The night 125,000 fans descended on Liverpool to see king of pop Michael Jackson
By
Lee Grimsditch 18:42, 24 JUN 2021 - Liverpool Echo
On Sunday, September 11 1988, Michael Jackson Moonwalked on stage at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool as part of the world tour to promote his album Bad
In scenes not seen since The Beatles' heyday, pop megastar Michael Jackson brought the city to a standstill when he brought his Bad Tour to
Aintree Racecourse.
That show on on September 11, 1988, wasn't the first time Michael Jackson had visited the city many regard as the world capital of pop music.
The Jackson 5 first came to
Merseyside back in 1972 when they played for excited fans at the
Liverpool Empire.
The group included 14-year-old lead singer, Michael, with the gig foreshadowing the future superstar he was later to become.
On the day of the sell-out Liverpool Empire concert, Joe - the dad of the band members - had to stop the performance on two occasions and plead for calm amongst the hysterical fans who were trying to storm the stage.
By the time he returned to Liverpool, 16 years after his first visit, excitement to see the 30-year-old superstar was on yet another level.
Michael had gone on to become the most famous person in the world and his performance at the racecourse was the final British date of his iconic Bad tour.
He arrived in Liverpool by helicopter at
Speke airport and his entourage travelled to the city centre in three black limousines under police escort.
During his stay, the superstar took over an entire floor of the Atlantic Tower hotel, requesting the then £100 a night Port of Liverpool Suite.
Down at Aintree Racecourse, 125,000 fans - who had each paid £16.50 for a ticket - poured into the venue, some having queued for hours to try and get the best view of the star.
Singer Kim Wilde was the support act, and [Jackson's] two-hour set included a Beatles medley in tribute to his Liverpool heroes.
The ECHO report of the concert published the day after said: "The mystery man of modern music kept us guessing about his arrival time right up to the end.
"Helicopters flying overhead and the flashing lights of passing police vans all caused a stir among fans desperate for the first glimpse of Michael Jackson - Superstar.
"When the Peter Pan of pop finally bounded on to stage at 8.15, he was greeted by a Scouse version of Close Encounters.
"Spotlights in the darkness illuminated a crowd equal to one-third of the population of Liverpool all there for the greatest sound and music show on earth."
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I didn't post a link bc they use the 'J' word which I will not tolerate so did copy and paste.
Thank you very much for the effort! Gonna watch them all later!
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