna left the stage for a costume change. The Religious section began with a slow and sultry sitar -based version of " Like

2490-523: A cover of " It's Your Thing ". Rolling Stone later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer". In January 1970, " I Want You Back " became the first Jackson 5 song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 ; it stayed there for four weeks. Three more singles with Motown topped the chart: " ABC ", " The Love You Save ", and " I'll Be There ". In May 1971,

2656-463: A film, Moonwalker , which featured live footage and short films starring Jackson and Joe Pesci . In the US it was released direct-to-video and became the bestselling video cassette in the country. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as eight times Platinum in the US. In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km ) of land near Santa Ynez, California , to build

2822-408: A flight of stairs in the middle. At the end of this section ends, the curtain drops to the floor and gives way to the second one, where the stage became a boudoir and featured the singer on a red velvet bed. The third section, which was church-themed, had a large arc of Corinthian columns and votive candles. Halfway through one of the performances, a large scrim depicting a stained glass window

2988-532: A flight of stairs. She was dressed in a pin-striped suit with holes cut in it, so that her brassiere poked out of them. Underneath she wore the Gaultier conical corset. Accompanied by Niki Haris and Donna De Lory , her two backup singers and dancers, Madonna did a straightforward vocal rendition of the track, and an elaborate choreography, which included voguing , humping and simulated masturbation . The next number, " Open Your Heart ", featured Madonna performing

3154-487: A global figure. Jackson's songs, stages and fashion proliferated visual performance for singers in pop music. His innovations changed the music video as an art form and popularized street dance moves including the moonwalk , which he named, the robot , and the anti-gravity lean . As part of the Jackson family , Michael at age six made his public debut in 1964 with his older brothers Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , and Marlon as

3320-443: A hands-free radio-frequency headset microphones , with the headset fastened over the ears or the top of the head, and the microphone capsule on a boom arm that extended to the mouth. Because of her prominent usage, the microphone design came to be known as the "Madonna mic". Other personnel included Jai Winding as the music director, John Draper as the tour's manager and Chris Lamb as the production manager . Rehearsals took place at

3486-523: A high school drop-out prevention program. Madonna was named the second most successful solo touring act of the time, behind only Michael Jackson . The tour was subject to controversy due to its sexual and Catholic imagery. In Italy, a private association of Roman Catholics called for a boycott of the shows in Rome and Turin ; Pope John Paul II urged the general public and the Christian community not to attend

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3652-533: A joint purchase, McCartney did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, and did not pursue an offer on his own. Jackson's agents were unable to come to a deal, and in May 1985 left talks after having spent more than $ 1   million and four months of due diligence work on the negotiations. In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman 's and Marty Bandier 's The Entertainment Company had made

3818-559: A lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994. Jackson had been taking painkillers for his reconstructive scalp surgeries, administered due to the Pepsi commercial accident in 1984, and became dependent on them to cope with the stress of the sexual abuse allegations. On November 12, 1993, Jackson canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour due to health problems, stress from

3984-511: A live concert could be". Spin deemed it the sixth greatest concert of the last 35 years. Ilana Kaplan wrote that it "was more than just shock factor: It was meant to transform live pop music", and also that it helped Madonna "reclaim her narrative and power as the tabloids (wrongfully) deemed her a villain". Idolator ' s Mike Wass considered it the "blueprint for modern concerts [...] The Queen of Pop really shook things up by giving choreography, costumes and production as much attention as

4150-411: A live show". It is now considered one of Madonna's most iconic looks. The look was then referenced by actress Stephanie Faracy in the 1993 film Hocus Pocus . On the fifth episode of the second season of American television series Pose , "What Would Candy Do?", the characters Damon ( Ryan Jamaal Swain ) and Ricky ( Dyllón Burnside ) audition to be back-up dancers for the tour. While discussing

4316-474: A long black robe. For the energetic " Hanky Panky ", she was joined by Haris, De Lory and a dancer dressed as Dick Tracy . At the end of the performance, she would tell the audience: "You all know the pleasures of a good spanking, don't you? [...] When I hurt people, I feel better, you know what I mean?". "Now I'm Following You" closed the act; Madonna danced with the Dick Tracy dancer to a pre-recorded version of

4482-421: A major fashion moment" when she performed on tour wearing the corset. For Harold Koda , the singer's use of the corset, an undergarment, as outerwear suggested that "an explicit control of one's image might transform, or at least destabilize, the patriarchal relationships of voyeuristic male and sexually objectified female". For Adam Geczy and Vicki Karaminas , the conical corset over a male suit represented both

4648-608: A member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons). The Jackson 5 signed with Motown in 1968 and achieved worldwide success with Michael as lead singer. Jackson began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown and recorded multiple successful singles. He became a global solo star with his 1979 album Off the Wall . His music videos , including those for " Beat It ", " Billie Jean ", and " Thriller " from his 1982 album Thriller , are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming

4814-476: A new Guinness World Record . In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, Moonwalk , with input from Stephen Davis and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis . It sold 200,000 copies, and reached the top of the New York Times bestsellers list. Jackson discussed his childhood, the Jackson 5, and the abuse from his father. He attributed his changing facial appearance to three plastic surgeries, puberty, weight loss,

4980-608: A new bar for confrontational theatricality that only greater shock tactics could ever challenge". In 2022, Alim Kheraj from The Guardian , named the tour one of the 50 gigs that changed music, for "altering the blueprint for modern pop shows with this combination of narrative, choreography, high production values and fashion. A taboo-busting exploration of sexuality and religion only solidified its legacy". Ramona Liera Schwichtenberg, Deidre Pribram, Dave Tetzlaff and Ron Scott, authors of The Madonna Connection: Representational Politics, Subcultural Identities, And Cultural Theory , wrote that

5146-523: A new home, Neverland Ranch , at a cost of $ 17   million (equivalent to $ 44 million in 2023). He installed a Ferris wheel , a carousel , a movie theater and a zoo. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the first Western television advertisement in the Soviet Union . Jackson became known as the " King of Pop ", a nickname that Jackson's publicists embraced. When Elizabeth Taylor presented him with

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5312-529: A perfect game , the 16th perfect game in NPB history. Four more no-hitters, aside from the perfect game, would be thrown that season. 35°38′42.86″N 140°1′51.32″E  /  35.6452389°N 140.0309222°E  / 35.6452389; 140.0309222 This article about a baseball venue in Japan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Blond Ambition Tour The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90 )

5478-448: A pop star in control. Hess concluded that its most lasting influence is that it allowed female pop performers "to channel their sexuality through the outfits they choose to wear without shame, and on their own terms". The synthetic ponytail the singer wore during the Asian and American legs became a fashion trend among the youth, with People magazine reporting that many fans were showing up at

5644-432: A recurring problem later in his life. After his death, Jackson's mother said that he first turned to cosmetic procedures to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow". She said he had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he had become addicted to them. In 1986, it was reported that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow aging. He denied

5810-588: A song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala. Jackson visited Africa in early 1992; on his first stop in Gabon he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read "Welcome Home Michael", and was awarded an Officer of the National Order of Merit from President Omar Bongo . During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson drew larger crowds than Pope John Paul II on his previous visits. He

5976-447: A special on HBO ; afterwards it was released exclusively on LaserDisc under the title Blond Ambition World Tour Live . Directed by Alek Keshishian , Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) was a documentary film chronicling the tour. Blond Ambition has been noted by critics and authors for its theatricality and fashion, which have left its mark on the work of subsequent pop acts. In January 1989, Pepsi-Cola announced that they had signed

6142-576: A strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and stage lighting. In June, Jackson was honored with the Grand Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris by the then Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac during his stay in the city as part of the Bad World Tour . On July 20, he became the first commoner in history to enter London's Guildhall through the building's Royal Entrance. In October, Jackson released

6308-580: A tentative offer to buy ATV Music for $ 50   million; in early August, Holmes à Court contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson's increased bid of $ 47.5   million (equivalent to $ 135 million in 2023) was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence. Jackson agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon . His purchase of ATV Music

6474-498: A version of " Who's Lovin' You ". After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles. In 1969, Motown executives decided Diana Ross should introduce the Jackson 5 to the public — partly to bolster her career in television — sending off what was considered Motown's last product of its "production line". The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in 1969 in the Miss Black America pageant, performing

6640-512: A video camera'". The tour has also influenced the fashion world. In her book Fashion Details: 1,000 Ideas from Neckline to Waistline, Pockets to Pleats , Macarena San Martin called the Gaultier conical corset "an emblematic symbol of fashion in the early 90s ". Billboard ' s Gregory DelliCarpini Jr. stated that the corset "redefined the female silhouette and moved many designers to add some edge to their undergarments". Entertainment Weekly ' s Nina Terrero said that Madonna "birthed

6806-562: A year. They lasted a year and a half." Presley later said she and Jackson had attempted to reconcile intermittently for four years following their divorce, and that she had traveled the world to be with him. Jackson composed music for the Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), but left the project around the time the sexual abuse allegations surfaced and went uncredited. The Sega Technical Institute director Roger Hector and

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6972-513: Is a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outside with metallic leather on the inside. It's all about masculine and feminine", the designer recalled. While reviewing the tour on its 30th anniversary, Liam Hess from Vogue wrote that the conical corset "is so embedded within the canon of both pop music and fashion that it now requires little introduction", and that it represented

7138-582: The Chicago Tribune reported Jackson's publicist bidding $ 1   million for the skeleton to the London Hospital Medical College on his behalf. The college maintained the skeleton was not for sale. DiLeo said Jackson had an "absorbing interest" in Merrick, "purely based on his awareness of the ethical, medical and historical significance." In September 1986, using the oxygen chamber story,

7304-489: The ATV Music Publishing catalog comprising the publishing rights to nearly 4,000 songs, including most of the Beatles' material. In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20   million ($ 40   million) (equivalent to $ 134 million in 2023). Jackson submitted a bid of $ 46   million (equivalent to $ 135 million in 2023) on November 20, 1984. When Jackson and McCartney were unable to make

7470-481: The Blond Ambition World Tour 90 program. Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop ", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century . Over a four decade career, his world record music achievements and publicized personal life made him

7636-693: The Dick Tracy act, calling it "the least dynamic part of the show". Blond Ambition won the award for Most Creative Stage Production at the 1990 Pollstar Concert Industry Awards, and was also nominated in the Major Tour of the Year category. The tour was attended by 800,000 people around the world, with initial reports of a US$ 19 million gross. The first three concerts at Japan's Chiba Marine Stadium were attended by 35,000 people each, grossing US$ 4.5 million. All her Japanese concerts had sold out within days of

7802-663: The East Coast , they won a weekly amateur night concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem . The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for a Gary record label, Steeltown Records ; their first single, " Big Boy ", was released in 1968. Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers brought the Jackson 5 to Motown after they opened for Taylor at Chicago's Regal Theater in 1968. Taylor produced some of their early Motown recordings, including

7968-708: The Heal the World Foundation in 1992. The charity brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch to use the theme park rides, and sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war, poverty, and disease. That July, Jackson published his second book, Dancing the Dream , a collection of poetry. The Dangerous World Tour ran between June 1992 and November 1993 and grossed $ 100 million (equivalent to $ 210 million in 2023); Jackson performed for over 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, all of which were outside

8134-527: The Holy See , immediately protested against, what they saw as, blasphemous use of Christian imagery and called for a boycott of Pepsi and PepsiCo's subsidiaries. As a result, Pepsi withdrew the commercial and canceled Madonna's sponsorship contract. Sire Records officially announced the Blond Ambition World Tour on November 16, 1989; Madonna's performance of the single " Express Yourself " at

8300-672: The MTV Video Music Awards was deemed a "preview". She described the tour as "much more theatrical than anything I've ever done [...] I know that I'm not the best singer and I know that I'm not the best dancer. But, I can fucking push people's buttons and be as provocative as I want. This tour's goal is to break useless taboos". The tour promoted Madonna's fourth album Like a Prayer and the Dick Tracy soundtrack I'm Breathless . According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli , Madonna had "complete control over virtually every aspect of

8466-781: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice), the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame , the Vocal Group Hall of Fame , the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame (making him the only recording artist to be inducted). His honors include 15 Grammy Awards including the Grammy Legend Award , six Brit Awards , 24 American Music Awards , a Golden Globe Award and 39 Guinness World Records , including " Youngest artist to top

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8632-629: The Staples Center in Los Angeles, was estimated to have been viewed by more than 2.5 billion people. Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time , with estimated sales of over 500 million records worldwide. He had 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles ( the chart's fourth-highest of any artist ) and was the first artist to have a top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. Jackson's inductions include

8798-461: The Studio 54 nightclub, where he heard early hip hop ; this influenced his beatboxing on future tracks such as " Working Day and Night ". In 1978, Jackson unsatisfied with his nose, decided to have a rhinoplasty . He was referred to Steven Hoefflin , who performed Jackson's operations. Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), established him as a solo performer and helped him move from

8964-481: The Thriller video, which Michael denounced in a Witness publication in 1984. In 2001, Jackson told an interviewer he was still a Jehovah's Witness. Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting another major success. It became the first album to produce five US number-one singles: " I Just Can't Stop Loving You ", " Bad ", " The Way You Make Me Feel ", " Man in

9130-534: The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank , California. When Madonna first called me in 1989, it was two days before my ready-to-wear show, and I thought my assistant was joking. I was a big fan. She asked me if I would do the tour. She knew what she wanted – a pinstripe suit, the feminine corsetry. Madonna likes my clothes because they combine the masculine and the feminine. It was, that no, that yes, no, yes, no. For

9296-551: The Yokohama dates was also recorded and released exclusively in Japan under the title Blond Ambition – Japan Tour 90 . In addition to these releases, Spanish broadcaster TVE recorded the concert in Barcelona and aired it in 30 countries. L’Osservatore Romano felt the broadcast was a violation of "good sense, good taste and decency". In England, BBC Radio 1 broadcast the full show from Wembley Stadium , which led to controversy over

9462-662: The bubblegum pop of his youth to more complex sounds. It produced four top 10 entries in the US: " Off the Wall ", " She's Out of My Life ", and the chart-topping singles " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough " and " Rock with You ". The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold over 20   million copies worldwide. In 1980, Jackson won three American Music Awards for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". He also won

9628-613: The pop-culture landscape". The fact that the show was divided into different thematic acts represented, according to the author, "not only a level of creative planning unusual for concerts at the time but also the sheer volume of material Madonna had to work with". Lucy O'Brien noted that the singer had previously explored "conceptual musical theatre as concert" on 1987's Who's That Girl World Tour , but it wasn't until Blond Ambition that "art, spectacle and dance really came together". Courtney E. Smith wrote in her book Record Collecting for Girls: Unleashing Your Inner Music Nerd, One Album at

9794-473: The profanity Madonna used live on air. The documentary film which chronicled the tour, Madonna: Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside of North America), was directed by Alek Keshishian and released in theaters on May 10, 1991, grossing over US$ 15 million. The singer approached Keshishian about doing an HBO special on her and the tour; the director, who found the backstage scene to be "a Fellini -esque dysfunctional family", persuaded

9960-495: The robot dance . The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records and renaming themselves the Jacksons. Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time; Jermaine stayed with Motown and pursued a solo career. The Jacksons continued to tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's main songwriter during this time, wrote songs such as " Shake Your Body (Down to

10126-559: The "Most Creative Stage Production" award at the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards and grossed over US$ 62.7 million ($ 146.23 million in 2023 dollars). Madonna was named the second most successful solo touring act at the time, behind Michael Jackson . The tour generated controversy due to its use of Catholic imagery and sexual content. Pope John Paul II urged the general public and the Christian community not to attend

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10292-443: The "sexy" chatter. Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune felt that, "though the music certainly offered a few shake-your-booty thrills, it was Madonna the performer, dancer, rogue philosopher and smart-mouthed comic who made the evening memorable". He praised the singer's stage presence and pointed out the performance of "Like a Virgin" for being "both seductive and hilarious". Kot concluded his review: "nothing about this production

10458-557: The 17-minute $ 30   million 3D film Captain EO , which ran from 1986 at Disneyland and Epcot , and later at Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland . After having been removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson's death. In 1987, Ebony reported that Jackson had disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed

10624-495: The 40,000 tickets were sold. The single concert at Gothenburg's Eriksberg Docks attracted 55,000 people, one of the biggest crowds for a concert in Gothenburg at the time. Upon completion, the tour was reported to have grossed a total of US$ 62.7 million ($ 146.23 million in 2023 dollars) from 57 concerts. Billboard reported that a percentage of ticket proceeds would be donated to the charity organization Cities In Schools,

10790-632: The Blond Ambition Tour is the blueprint – the mother of the modern pop concert. The show infamously found Madonna exorcising herself of the guilt of her Catholic upbringing. The Religious segment, which began with the singer simulating masturbation and ended with her facing the judgment of the male authority figures in her life (her father, the Pope, God), is among the most audaciously conceived and impeccably executed moments of stagecraft in touring history". Rolling Stone noted that Madonna had "reinvented

10956-586: The British tabloid The Sun branded Jackson "Wacko Jacko", a name Jackson came to despise. The Atlantic noted that the name "Jacko" has racist connotations, as it originates from Jacko Macacco , a monkey used in monkey-baiting matches at the Westminster Pit in the early 1820s, and "Jacko" was used in Cockney slang to refer to monkeys in general. Jackson worked with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on

11122-462: The Grammy for Best Engineered – Non Classical. In August 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler. Jordan said he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex . While Jordan's mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested him, her position wavered a few days later. Evan

11288-646: The Ground) " (1978), " This Place Hotel " (1980), and " Can You Feel It " (1980). In 1977, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the Scarecrow in The Wiz , a musical film directed by Sidney Lumet , alongside Diana Ross , Nipsey Russell , and Ted Ross. The film was a box-office failure. Its score was arranged by Quincy Jones , who later produced three of Jackson's solo albums. During his time in New York, Jackson frequented

11454-555: The Hot 100 ", "Longest span of number ones for a male act", and the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time", among other awards . Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana , on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family , a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street. His mother, Katherine Esther Jackson ( née Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be

11620-457: The Jackson family moved into a large house at Hayvenhurst , a 2-acre (0.81 ha) estate in Encino, California . During this period, Michael developed from a child performer into a teen idol . Between 1972 and 1975, he released four solo studio albums with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973) and Forever, Michael (1975). " Got to Be There " and " Ben ",

11786-440: The Jacksons and other Motown stars. Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first Emmy Award nomination. Wearing a glove decorated with rhinestones , he debuted his moonwalk dance , which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier, and it became his signature dance in his repertoire. Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to the show, believing he had been doing too much television. But at

11952-511: The Jacksons and showcased Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers. Following controversy over the concert's ticket sales , Jackson donated his share of the proceeds, an estimated $ 3 to 5 million , to charity. During the last concert of the Victory Tour at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jackson announced his split from

12118-405: The Jacksons during "Shake Your Body". With Lionel Richie , Jackson co-wrote the charity single " We Are the World " (1985), which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa. It earned $ 63   million (equivalent to $ 178 million in 2023), and became one of the best-selling singles of all time , with 20   million copies sold. It won four Grammy Awards in 1985, including Song of

12284-444: The Like a Prayer World Tour, it was supposed to be sponsored by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi . However, the company cancelled the contract following the controversy surrounding the music video of " Like a Prayer ". The concert was divided into five thematic acts: Metropolis , inspired by the 1927 German Expressionist film of the same name and the " Express Yourself " music video; Religious , by Catholic themes ; Dick Tracy , by

12450-452: The Mirror ", and " Dirty Diana ". Another song, " Smooth Criminal ", peaked at number seven. Bad won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Music Video , Short Form for " Leave Me Alone ". Jackson won an Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after Bad generated five number-one singles, became the first album to top

12616-508: The Mirror" went to charity. His rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr. 's 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination. Jackson was the bestselling artist of the 1980s. In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $ 65   million (equivalent to $ 145 million in 2023), a record-breaking deal , beating Neil Diamond 's renewal contract with Columbia Records . In 1991, he released his eighth album, Dangerous , co-produced with Teddy Riley . It

12782-659: The Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him "the true king of pop, rock and soul." President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade". At the 38th BMI Awards in 1990, Jackson was the first person to be honored with an award named after its recipient. From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $ 455,000 to the United Negro College Fund , and all profits from his single "Man in

12948-607: The Temptations ' " My Girl ". From 1966 to 1968, the Jacksons 5 toured the Midwest ; they frequently played at a string of black clubs known as the Chitlin' Circuit as the opening act for artists such as Sam & Dave , the O'Jays , Gladys Knight and Etta James . The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and cocktail lounges, where striptease shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school dances. In August 1967, while touring

13114-538: The Time"), and was the first to win the International Artist Award of Excellence. In February, he won the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. He attended the award ceremony with Brooke Shields . Dangerous was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (for "Black or White"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Jam") and Best R&B Song ("Jam"), and Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley won

13280-484: The US. Part of the proceeds went to Heal the World Foundation. Jackson sold the broadcast rights of the tour to HBO for $ 20   million, a record-breaking deal that still stands. Following the death of HIV/AIDS spokesperson and friend Ryan White , Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at Bill Clinton's inaugural gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research and performed " Gone Too Soon ",

13446-400: The Year for Jackson and Richie. Jackson, Jones, and the promoter Ken Kragen received special awards for their roles in the song's creation. Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was making $ 40   million a year from owning the rights to other artists' songs. By 1983, Jackson had begun buying publishing rights to others' songs, but he

13612-428: The actors' expressions up close, filmmakers working on James Cameron 's Avatar (2009) had them wear black headsets with small square cameras positioned in front of their mouths ―similar to the microphones used by Madonna on the tour; producer Jon Landau explained that, "if [Madonna] can be bouncing around with a microphone in her face and give a great performance [...] we thought, 'Let’s replace that microphone with

13778-604: The advertisement, and suggested using his song "Billie Jean", with revised lyrics, as its jingle . On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by Phil Dusenberry , a BBDO ad agency executive, and Alan Pottasch , Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert before a full house of fans, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide

13944-466: The album's artist and Jones as its co-producer), and the single won Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) award for Jackson. "Beat It" won Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male). "Billie Jean" won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male), with Jackson as songwriter and singer respectively. Thriller won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording (Non Classical), acknowledging Bruce Swedien for his work on

14110-498: The album. At the 11th Annual American Music Awards , Jackson won another eight awards and became the youngest artist to win the Award of Merit. He also won Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Artist. "Beat It" won Favorite Soul/R&B Video, Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Pop/Rock Single. The album won Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. Thriller ' s sales doubled after

14276-491: The allegations and painkiller addiction. He thanked his close friend Elizabeth Taylor for support, encouragement and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his sponsorship deal with Pepsi. In late 1993, Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie Presley , the daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone. They were married in La Vega, Dominican Republic , in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez. The tabloid media speculated that

14442-662: The bestselling album of all time in the US and the best-selling album of all time worldwide , selling an estimated 70 million copies. It topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to produce seven Billboard Hot 100 top-10 singles, including " Billie Jean ", " Beat It ", and " Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ". On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever , an NBC television special. The show aired on May 16 to an estimated audience of 47 million , and featured

14608-582: The body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup, and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams, to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would depigment the blotches, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale. Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and could not control his vitiligo, adding, "When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me." He became friends with Klein and Klein's assistant, Debbie Rowe . Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and

14774-649: The bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, and stated for the first time that he had vitiligo. After the interview, Dangerous re-entered the US albums chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release. The interview itself became the most-watched television interview in United States history to date, with more than 90 million viewers. In January 1993, Jackson won three American Music Awards : Favorite Pop/Rock Album ( Dangerous ), Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Remember

14940-477: The books' content and claimed if they were there, someone had to have sent them to him and he did not open them. Jordan Chandler gave police a description of Jackson's genitals. A strip search was made, and the jurors felt the description was not a match. In January 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported total sum of $ 23   million. The police never pressed criminal charges. Citing

15106-400: The breasts and the phallus . They concluded that "in the interval of a decade, she transmogrified from virgin to dominatrix to Übermensch [...] Until then, only Bowie had multi-morphed; Madonna was the first woman to do so". Rebecca Dana from The Daily Beast stated that the corset's "genius" lied in its subversion of traditional femininity: "Soft becomes hard; curvy becomes phallic;

15272-424: The charts in 25 countries and the bestselling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988. By 2012, it had sold between 30 and 45   million copies worldwide. The Bad World Tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 27, 1989. In Japan, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour. The 504,000 people who attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium set

15438-405: The concert by asking the crowd "do you believe in artistic expression and freedom of speech?", and later issued a statement saying she was willing to be arrested to protect her freedom to "express myself as an artist". Frank Bergen, a Toronto police officer at the time, recalled that the claims were led by a retired police officer and a crown attorney with a "strong position" against Madonna and

15604-493: The concert, calling it "one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity". The Vatican 's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano deemed it "sinful, blasphemous" and "a complete disgrace", while the Famiglia Domani , a private association of conservative Catholics, criticized its eroticism and called it "shameful". Madonna held a press conference in Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport defending herself and

15770-500: The concerts with similar hairdos. One of the performances of the Celebration Tour (2023–2024) sees Madonna "cuddled up" in a red velvet bed with a dancer dressed in a Blond Ambition attire, with "ponytail and everything", as noted by Billboard ' s Joe Lynch. Of the singer's look with the corset and ponytail, Mark Elliott from website UDiscoverMusic expressed that, "no other artist would ever inhabit an image so immortal from

15936-416: The crew received a visit from the local police who threatened to arrest the singer for "lewd and indecent display", specifically the masturbation scene during the performance of "Like a Virgin". However, according to Rolling Stone , no charges were made after the tour's manager gave the police an ultimatum: "Cancel the show, and you'll have to tell 30,000 people why." The show was unaltered and Madonna began

16102-470: The crowd. The next song performed was " Cherish ". It featured Madonna playing the harp and her male dancers dressed up as mermen . Madonna ended the section with " Into the Groove ", performed with leather-clad dancers, and "Vogue". The latter featuring various cutouts of Tamara de Lempicka's paintings as backdrops, with the singer and the dancers wearing black spandex and doing the original choreography from

16268-470: The crucifixes as jewelry". Madonna and Gaultier took three months to finalize the details of the costumes; they first met at New York City's Carlyle Hotel , with additional meetings taking place in Paris' Bofinger restaurant, Balajo Club, Zoopsie nightclub and Théâtre Equestre Zingaro. Gaultier remembers this period as one of intense stress, claiming to have gotten through "350 aspirins and 1,500 sketches" before

16434-483: The dance. Gordy described being "mesmerized" by the performance. At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards , Thriller won eight awards, and Jackson won an award for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook. Winning eight Grammys in one ceremony is a record he holds with the band Santana . Jackson and Quincy Jones won the award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical). Thriller won Album of the Year (with Jackson as

16600-575: The end of 1992, Dangerous was the bestselling album of the year worldwide and "Black or White" the bestselling single of the year worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards . In 1993, he performed "Remember the Time" at the Soul Train Music Awards in a chair, saying he twisted his ankle during dance rehearsals. In the UK, " Heal the World " made No. 2 on the charts in 1992. Jackson founded

16766-402: The engine of maternity transforms into a weapon—it's a Freudian nightmare". The conical corset has inspired and been recreated by many contemporary artists, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Rihanna. In 2001, one of the corsets was sold at an auction for US$ 21,105. The corset was reinvented by Gaultier for Madonna's 2012 MDNA Tour in a cage-like leather style; "what I have done this time

16932-424: The episode, W Magazine's Brooke Marine argued that, "as much as that tour is known for Madonna's famous Jean-Paul Gaultier cone bra, it was her dancers who made the whole spectacle culturally relevant [...] If it weren’t for the queer men of color who danced on the tour, Blond Ambition would not have been as effective or as subversive". Mark Beaumont expressed that the main taboo Madonna broke with Blond Ambition

17098-430: The film of the same name and cabaret ; Art Deco , inspired by early Hollywood movies and featuring paintings by Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka ; and finally, an encore . The art direction was by Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone , while the costumes were created by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier . The tour garnered positive reviews from contemporary critics and was a commercial success. It received

17264-409: The flesh color, the salmon satin, the lace. The gold conical bra was just an extension of that idea". Other costumes created included a pin-striped suit, a green and white striped vaudeville -style corset, a black mini-dress trimmed and stitched with a stuffed West African stork called the marabou , a black clergyman's robe with a neon crucifix and a cage vest. To avoid any incidents, every piece

17430-795: The highest grossing musical event of all time in the history of the arena. The proceeds of the last American date in New Jersey , over US$ 300,000, were donated to the nonprofit organization amfAR ; the show was dedicated to Madonna's friend Keith Haring who died of AIDS. The tour proved to be successful in Europe as well. The single concert in Rome was attended by 30,000 people. In Spain, tickets went on sale on 11 June 1990; prices ranged from 1,200 to 4,000 pesetas . The single concert at Madrid 's Vicente Calderón Stadium attracted 50,000 fans, while in Vigo only 23,000 of

17596-531: The late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy and speculation due to his changing appearance , relationships , behavior, and lifestyle. In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing the child of a family friend. The lawsuit was settled out of civil court; Jackson was not indicted due to lack of evidence. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found no evidence of criminal conduct by Jackson. In 2009, while he

17762-447: The live vocals". Writing for The Guardian , professor Sarah Churchwell wrote that the tour allowed Madonna to "catapult[ed] herself into megastardom, shaping the music industry" and establishing herself as "the mother of today’s multimedia concert extravaganzas". "With its elaborate costumes (courtesy of French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier), Broadway-style sets (designed by Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone) and quasi-narrative arc,

17928-456: The main stage of the Summer Sonic music festival every August, with the other stages of the festival located in nearby Makuhari Messe . The main stage of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Japan has also been held at the stadium, with its first event beginning in 2017. One of the stadium's most notable baseball events was on April 10, 2022, when Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Rōki Sasaki threw

18094-401: The medium into an art form and promotional tool. He helped popularize MTV and continued to innovate with videos for his albums Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and Invincible (2001). Thriller is the best-selling album of all time , while Bad was the first album to produce five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. From

18260-420: The mother of his first two children. In his 1988 autobiography and a 1993 interview, Jackson said he had had two rhinoplasty surgeries and a cleft chin surgery but no more than that. He said he lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet to achieve a dancer's body. Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from anorexia nervosa . Periods of weight loss became

18426-430: The movie Dick Tracy onto the tour; "it's a great opportunity for me [...] Most people don't associate me with movies. But I know I have a much bigger following than Warren does and a lot of my audience isn't even aware of who he is", she recalled. The first section, which was inspired by Metropolis and the "Express Yourself" music video, featured several funnels billowing smoke, steel piping, cables hanging above and

18592-429: The music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit. Jackson recorded with Queen 's lead singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of " State of Shock ", "Victory" and " There Must Be More to Life Than This ". The recordings were intended for an album of duets but, according to Queen's manager Jim Beach , the relationship soured when Jackson brought a llama into the recording studio, and Jackson

18758-488: The music video. The first encore, " Holiday ", had Madonna dressed in a polka-dotted blouse with matching flounces at the bottom of white trousers. The tour's final performance was " Keep it Together "; it featured lyrical samples of Sly and the Family Stone ' s " Family Affair " (1971). It started with dancers appearing on the stage, with chairs on their back. Madonna came on dressed in an all-black ensemble involving

18924-415: The phrase "Oh my God" several times. Next, she performed " Live to Tell " on a prie-dieu . Halfway through the song, she started singing " Oh Father " while Carlton Wilborn in a black frock played the role of a priest. An energetic performance of " Papa Don't Preach " closed this section. " Sooner or Later " opened the Dick Tracy act. Madonna sat atop a grand piano and wore a cabaret -themed corset under

19090-472: The pop megatour itself"; in 2017, the magazine included Blond Ambition on their list of "The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years". Similarly, Q magazine named it one of the "10 Greatest Gigs of All Time"; Sylvia Patterson explained that, "in spring 1990, Madonna was not only the most regonisable woman on Earth, but the most gloriously dynamic pop force on the planet. [...] Blond Ambition, her third major tour,

19256-502: The production and said it was "an imaginative take of the staging of a stadium gig". Montgomery Brower and Todd Gold, from People , called it a "105-minute hullabaloo amazing for its breadth of controversy". For Gay Times magazine's Scott Anderson, "despite all that's happening on the stage it still felt like a concert, and despite the precession of the choreography, it had a certain rawness to it, it felt playful and spontaneous". Richard Harrington from The Washington Post , hailed

19422-427: The protests had effect and a planned second show in the city's Stadio Flaminio was canceled due to low ticket sales and a threatened general strike by labor unions. Roman newspaper Il Messaggero dismissed the controversy with a lukewarm review; "A lot of noise over nothing", read the headline. In Toronto , the tour's explicit overtone also caused problems. During the first show at the city's SkyDome on May 27,

19588-463: The release of an extended music video, Michael Jackson's Thriller , which sees Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies. The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture. Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, with about $ 2 for every album sold (equivalent to $ 6 in 2023), and was making record-breaking profits. Dolls modeled after Jackson appeared in stores in May 1984 for $ 12 each. In

19754-411: The request of Motown founder Berry Gordy , he performed in exchange for an opportunity to do a solo performance. Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the performance "extraordinary". Jackson's performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley 's and the Beatles ' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show . Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times praised the perfect timing and technique involved in

19920-402: The same publication, John LeLand said that "the advance word was that it was shocking and outrageous [...] But what brought most of the crowd together at Nassau Coliseum Monday night, was that we weren't shocked. Amused, tickled, stimulated or diverted, maybe, but not shocked or outraged". Sujata Massey from The Baltimore Sun highlighted the "passionate" performances, Madonna's outfits and

20086-478: The same year, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller , a documentary about the music video, won a Grammy for Best Music Video (Longform). Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too." The New York Times wrote "in

20252-891: The scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $ 1.5   million (equivalent to $ 4.4 million in 2023) settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California ; its now-closed Michael Jackson Burn Center was named in his honor. Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $ 10   million (equivalent to $ 26.8 million in 2023). The second campaign covered 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson's Bad album and 1987–88 world tour. Jackson had endorsements and advertising deals with other companies, such as LA Gear , Suzuki , and Sony , but none were as significant as his deals with Pepsi. The Victory Tour of 1984 headlined

20418-440: The show unfolds like a kaleidoscope of sexual decadence". In a mixed review, Jon Pareles from The New York Times wrote: "Madonna might be testing taboos, but she's hardly breaking new ground in rock theatrics", also criticizing the use of lip sync ; "she would clearly rather lip-sync than risk a wrong note. It makes the concert airless and off-putting". Three years later, the same author said that, "with Blond Ambition she

20584-408: The singer approved of his designs. Tour backup singer and dancer Niki Haris later recalled that "with Madonna, it always comes down to clothes and shoes". The result were two corsets with conical-shaped cups, one was peach-colored and the other solid gold. Gaultier explained that the idea first came when, as a child, his grandmother took him to an exhibit where "they had a corset on display. I loved

20750-566: The singer on the Pepsi commercial and the "Express Yourself" music video, was appointed co-director and choreographer. Auditions for dancers took place in New York City and Los Angeles. An advertisement was put on Daily Variety magazine by choreographer Karole Armitage , it read: "Open auditions for fierce male dancers who know the meaning of troop style, beat boy and vogue. Wimps and Wanna-Bes need not apply!". Luis Camacho and Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza , who had previously worked with Madonna on

20916-470: The singer to do an actual film focused on that, with interspersed footage of some performances. It received generally positive reviews; Peter Travers from Rolling Stone wrote that "you may not leave Truth or Dare loving Madonna, but you'll respect her as a force of nature". In 2018, it was named by The Guardian as the greatest music documentary of all time, with Ryan Gilbey claiming that "[Alek] Keshishian couldn't have trained his cameras on Madonna at

21082-422: The song, while six other dancers in yellow trenchcoats did a kick line . The Art Deco act began with " Material Girl "; performed in a strong midwestern accent , Madonna, Haris and De Lory sat beneath beauty parlor hair dryers and wore fluffy pink dresses with dollar signs underneath bathrobes. Towards the end of the performance, they would take fake dollar bills from inside their bosoms and throw them to

21248-499: The special were bought by HBO for US$ 1 million, and was advertised as "America's No.   1 female pop star in a live-by-satellite performance of one of the summer's biggest pop music events". According to the Chicago Tribune , it was not a pay-per-view special as the channel wanted to distinguish itself from its pay-TV rival, Showtime . The transmission gave HBO a record for the highest ratings ever for an original program at

21414-451: The stage" for concerts and shows that followed. Scott Anderson concluded that the Blond Ambition Tour changed the way artists present and perform in stadiums and arenas. According to Christopher Rosa from VH1 , the tour solidified Madonna's status as a "cultural tour-de-force and groundbreaking pop artist". Gina Vivinetto from The Advocate named it Madonna's best tour and wrote that, "until [Blond Ambition] came along, we had no idea what

21580-518: The story, although it was alleged that Jackson leaked an image of him sleeping in a glass chamber (according to Jackson, this was a promotional shot from an upcoming space opera featuring himself ) to The National Enquirer . It was also reported that Jackson took female hormone shots to keep his voice high and facial hair wispy, proposed to Elizabeth Taylor and possibly had a shrine of her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo denied all of them, except for Jackson having

21746-581: The tickets going on sale, earning the star US$ 37 million just from the Japanese leg of her tour. In North America, 482,832 tickets were sold in the first two hours during the pre-sale, grossing US$ 14 million. The first four dates alone were reported to have grossed almost US$ 1.5 million. In Los Angeles, the tour set a record at the Memorial Sports Arena ; tickets for the first three concerts were sold out in 45 minutes, and grossed US$ 456,720, becoming

21912-417: The time; around 4.5 million people tuned in. It was considered too racy for television, and during the concert Madonna told the cameras: "You know what I have to say to America? Get a fucking sense of humor, okay?". Soon after, the concert was released exclusively on LaserDisc , entitled Blond Ambition World Tour Live ; it earned Madonna her very first Grammy win for Best Long Form Music Video . One of

22078-430: The title tracks from his first two solo albums, sold well as singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day 's " Rockin' Robin ". Michael maintained ties to the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists ". They were frustrated by Motown's refusal to allow them creative input. Jackson's performance of their top five single " Dancing Machine " on Soul Train popularized

22244-505: The tour as "a roadshow version of the videos that have made her one of the world's biggest stars". Newsday ' s Frank DeCaro noted that, "in just over an hour and a half, [Madonna] juggles as many looks as she does a month's worth of international magazine covers", concluding that, "Blond Ambition is a night at the Roxy , the Pyramid and Studio 54 in its heyday, all rolled into one". From

22410-560: The tour revealed the "underlying contradictory tensions within dominant American culture vis-à-vis sexuality", and that it violated too many "fragile, middle-class sexual codes and boundaries". It has also left its mark on the work of subsequent pop acts; NME ' s El Hunt wrote: "Think of the whips and chains of Rihanna 's ' S&M ', Ariana Grande 's ' Side to Side ' and countless other pop greats who emerged post-Madonna, and traces of Blond Ambition linger in their every move". The music video for Lady Gaga 's 2010 single " Alejandro "

22576-455: The tour". The singer's brother Christopher Ciccone was selected as the tour's art director . He wrote in his autobiography Life with My Sister Madonna that she called him and said, "I'm going on tour, and of course I want you to dress me, but you think you ought to design the stage and art-direct the show as well". The tour's troupe was made up of seven dancers, two backup singers and eight musicians. Vincent Paterson , who had worked with

22742-490: The tour, calling it "one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity". The protests resulted in the cancelation of one Italian show. In Toronto, the police threatened to arrest Madonna over the performance of " Like a Virgin ", which featured her simulating masturbation . Nevertheless, Madonna continued the show unaltered. A number of concerts were recorded and broadcast, including the tour's final show in Nice, which aired as

22908-638: The tour. He also said despite the police being depicted as "real knobs" on the Madonna: Truth or Dare documentary, he felt they weren't acting that way. Kevin Stea, one of the dancers, said the troupe was willing to be arrested over the performance, calling it "the most powerful moment I ever felt with Madonna. As a team we were all together". The last concert in Nice , France, was recorded and broadcast on HBO as Live! Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour 90 . The rights to

23074-408: The tour: "I am Italian American and proud of it   ... The tour in no way hurts anybody's sentiments. It's for open minds and gets them to see sexuality in a different way. Their own and others [...] Like theater, [Blond Ambition] asks questions, provokes thought and takes you on an emotional journey, portraying good and bad, light and dark, joy and sorrow, redemption and salvation". Nonetheless,

23240-452: The video for her single " Vogue ", were the first to be selected. After sending a video tape to the singer, Madonna invited the pair to the Tracks nightclub for an informal audition. After his audition, dancer Carlton Wilborn was also asked by Madonna to meet her at a nightclub. He pointed out that she was "looking for very confident people – the best of the best – so I was acutely aware of how I

23406-418: The wardrobe, the singer contacted French designer Jean Paul Gaultier ; she was attracted to the designer's "irreverence and humor" and sent him a handwritten letter asking him to design the tour's costumes. Gaultier happily accepted. He was already an admirer of Madonna and expressed admiration for the fact that "when she was not so famous, she made her clothes herself [...] the visible bra, the transparencies,

23572-519: The wedding was a publicity stunt to deflect away from Jackson's sexual abuse allegations and jump-start Presley's career as a singer. Their marriage ended little more than a year later, and they separated in December 1995. Presley cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce the next month and only sought to reclaim her maiden name as her settlement. After the divorce, Judge Pérez said, "They lasted longer than I thought they would. I gave them

23738-485: The world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else". In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with PepsiCo in a $ 5   million promotional deal that broke records for a celebrity endorsement (equivalent to $ 15.3 million in 2023). The first Pepsi campaign, which ran in the US from 1983 to 1984 and launched its "New Generation" theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store displays. Jackson helped to create

23904-515: The years". From the same publication, Robert Hilburn opined that, "Madonna's Blond Ambition show comes equipped with enough high-concept, Broadway-like choreography and stage design to satisfy the most demanding stargazer in a crowd equally populated by style-conscious wanna-be's and simply curious mainstream fans". The Pittsburgh Press ' s Ron Miller called it "big, glitzy and full of elaborate production numbers and costume changes". Also from The Pittsburgh Press , David Hinckley compared it to

24070-592: Was "that of feminine sexuality as strength rather than titillation, as something owned by the artist not cashed in by the svengalis ", while according to Vulture ' s David Goldberg, " everything Madonna can be traced down to this cultural convergence: fashion, religion, sex, spectacle, and, of course, controversy". Set list and samples adapted per Madonna's official website and the notes and track listing of Blond Ambition World Tour Live . Act 1: Metropolis Act 2: Religious Act 3: Dick Tracy Act 4: Art Deco Act 5: Encore Adapted from

24236-400: Was a huge hydraulic platform, in which Madonna ascended at the beginning of each concert. The show was split into different thematic sections, each one with its own specific settings, divided by a curtain going up and down. To come up with the designs of each section, Madonna and her brother studied fashion and architecture from the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It was the singer's idea to incorporate

24402-450: Was abusive and said that the whippings, which had a deeper impact on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble. Michael said that during his youth he was lonely and isolated. Later in 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to the Jackson 5 . In 1965, the group won a talent show; Michael performed the dance to Robert Parker 's 1965 song " Barefootin' " and sang

24568-458: Was acknowledged as the first-ever global pop tour to use Broadway theatre production values with sets and a narrative 'arc'". On a similar note, Billboard ' s Jon O'Brien commented that, "no longer were audiences content to watch their pop idol simply play the hits. Elaborate production values and strong narrative arcs soon became just as integral to the superstar tour as the music itself". The Guardian ' s Mark Beaumont wrote that it "set

24734-453: Was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of music catalogs and song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included "Everyday People" (1968), Len Barry 's " 1-2-3 " (1965), and Dion DiMucci 's " The Wanderer " (1961) and " Runaround Sue " (1961). In 1984, Robert Holmes à Court announced he was selling

24900-415: Was certified eight times platinum in the US, and by 2018 had sold 32   million copies worldwide. In the US, the first single, " Black or White ", was the album's highest-charting song; it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and achieved similar chart performances worldwide. The second single, " Remember the Time " peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. At

25066-700: Was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief in the Ivorian village of Krindjabo , where he thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances. In January 1993, Jackson performed at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in Pasadena, California. The NFL sought a big-name artist to keep ratings high during halftime following dwindling audience figures. With 133.4 million viewers, it

25232-508: Was deemed a "visual love letter" to Madonna and the tour. Kylie Minogue 's 1991 Let's Get to It Tour was criticized for its similarities to Blond Ambition and branded a "parody". Further influence has been recognized by critics on Michael Jackson's 1992–93 Dangerous World Tour , as well as on the live performances of Pink , Beyoncé , Lady Gaga, Katy Perry , Miley Cyrus , Marilyn Manson , Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber . In order to record

25398-456: Was double sewn with elastic threads. For the Asian and North American legs of the tour, the singer wore a synthetic ponytail clip on extension , which was replaced by a curly hairstyle on the European leg. Construction for the stage cost approximately US$ 2 million. The stage was 80 x 70 feet long and needed over a hundred crew members to mount it and 18 trucks to haul it around. The centerpiece

25564-568: Was finalized on August 10, 1985. Jackson's skin had been medium-brown during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change drew widespread media coverage, including speculation that he had been bleaching his skin . His dermatologist, Arnold Klein , said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had vitiligo , a condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment. He also identified discoid lupus erythematosus in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year, and with vitiligo in 1986. Vitiligo's drastic effects on

25730-541: Was left alone to finish with a repeat of her line "Keep people together forever and ever". The tour received generally positive reviews from critics. In his book Madonna: An Intimate Biography , J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote that, "brazenly sexual dance numbers and religious imagery commingled in a fast-paced, tightly choreographed unforgettable extravaganza ". Similar thoughts were shared by Rolling Stone ' s Barry Waters. The Los Angeles Times said it highlighted "just how deep Madonna's repertoire has become over

25896-426: Was lowered from the ceiling. The fourth act, which featured scenic elements inspired by Art Deco skyscrapers, had a grand semicircular double staircase in the middle and backdrops that were cutout reproductions of Tamara de Lempicka 's paintings. Props included a grand piano and a huge cross lit with purple and orange lights. Belgian electronic music band Technotronic was signed as the opening act. The show

26062-541: Was marred by heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and high winds, which led to the production being drastically scaled back; this was documented on the tour documentary film, Madonna: Truth or Dare , where it appears that the weather did not prevent her audience’s enjoyment that evening. The remaining two shows went-on successfully as scheduled. Lady Gaga performed two sold-out shows at the venue in August 13 and 14, 2014, for her ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour. The stadium hosts

26228-460: Was pop's least flirtatious sex symbol", and deemed it "proudly uningratiating". In his review of the show in Gothenburg , Luis Hidalgo from El País expressed that, "the big question is knowing if Madonna sings live or not completely [...] The non-existence of natural gasping and agitated breaths reinforces this hypothesis, strongly denied by the organization". Author Lucy O'Brien was critical of

26394-444: Was preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It , Jackson died from an overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray , who was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter for his involvement in Jackson's death. His death triggered reactions around the world, creating unprecedented surges of internet traffic and a spike in sales of his music. Jackson's televised memorial service , held at

26560-440: Was presenting myself. When I made the cut, I knew it was a huge opportunity"; he described the rehearsals as being "like boot camp". The rest of the dancers selected were Oliver Crumes, Kevin Stea , Gabriel Trupin and Salim Gauwloos. Paterson stated that "instead of just presenting songs, Madonna and I wanted to combine fashion, Broadway , rock and performance arts". To allow greater movement while dancing and singing, she used

26726-496: Was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, which Jackson used to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money. Jackson's older sister La Toya accused him of being a pedophile; she later retracted this, saying she had been forced into it by her abusive husband. Police raided Jackson's home in August and found two legal large-format art books featuring young boys playing, running and swimming in various states of undress. Jackson denied knowing of

26892-411: Was second-rate. Each of the evening's 18 songs was expertly choreographed, and the lighting, staging and costuming were often spectacular". Writing for Maclean's , Brian D. Johnson expressed that, "[Madonna] performs with the ruthless, aerobic efficiency of a circus girl. As a singer, she has limited range. But she knows how to seduce a pop song [...] as she whips through her circus repertoire of poses,

27058-404: Was separated into five different sections: Metropolis , Religious , Dick Tracy , Art Deco , and an encore. It began with "Express Yourself", and included a lyrical sample from " Everybody " (1982) during the introduction. Seven bare-chested male dancers appeared from behind a steel structure and did a choreographed routine on the stage; towards the end Madonna appeared on a rising platform atop

27224-531: Was the first Super Bowl whose halftime show drew greater audience figures than the game. Jackson played " Jam ", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World". Dangerous rose 90 places in the US albums chart after the performance. Jackson gave a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey on February 10, 1993. He spoke of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood, and said that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought

27390-679: Was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna . It supported her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film Dick Tracy , I'm Breathless . The 57-show tour began on April 13, 1990, at the Chiba Marine Stadium in Chiba , Japan, and concluded on August 5 at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann in Nice , France. Additionally, it marked Madonna's first concerts in Sweden and Spain. Originally planned as

27556-489: Was upset by Mercury's drug use. "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was released in 2014. Jackson went on to record "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album Victory (1984). In 1982, Jackson contributed "Someone in the Dark" to the audiobook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . Jackson's sixth album, Thriller , was released in late 1982. It was the bestselling album worldwide in 1983, and became

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