Jump to content

Victory Tour (The Jacksons): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
There are newspapers from both the 17th and 18th reviewing the concert from the previous days.
 
(608 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox concert tour
{{Short description|1984 concert tour by the Jacksons}}
{{Lead too long|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox concert
| concert_tour_name = Victory Tour
| concert_tour_name = Victory Tour
| image = Victory Tour Logo.jpg
| image = Victory Tour Logo.jpg
| image_name =
| image_size =
| image_size =
| alt =
| alt =
| artist = [[The Jacksons]]
| artist = [[The Jackson 5|the Jacksons]]
| location = North America
| location = North America
| type =
| type =
| album = ''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' <br> ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]''
| albums = {{unbulleted list|''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' (1984)|''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' (1982)}}
| start_date = {{start date|mf=y|1984|7|6}}
| start_date = {{start date|1984|7|6}}
| end_date = {{end date|mf=y|1984|12|9}}
| end_date = {{end date|1984|12|9}}
| number_of_shows = 47 in United States<br/>8 in Canada<br/>55 played
| number_of_shows = 55
| attendance = 2.5 million<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LfMeEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA359|title=Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me: A Search for Soul in the Power Pits of Rock and Roll|first=Howard|last=Bloom|date=15 April 2020|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4930-5168-7 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
| attendance = 2 million
| gross = US$75 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|75|r=2|1984}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US}}
| gross = US $75 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|75|1984}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US}}
| Misc = {{Extra tour chronology
| chronology = [[The Jackson 5|The Jacksons]] tour chronology
| Group = [[The Jacksons]]
| last_tour = [[Triumph Tour]]<br />(1981)
| Type = tour
| this_tour = '''Victory Tour'''<br />(1984)
| Last tour = [[Triumph Tour]]<br/>(1981)
| next_tour = [[Unity Tour]]<br />(2012–2013)
| This tour = '''Victory Tour'''<br/>(1984)
| Misc =
| Next tour = [[Unity Tour]]<br/>(2012)
}}
{{Extra tour chronology
{{Extra tour chronology
| Group = [[Michael Jackson]]
| Group = [[Michael Jackson]]
| Type = tour
| Type = tour
| Last tour = [[Triumph Tour]]<br/>(1981)
| Last tour = [[Triumph Tour]]<br />(1981)
| This tour = '''Victory Tour'''<br/>(1984)
| This tour = '''Victory Tour'''<br />(1984)
| Next tour = [[Bad (tour)|Bad]]<br/>(1987–89)
| Next tour = [[Bad (tour)|Bad]]<br />(1987–1989)
}}}}
}}}}


The '''Victory Tour''' was a [[concert tour]] of the United States and Canada by [[Michael Jackson]] and [[The Jacksons|The Jackson family]] between July and December 1984. It was the first and only tour with all six Jackson brothers (even though Jackie was injured for most of the tour). The group performed 55 concerts to an audience of approximately 2 million. Most came to see Michael, whose album ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' was dominating the popular music world at the time. Many consider it to be his ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' tour, with most of the songs on the set list coming off of his [[Off the Wall (Michael Jackson album)|''Off the Wall'']] album and from the ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' album. The tour reportedly grossed approximately $75 million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|75000000|1984}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) and set a new record for the [[List of highest-grossing concert tours|highest grossing tour]]. It showcased Michael's single decorated glove, black sequined jacket and [[moonwalk dance|moonwalk]].
The '''Victory Tour''' was a [[concert tour]] of the United States and Canada by the American pop band, [[The Jackson 5|the Jacksons]], from July to December 1984. It was the only tour with all six Jackson brothers, even though [[Jackie Jackson|Jackie]] was injured for some of it. The group performed 55 concerts to an audience of approximately
2.5 million.<ref name="auto"/> Of the 55 locations performed at, 53 were large stadiums. Most came to see [[Michael Jackson|Michael]], whose album ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' was dominating the music world at the time. Many regard it as his '''Thriller Tour''', with most of the songs on the set list coming from his ''Thriller'' and ''[[Off the Wall]]'' albums.


The tour reportedly grossed approximately $75 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|75|1984}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) and set a new record for the [[List of highest-grossing concert tours|highest-grossing tour]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-06-ca-6769-story.html|title=THE THRILLER OF 'VICTORY' : Snatching profit from the agony of the biggest, splashiest and most troubled rock concert tour in history.|first=Dennis|last=McDougal|date=6 January 1985|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref> It showcased Michael's single decorated glove, black sequined jacket, and [[moonwalk dance|moonwalk]]. The tour was choreographed by [[Paula Abdul]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Vena|first=Jocelyn|title=Paula Abdul Remembers 'Many Memorable Moments' With Michael Jackson|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1624943/paula-abdul-remembers-many-memorable-moments-with-michael-jackson/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724134420/http://www.mtv.com/news/1624943/paula-abdul-remembers-many-memorable-moments-with-michael-jackson/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2015|access-date=2021-02-27|website=MTV News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Parker|first=Lyndsey|date=2014-07-18|title=Paula Abdul's Favorite Choreography Moments of Her Career|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paula-abduls-favorite-choreography-moments-of-her-career-188247/|access-date=2021-02-27|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> and promoted by [[Don King]]. Despite the billing of being a 'world tour', the shows were staged to the United States and Canada alone.
Despite its focus on Michael, it was named after the newly released Jacksons' album ''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' although none of the album's songs were performed. Marlon confirmed this was because Michael refused to rehearse or perform them; in fact, he had only reluctantly joined his brothers, who needed the income while he himself did not. On the tour, tensions between Michael and his brothers increased to the point that he announced at the final show that it would be the last time they would perform together, ending plans for a European leg.


Despite its focus on Michael, the tour was named after the Jacksons' album ''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]''. The album was released four days before the tour's first show in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] and turned out to be a commercial success. However, besides some ''ad libbing'' during the show's encore, none of the album's songs were performed on the tour. [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]] had a successful new album out as well ([[Jermaine Jackson (album)|''Jermaine Jackson'']], also known as ''Dynamite'', which had been released in April 1984) and some material from that album was performed.
The Jacksons did make money from the tour, along with promoter [[Don King (boxing promoter)|Don King]]. Michael donated his share to several charities as he had promised before it, but the rancour between him and his brothers had a deep and lasting effect on the [[Jackson family|Jacksons as a family]], alienating him from them for most of his later life and it effectively ended the Jacksons as a performing group. The tour was also a financial disaster for promoter Chuck Sullivan, who along with his father [[Billy Sullivan (American football)|Billy]] was eventually forced to sell the [[New England Patriots]] football team they owned, along with [[Foxboro Stadium]], the team's home field, as a result of the losses he incurred.

According to [[Marlon Jackson|Marlon]], Michael refused to rehearse or perform any of the songs from ''Victory'' and was also reluctant on embarking on the tour himself; it took his mother [[Katherine Jackson|Katherine]] and fans to persuade him before he finally agreed. Marlon also stated that Michael had only reluctantly joined his brothers, who needed the income while he himself did not.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1996/07/12/jackson-5s-final-tour-was-12-years-ago/ |title=Jackson 5's final tour was 12 years ago |last=Meyers |first=Kate |date=July 12, 1996 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=January 5, 2019 |quote=But as of a month before the Victory tour's opening on July 6, 1984, the spirit of victory, not to mention the ''Victory'' LP itself, was nowhere to be found. Greed and disorganization ruled: Ticket prices, at $30 a pop, seemed out of reach of the group's inner-city fans, and a gaggle of promoters (including the infamous Don King) vied to run the show. Even the brothers themselves were at odds. "It was the parents' idea to bring them together because the other brothers needed money," says Michael Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli. "Michael didn't want to do it, but his mother appealed to him and he can't turn his mother down."}}</ref> On the tour, tensions between Michael and his brothers increased so much that at the December 9 concert he announced that it would be the last time they would perform together, ending plans for a European and Australian leg of the tour in the spring and summer of 1985.

The Jacksons and Don King still made money from the tour. Michael donated his share to several charities as he had promised prior to the tour, but the rancor between him and his brothers had a deep and lasting effect on the [[Jackson family|Jacksons as a family]], alienating him from them for most of his later life, and effectively ended the Jacksons as a performing group. The Jacksons made [[2300 Jackson Street|one more album]] in 1989, but Michael and Marlon only participated in [[2300 Jackson Street (song)|one song on it]], and aside from the [[Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration|concert celebrating Michael's thirty years as a solo artist]] in 2001, they never toured again during Michael's lifetime.

The tour was also a financial disaster for promoter [[Chuck Sullivan]] and his father [[Billy Sullivan (American football)|Billy]]; the losses from the tour eventually forced them to sell the [[New England Patriots]] football team they owned after [[Foxboro Stadium]], the team's home field, lapsed into bankruptcy.


==Background==
==Background==
[[File:The Jacksons, Victory Tour, Arrowhead Stadium, 1984.jpg|thumb|right|The Jacksons on stage at Arrowhead Stadium]]
In November 1983, The Jacksons announced plans for a major tour in 1984 at a press conference, with boxing promoter [[Don King (boxing promoter)|Don King]] offering $3 million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|3000000|1984}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) in upfront advances. That spring, the ''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' album was recorded, to be released shortly before the tour itself. On the eve of the tour in July, Michael announced, in response to complaints about the lottery system for allocating tickets, that his entire earnings for the tour would go to charities—The [[United Negro College Fund]], the Michael Jackson Scholarship Fund, [[Camp Good Days and Special Times|Camp Good Times]] for terminally ill children and the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research.<ref name="Michael Jackson (Music Icons (Taschen))">{{cite book|last=Crampton|first=Luke|title=Michael Jackson (Music Icons (Taschen))|year=2009|publisher=[[Taschen]]|isbn=978-3-8365-2081-2}}</ref>
In November 1983, [[the Jacksons]] announced plans for a major tour in 1984 at a press conference, with boxing promoter [[Don King (boxing promoter)|Don King]] offering $3 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|3|1984|r=1}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) in upfront advances. That spring, the ''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' album had been recorded, to be released shortly before the tour itself.


At the time the tour was announced, the Jacksons had not lined up a promoter for the shows. In the spring of 1984, Chuck Sullivan, son of [[Billy Sullivan (American football)|Billy Sullivan]] owner of the [[New England Patriots]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL), went to Los Angeles to see if he could get the Jacksons to choose the team's home, [[Sullivan Stadium]], which the family also owned, for the group's Boston-area shows. After using his financial and legal expertise to help his father regain control of the team he had founded and built in the wake of a 1974 [[boardroom coup]], the younger Sullivan, who had promoted concerts as an undergraduate at [[Boston College]] and during his Army service in Thailand, had begun staging concerts at the stadium to generate extra income for the team.<ref name="The League">{{cite book |title=The League: The Rise and Decline of the NFL |last=Harris |first=David |authorlink=David Harris (protester) |year=1986 |publisher=Bantam Books |location=New York City |isbn=0-553-05167-9 |pages=629–32}}</ref>
At the time the tour was announced, the Jacksons had not lined up a promoter for the shows. In the spring of 1984, [[Chuck Sullivan]], son of [[Billy Sullivan (American football)|Billy Sullivan]], owner of the [[New England Patriots]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL), went to [[Los Angeles]] to see if he could get the Jacksons to choose the team's home, [[Foxboro Stadium]], which the family also owned, for the group's [[Boston]]-area shows. After using his financial and legal expertise to help his father regain control of the team he had founded and built in the wake of a 1974 [[boardroom coup]], the younger Sullivan, who had promoted concerts as an undergraduate at [[Boston College]] and during his [[United States Army]] service in Thailand, had begun staging concerts at the stadium to generate extra income for the team.<ref name="The League">{{cite book |title=The League: The Rise and Decline of the NFL |last=Harris |first=David |author-link=David Harris (protester) |year=1986 |publisher=Bantam Books |location=New York City |isbn=0-553-05167-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/leaguerisedeclin0000harr/page/629 629–32] |url=https://archive.org/details/leaguerisedeclin0000harr/page/629 }}</ref>

The set list included songs from the Jacksons' albums ''[[Destiny (The Jacksons album)|Destiny]]'' and ''[[Triumph (The Jacksons album)|Triumph]]''. Despite the name of the tour, the ''Victory'' album was not represented.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jacksons - Victory Tour |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/victory-tour-4c0d7e4f-6cb6-4811-8de6-cd316d9391d4 |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=concertarchives}}</ref> There were also songs on the list from [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]]'s and [[Michael Jackson|Michael]]'s solo careers. Songs from Michael's albums ''[[Off the Wall (album)|Off the Wall]]'' and ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' were both represented. The set list did not include "[[Thriller (song)|Thriller]]" itself because Michael did not like the way the song sounded live, but it was later performed regularly during Michael's solo tours. "[[State of Shock (song)|State Of Shock]]" was also rehearsed during sound check but was never performed (although a snippet of Michael’s vocal was heard in leaked footage of the concert in [[Toronto]]).<ref>{{cite tweet|title="State of Shock" |user=jsugarfootm|number=1272042912134512645}}</ref> Jermaine sometimes performed the song "Dynamite" during his solo segment in place of the usual "You Like Me, Don't You?".


==Planning and organization==
==Planning and organization==
At a meeting, Frank DiLeo, a vice president of the Jacksons' [[record label|label]], [[Epic Records]], told Sullivan that the group's talks with its original promoter had broken down and they were seeking a replacement. Sensing an opportunity, Sullivan returned to Boston and began putting together the financing to allow Stadium Management Corp. (SMC), the Patriots' subsidiary that operated Foxboro Stadium, to promote the entire Victory Tour. Initially he partnered with [[Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr.|Eddie DeBartolo]], then-owner of another NFL team, the [[San Francisco 49ers]], in putting together a bid offering the Jacksons two-thirds of the tour's gross revenue against a guaranteed $40 million (${{inflation|US|40|1984}} million in modern dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}).<ref name="The League" />


DeBartolo withdrew from the bid when he began to see the deal as too risky. Sullivan persevered by himself, and in late April DiLeo told him at another meeting in Los Angeles that SMC, which had never handled a tour, would be the promoter of the year's most eagerly anticipated concert tour, expected to gross $70–80 million. The deal was very generous to the Jacksons. Sullivan had agreed that they would receive 83.4% of gross potential ticket revenues, which meant in practical terms that the group would be paid as if the show had sold out regardless of whether it actually did. That percentage was at least 25 points above what was at that time the industry standard for artists on tour.<ref name="The League" />
At a meeting, Frank DiLeo, a vice president at [[Epic Records]], the Jacksons' label, told Sullivan that the group's talks with its original promoter had broken down and they were seeking a replacement. Sensing an opportunity, Sullivan returned to Boston and began putting together the financing to allow Stadium Management Corp. (SMC), the Patriots' subsidiary that operated the stadium, to promote the entire Victory tour. Initially he partnered with [[Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr.|Eddie DeBartolo]], then owner of another NFL team, the [[San Francisco 49ers]], in putting together a bid offering the Jacksons two-thirds of the tour's gross revenue against a guaranteed $40 million (${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|40000000|1984|r=-3}}}} in modern dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}).<ref name="The League" />
[[File:Foxborostade.png|thumb|left|Foxboro Stadium, used as [[collateral (finance)|collateral]] to finance the tour, as seen shortly before its demolition in the early 2000s.|alt=An aerial view of a large sports stadium with a four-lane road next to it on the left and the beginnings of a similar structure at lower right]]
Sullivan also guaranteed the Jacksons an [[advance payment|advance]] of $36.6 million (${{inflation|US|36.6|1984}} million in modern dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}). He put Foxboro Stadium up as [[collateral (finance)|collateral]] for a $12.5 million loan to pay the first installment shortly before the tour started. The balance was due two weeks later.<ref name="The League" />


The month after winning the tour bid, Sullivan approached stadium managers at the NFL's meetings, many of whom were there to bid for future [[Super Bowl]]s. He sought changes to their usual arrangements with touring performers in order to make the Victory Tour more profitable. [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]'s [[Arrowhead Stadium]], home of the [[Kansas City Chiefs|Chiefs]], agreed to accept only a $100,000 fee for the three opening concerts instead of its usual percentage of ticket sales and [[Concession (contract)|concessions]]. The [[Gator Bowl Stadium|Gator Bowl]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[Florida]], provided nearly half a million dollars' worth of free goods and services. Ultimately, 26 of the 55 dates were played in 17 stadiums that were home to NFL teams.<ref name="The League" /> But some others balked at Sullivan's demands. To use [[John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia)|John F. Kennedy Stadium]], Sullivan asked the city of [[Philadelphia]] for almost $400,000 in tax breaks and subsidies. Among them were free hotel rooms and suites for all tour workers, free use of the stadium and waiver of concession revenue. He said the Jacksons' presence would generate revenue that would make up the difference, but the city stood firm on some provisions.<ref name="The League" />
DeBartolo withdrew when he began to see the deal as too risky, but Sullivan persevered by himself, and in late April DiLeo told him at another meeting in Los Angeles that SMC, which had never handled a tour, would be the promoter of the year's most eagerly anticipated concert tour, expected to gross $70–80 million. The deal was very generous to the Jacksons. Sullivan had agreed that they would receive 83.4% of gross potential ticket revenues, which meant in practical terms that the group would be paid as if the show had sold out regardless of whether it actually did. That percentage was at least 25 points above what was at that time the industry standard for artists on tour.<ref name="The League" />
[[File:Foxborostade.png|thumb|left|Sullivan Stadium, used as collateral to finance the tour, as seen shortly before its demolition in the early 2000s.|alt=An aerial view of a large sports stadium with a four-lane road next to it on the left and the beginnings of a similar structure at lower right]]
Sullivan also guaranteed the Jacksons a $36.6 million (${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|36600000|1984|r=-3}}}} in modern dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}) [[advance payment|advance]]. He put the stadium up as [[collateral (finance)|collateral]] for a $12.5 million loan to pay the first installment shortly before the tour started. The balance was due two weeks later.<ref name="The League" />


Outside of negotiations, Sullivan's behavior on tour embarrassed the Jacksons on some occasions. At [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]'s [[Robert F. Kennedy Stadium]], he forgot his pass and was denied entry.<ref name="Farinella column">{{cite news | last=Farinella | first=Mark | title=Jackson's part in Pats' history was real 'thriller' | url=http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/farinella-jackson-s-part-in-pats-history-was-real-thriller/article_e8e9f604-5ac2-5339-8ba2-d610c1da295c.html | work=[[The Sun Chronicle]] | date=June 27, 2009 | location=[[Attleboro, Massachusetts]] | access-date=September 25, 2012}}</ref> Sullivan was particularly humiliated when the [[board of selectmen]] in [[Foxboro, Massachusetts|Foxboro]], [[Massachusetts]], where his family's team and stadium were located, uncharacteristically denied a permit for the concert, citing "the unknown element". This was not only a major personal embarrassment for Sullivan, but also a crippling financial blow as it denied the family the use of the only facility where they would have kept all of the revenue from sources such as concessions and parking.
The month after winning the tour bid, Sullivan approached stadium managers at the NFL's meetings, many of whom were there to bid for future [[Super Bowl]]s. He sought changes to their usual arrangements with touring performers in order to make the Victory Tour more profitable. [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]'s [[Arrowhead Stadium]], home of the [[Kansas City Chiefs|Chiefs]], agreed to accept only a $100,000 fee for the three opening concerts instead of its usual percentage of ticket sales and [[Concession (contract)|concessions]]. The [[Gator Bowl]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]], provided nearly half a million dollars' worth of free goods and services. Ultimately, 26 of the 55 dates were played in 17 stadiums that were home to NFL teams.<ref name="The League" />


News writers suggested in retrospect that the board's decision was racially motivated. It was also stated that there had been continuing security concerns about the stadium during Patriots' games and previous concerts, but the board had never denied permits on that basis before.<ref name="Farinella column" /> Others pointed the possibility of lobbying from the Sullivans' business rivals, since the family had accumulated many enemies in the state of Massachusetts over years of often bitter struggle to keep control of the Patriots. In any case, Sullivan was acutely aware that staging any sort of large event in Massachusetts at the time was considered a privilege utterly dependent on the goodwill of the board of selectmen, and thus was in no position to antagonize them further by challenging their decision.
But some others balked at Sullivan's demands. To use [[John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia)|John F. Kennedy Stadium]], he asked the city of [[Philadelphia]] for almost $400,000 in tax breaks and subsidies. Among them were free hotel rooms and suites for all tour workers, free use of the stadium and waiver of concession revenue. He said the Jacksons' presence would generate revenue that would make up the difference, but the city stood firm on some provisions.<ref name="The League" /> Outside of negotiations, his behavior on tour further embarrassed the Jacksons on some occasions. At [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]'s [[Robert F. Kennedy Stadium|RFK Stadium]], he forgot his pass and was denied entry.<ref name="Farinella column">{{cite news|last=Farinella|first=Mark|title=Jackson's part in Pats' history was real 'thriller' |url=http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/farinella-jackson-s-part-in-pats-history-was-real-thriller/article_e8e9f604-5ac2-5339-8ba2-d610c1da295c.html|newspaper=[[The Sun Chronicle]]|date=June 27, 2009|accessdate=September 25, 2012}}</ref>


To help defray the tour's costs, the Jacksons sought a corporate sponsor. They had all but concluded a lucrative deal with [[Quaker Oats]] when King came to them with a deal he had already signed with [[Pepsi]]. Although it would pay them less money, the brothers were acutely aware that King was able and willing to shut down the entire tour if he were crossed. They thus had no choice but to take the deal with Pepsi and break off talks with Quaker.
Sullivan was particularly humiliated when the [[board of selectmen]] in [[Foxboro, Massachusetts|Foxboro]], where his family's team and stadium were located, uncharacteristically denied a permit for the concert, citing "the unknown element." What that meant has never been clear. It has been suggested that they were racially motivated. There had been continuing security concerns about the stadium during Patriots' games and previous concerts, but the board had never denied permits on that basis before.<ref name="Farinella column" />


To help defray the tour's costs, the Jacksons sought a corporate sponsor. They had all but concluded a lucrative deal with [[Quaker Oats]] when King came to them with a deal he had already signed with [[Pepsi]]. Although it would pay them less money, they had to take it and break off talks with Quaker. Part of the deal was that Michael, who did not drink Pepsi, would have to do two commercials. He made sure that his face appeared minimally in them to avoid overexposing his image. During filming of one of the two commercials, Michael suffered second and third degree burns on his scalp when a firework effect malfunctioned, catching his hair on fire. Many people, including friends and associates of his, believe this incident is what sparked his problems with prescription drug abuse.<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/29/local/la-me-ln-michael-jackson-aeg-20130426</ref><ref>http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2011/11/frank_cascio_book_pepsi_ad_to_blame_for_michael_jackson_drug_addiction.html</ref><ref>http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/10/michael-jackson-pepsi-commercial-burned-scalp-medical-records/</ref><ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
Part of the deal arranged by King was that Michael, who did not drink Pepsi, would have to do two television commercials. He made sure that his face appeared minimally in them to avoid overexposing his image, much to King's annoyance. During filming of one of the two commercials, Michael suffered second and third degree burns on his scalp when a [[pyrotechnics|pyrotechnic]] effect malfunctioned, catching his hair on fire. Many people, including friends and associates of Michael, believe this incident is what sparked his later problems with prescription drug abuse.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-xpm-2013-apr-29-la-me-ln-michael-jackson-aeg-20130426-story.html | title=Jackson's drug use started after Pepsi commercial, attorney says | first1=Corina | last1=Knoll | first2=Jeff | last2=Gottlieb | date=29 April 2013 | via=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2011/11/frank_cascio_book_pepsi_ad_to_blame_for_michael_jackson_drug_addiction.html |title=Frank Cascio Book: Pepsi Ad to Blame for Michael Jackson Drug Addiction |magazine=The Root |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122011036/http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2011/11/frank_cascio_book_pepsi_ad_to_blame_for_michael_jackson_drug_addiction.html |archive-date=22 January 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/10/michael-jackson-pepsi-commercial-burned-scalp-medical-records/|title=Never-Before-Seen Medical Records Reveal How Pepsi Fire Started Michael Jackson On The Road To Addiction|date=21 October 2013}}</ref><ref name="The Magic and The Madness">{{cite book|last=Taraborelli|first=J. Randy|title=Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009|year=2009|publisher=[[Hachette Digital]]|isbn=978-0-446-56474-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HNUr4CBd7ksC&q=victory+tour+Europe|author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli|access-date=September 22, 2012}}</ref>


==Ticket controversy and other business issues==
==Ticket controversy and other business issues==
King, Sullivan and the Jacksons' father [[Joe Jackson (manager)|Joe Jackson]] (who no longer managed any of his sons by now) came up with a way to generate additional revenue from ticket sales. Those wishing to attend would have to send a postal [[money order]] for $120 (${{inflation|US|120|1984|r=-1}} in modern dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}) along with a special form to a lottery to buy blocks of four tickets at $30 apiece (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|30|1984}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}), ostensibly to curtail [[ticket scalping|scalpers]]. Upon receipt the money was to be deposited into a standard [[money market]] account earning 7% annual interest; it would take six to eight weeks for the lottery to be held and money to be refunded to the unsuccessful purchasers. Since only one in ten purchasers would win the lottery and receive tickets, there would be more money in the bank for that time period than there were tickets to sell, and they expected to earn $10–12 million in interest.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
King, Sullivan and the Jacksons' father, [[Joe Jackson (manager)|Joe Jackson]] (who no longer managed any of his sons by that point), came up with a way to generate additional revenue from ticket sales. Those wishing to attend would have to send a postal [[money order]] for $120 (${{inflation|US|120|1984|r=-1}} in {{year}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}) along with a special form to a [[lottery]] to buy blocks of four tickets at $30 apiece (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|30|1984}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}), ostensibly to curtail [[ticket scalping|scalpers]]. Upon receipt the money was to be deposited into a standard [[money market]] account earning 7% annual interest; it would take six to eight weeks for the lottery to be held and money to be refunded to the unsuccessful purchasers. Since only one in ten purchasers would win the lottery and receive tickets, there would be more money in the bank for that time period than there were tickets to sell, and they expected to earn $10–12 million in interest.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />

Joe, [[Jackie Jackson|Jackie]], [[Tito Jackson|Tito]], [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]], [[Marlon Jackson|Marlon]] and [[Randy Jackson (The Jacksons)|Randy]] were all in favor of the scheme, but Michael was not and he warned them that it would be a [[public relations]] disaster. The $30 ticket already higher than most touring acts (namely [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] and [[Bruce Springsteen]]) charged at the time, was compounded by the requirement to buy four. This put tickets out of reach of many of his African-American fans who were not financially secure. That community was joined by many commentators in the media in vociferously criticizing the Jacksons over the scheme.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" /> Nevertheless, when newspapers published the form for tickets to the first show in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]'s [[Arrowhead Stadium]] in late June, fans lined up at stores before they opened to buy them. A local radio disk jockey said some newspapers were even stolen from lawns.<ref name="Newsweek review">{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Jim|title=''Newsweek'' Review of the Opening Night of The Victory Tour July 16, 1984|url=http://www.michael-jackson-trader.com/tours/victorytourreview.html|newspaper=[[Newsweek]]|date=July 16, 1984|accessdate=September 28, 2012}}</ref>


Joe, Jermaine, Marlon, [[Jackie Jackson|Jackie]], [[Tito Jackson|Tito]] and [[Randy Jackson (The Jacksons)|Randy]] were in favor of the plan, but Michael was not and warned them that it would be a [[public relations]] disaster. The $30 ticket price was already higher than most touring acts (such as [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] and [[Bruce Springsteen]]) charged at the time and was compounded by the requirement to buy four. This put tickets out of reach of many of Michael's [[African-American]] fans who were not financially secure. That community was joined by many commentators in the media in vociferously criticizing the Jacksons over the plan.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" /> Nevertheless, when newspapers published the form for tickets to the first show in Kansas City in late June, fans lined up at stores before they opened to buy them. A local radio [[disk jockey]] said some newspapers were even stolen from lawns.<ref name="Newsweek review">{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Jim|title=''Newsweek'' Review of the Opening Night of The Victory Tour July 16, 1984|url=http://www.michael-jackson-trader.com/tours/victorytourreview.html|newspaper=[[Newsweek]]|date=July 16, 1984|access-date=September 28, 2012}}</ref>
On July 5, 1984, after receiving a letter from eleven-year-old fan Ladonna Jones, who accused the Jacksons and their promoters of being 'selfish and just out for money,' Michael held a press conference to announce changes in the tour's organization and also to announce that his share of the proceeds from the tour would be donated to charity.


Jones later received VIP treatment at the Dallas concert. The following is Michael's speech at a press conference on July 5, 1984, the day before the tour began:
On July 5, 1984, after receiving a letter from eleven-year-old fan Ladonna Jones, who accused the Jacksons and their promoters of being "selfish and just out for money," Michael held a press conference to announce changes in the tour's organization and also to announce that his share of the proceeds from the tour would be donated to charity. Jones later received VIP treatment at the [[Dallas]] concert. The following is Michael's speech at the press conference:


<blockquote>
<blockquote>
''"A lot of people are having trouble getting tickets. The other day I got a letter from a fan in [[Texas]] named Ladonna Jones. She'd been saving her money from odd jobs to buy a ticket, but with the turned tour system, she'd have to buy four tickets and she couldn't afford that. So, we asked our promoter to work out a new way of distributing tickets, a way that no longer requires a 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 I decided to donate all my money I make from our performance to charity. There will be further press statements released in the next two weeks."''
A lot of people are having trouble getting tickets. The other day I got a letter from a fan in [[Texas]] named Ladonna Jones. She'd been saving her money from odd jobs to buy a ticket, but with the turned tour system, she'd have to buy four tickets and she couldn't afford that. So, we asked our promoter to work out a new way of distributing tickets, a way that no longer requires a 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 I decided to donate all my money I make from our performance to charity. There will be further press statements released in the next two weeks.
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


Afterwards, the procedures were modified, but all sales continued to be made by mail (except for the six final shows at [[Dodger Stadium]], where tickets were also sold through [[Ticketmaster]].) Tickets were typically made available only a week to ten days in advance, and many tickets ended up in the hands of ticket brokers.
Afterwards, the procedures were modified, but all sales continued to be made by mail (except for the six final shows at [[Dodger Stadium]], where tickets were also sold through [[Ticketmaster]]). Tickets were typically made available only a week to ten days in advance, and many tickets ended up in the hands of ticket brokers.

The ticket price remained unchanged and at a press conference, King justified the $30 price as appropriate and that he did not blame the promoters for charging that price, adding that "you must understand, you get what you pay for."<ref>{{Citation|last=CanalNostalgicodeTwo|title=Remembering the time: Victory Tour Special (part 1)|date=2010-04-26|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGq-mg80flU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/qGq-mg80flU |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|access-date=2019-07-09}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


===Financial difficulties===
===Financial difficulties===
[[File:Kansas City Arrowhead Stadium.jpg|thumb|right|Arrowhead Stadium, where the tour opened, as it appeared at the time|alt=A bowl-shaped concrete structure. In the middle is an oval sign with "Arrowhead" written on it in red letters.]]
[[File:Kansas City Arrowhead Stadium.jpg|thumb|right|Arrowhead Stadium, where the tour opened, as it appeared at the time|alt=A bowl-shaped concrete structure. In the middle is an oval sign with "Arrowhead" written on it in red letters.]]
The tour sold what was then a record number of tickets despite the high price.<ref name="kcs120423">{{cite news |first1=Suzanne P. |last1=Cole |first2=Tim |last2=Engle |first3=Eric |last3=Winkler |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |title=50 things every Kansas Citian should know |url=http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/19/3564081/50-things-every-kansas-citian.html |date=April 23, 2012 |accessdate=April 23, 2012}}</ref> The opening shows were widely covered in the national media and sold out. "Anybody who sees this show will be a better person for years to come", King told the media before the first date in Kansas City. "Michael Jackson has transcended all earthly bounds. Every race, color and creed is waiting for this tour."<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
The tour sold what was then a record number of tickets despite the high price.<ref name="kcs120423">{{cite news |first1=Suzanne P. |last1=Cole |first2=Tim |last2=Engle |first3=Eric |last3=Winkler |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |title=50 things every Kansas Citian should know |url=http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/19/3564081/50-things-every-kansas-citian.html |date=April 23, 2012 |access-date=April 23, 2012}}</ref> The opening shows were widely covered in the national media and sold out. "Anybody who sees this show will be a better person for years to come", King told the media before the first date in Kansas City. "Michael Jackson has transcended all earthly bounds. Every race, color and creed is waiting for this tour."<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />


Sullivan had estimated in June that he would make up to $13 million, but by August he had reduced that estimate by more than three-quarters, to $3 million. Transporting the 365-ton ({{convert|365|ST|disp=output only}}) stage Michael had designed, which took up one-third of a football field (approximately {{convert|19200|sqft}}), required over 30 [[tractor trailer]]s. It was so large it required using some of the seating area, in some venues taking as much as a quarter of the potential available seats off the market.<ref name="Farinella column" />
Sullivan had estimated in June that he would make up to $13 million, but by August he had reduced that estimate by more than three-quarters, to $3 million. Transporting the 365-ton ({{convert|365|ST|disp=output only}}) stage Michael had designed, which took up one-third of a football field (approximately {{convert|19200|sqft}}), required over thirty [[tractor trailer]]s. It was so large it required using some of the seating area, in some venues taking as much as a quarter of the potential available seats off the market.<ref name="Farinella column" />


Before the tour began Sullivan had spent nearly a million dollars on legal fees and insurance. Among the 250 workers on the tour payroll was an "ambiance director" who provided "homey touches" to the traveling parlor the group relaxed in before and after shows. [[Overhead (business)|Overhead]] costs were soon averaging around a million dollars a week, far over expectations, and Sullivan was unable to pay the $24 million balance on the advance. He renegotiated the deal down to 75% of gross potential seat revenues soon after the tour began.<ref name="The League" />
Before the tour began Sullivan had spent nearly a million dollars on legal fees and insurance. Among the 250 workers on the tour payroll was an "ambiance director" who provided "homey touches" to the traveling parlor the group relaxed in before and after shows. [[Overhead (business)|Overhead]] costs were soon averaging around a million dollars a week, far over expectations, and Sullivan was unable to pay the $24 million balance on the advance. He renegotiated the deal down to 75% of gross potential seat revenues soon after the tour began.<ref name="The League" />


===Tensions among The Jackson family===
===Jackson family tensions===
Tensions between Michael and his brothers increased during the tour. He stayed at his own hotels and flew between stops on a private jet while the rest of the family flew commercial. At one point he demanded that a publicist be fired and when he found out right before a show that she had not been, he refused to go on until she was. Michael had also been disappointed that his idol [[James Brown]] declined his invitation to join the group on stage at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City due to Brown's continued outrage about the ticket lottery.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
Tensions between Michael and his brothers increased during the tour. Michael stayed at his own hotels and flew between stops on a private jet while the rest of the family flew commercial. At one point he demanded that a publicist be fired and, when he found out right before a show that she had not been, he refused to go on until she was. Michael was also disappointed that his idol [[James Brown]] had declined his invitation to join the group on stage at [[Madison Square Garden]] in [[New York City]] due to Brown's continued outrage about the ticket lottery.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />


The other Jacksons also had grievances with Michael. He turned down a multimillion-dollar offer from a movie producer to film one of the shows that his brothers had accepted, only to have a crew he had hired show up to shoot its own film several nights later (they subsequently blocked its release). Despite a pretour agreement that only the Jacksons themselves could ride in the van chartered to take them to shows, Michael began taking child star [[Emmanuel Lewis]] along with them. Later, after a similar agreement over a helicopter that took the brothers to a show at [[Giants Stadium]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]], Michael showed up with [[Julian Lennon]] (son of slain ex-[[Beatles|Beatle]] [[John Lennon]]), and his brothers glared at him for the entire flight. Before the tour was halfway completed the brothers were taking separate vehicles to concerts.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
The other Jacksons also had grievances with Michael. He turned down a multimillion-dollar offer from [[Paramount Pictures]] to film one of the shows that his brothers had accepted, only to have a crew he had hired show up to shoot its own film several nights later (they subsequently blocked its release). Despite a pre-tour agreement that only the Jacksons themselves could ride in the van chartered to take them to shows, Michael began taking child star [[Emmanuel Lewis]] along with them. Later, after a similar agreement over a helicopter that took the brothers to a show at [[Giants Stadium]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford]], [[New Jersey]], Michael showed up with [[Sean Lennon]] (son of [[John Lennon]] and [[Yoko Ono]]), and his brothers glared at him for the entire flight.


The brothers all stayed on different floors of their hotels, and refused to talk to each other on the way to shows. Meetings broke down among factions, with two lawyers frequently representing Michael's interests, another Jermaine's, and one more for the other three. "It was the worst experience Michael had ever had with his brothers", said a longtime family friend. "Some were jealous, there was denial, the whole gamut of human emotions."<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
Before the tour was halfway completed, the brothers were taking separate vehicles to concerts,<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" /> staying on different floors of their hotels and refusing to talk to each other on the way to shows. Meetings broke down among factions, with two lawyers frequently representing Michael's interests, another Jermaine's, and one more for Jackie, Tito and Marlon. "It was the worst experience Michael had ever had with his brothers", said a longtime family friend. "Some were jealous, there was denial, the whole gamut of human emotions."<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />


===Other issues===
===Other problems===
Health issues also affected the tour. [[Jackie Jackson]] missed the first half with a leg injury, supposedly sustained during rehearsals. At one point Michael became so exhausted and dehydrated from the stress of quarreling with his brothers that he was placed under medical care.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
Health problems affected the tour. Jackie missed the first half with a leg injury, supposedly sustained during rehearsals. At one point, Michael became so exhausted from the stress of quarreling with his brothers that he was placed under medical care.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />


By the later shows on the tour, its novelty had worn off and the strains were having an effect. Although the ''Victory'' album was certified double platinum by the [[RIAA]] for sales of 2 million copies<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS/ |title=Recording Industry Association of America |publisher=RIAA |date= |accessdate=2012-01-12}}</ref>, the shows were increasingly failing to sell out. Dates planned for [[Pittsburgh]] were cancelled; extra shows in [[Chicago]] made up the difference. By early October, the time of the shows in [[Toronto]]'s [[Canadian National Exhibition Stadium|Exhibition Stadium]], a total of 50,000 tickets had gone unsold, so Sullivan renegotiated again, getting the Jacksons to agree to revenues based on actual sales.<ref name="The League" />
By the later shows on the tour, its novelty had worn off and the strains were having an effect. Although the ''Victory'' album was certified double platinum by the [[RIAA]] for sales of two million copies,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS/ |title=Recording Industry Association of America |publisher=RIAA |access-date=2012-01-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629082431/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS/ |archive-date=2012-06-29 }}</ref> the shows were failing to sell out. Dates planned for [[Pittsburgh]] were cancelled; extra shows in [[Chicago]] made up the difference. By early October, the time of the shows in Toronto's [[Canadian National Exhibition Stadium|Exhibition Stadium]], a total of 50,000 tickets had gone unsold, so Sullivan renegotiated again, getting the Jacksons to agree to revenues based on actual sales.<ref name="The League" />


Things did not improve as the tour reached its final leg on the West Coast. In late November, the shows at [[Sun Devil Stadium]] in [[Tempe, Arizona]], just outside [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], were canceled. Officially the reason was that [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]] was too sick with the flu to perform, but there was some speculation that slow ticket sales played a role as well. Sullivan was so short of cash he stopped payment on a $1.9 million check to the group after the [[Vancouver]] dates. Immediately afterwards, he suffered a minor heart attack, and left the hospital early to renegotiate with the Jacksons again, claiming losses of $5–6 million. By this time the parties were no longer meeting in person. The Jacksons agreed to waive the stopped payment in return for a greater share of revenue from the six final shows in [[Los Angeles]]'s [[Dodger Stadium]]. Sullivan's estimated profit was down to half a million dollars.<ref name="The League" />
Things got worse as the tour reached its final leg on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]. In late November, the shows at [[Sun Devil Stadium]] in [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]], [[Arizona]], were canceled. Officially the reason was that Jermaine was too sick with the flu to perform, but there was some speculation that slow ticket sales played a role as well. Sullivan was so short of cash he stopped payment on a $1.9 million check to the group after the [[Vancouver]] dates. Immediately afterwards, he suffered a minor [[heart attack]] and left the hospital early to renegotiate with the Jacksons again, claiming losses of $5–6 million. By this time the parties were no longer meeting in person. The Jacksons agreed to waive the stopped payment in return for a greater share of revenue from the six final shows at Dodger Stadium. Sullivan's estimated profit was down to half a million dollars.<ref name="The League" />


The Jacksons and Don King had made money even though Sullivan had not, and near the end of the tour they began making plans for a European leg. When word reached Michael, he let them know through his representatives that he would not be taking part. At the rain-soaked tour finale in Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium, after six sold-out shows, Michael announced at the end of the show, to his brothers' shocked expressions, that this would be the last time they all performed together. The plans to go to Europe were ended.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
The Jacksons and King had made money even though Sullivan had not, and near the end of the tour they began making plans for a European leg, as well as an Australian leg. When word reached Michael, he let them know through his representatives that he would not take part. At the rain-soaked tour finale at Dodger Stadium, after six sold out shows, Michael announced at the end of the show that this would be the last time they would all perform together, much to his brothers' surprise. As a result, the plans to go to Europe and Australia were ended.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
Michael's announcement generated some great backlash from his brothers.
Michael's announcement generated some backlash from his brothers. King stated:
{{blockquote|There's no way Michael should be as big as he is and treat his family the way he does. He feels his father done him wrong? His father may have done some wrong, but he also had to do a whole lot right&nbsp;... What Michael's got to realize is that he's a [[nigger]]&nbsp;... He's one of the megastars of the world, but he's still going to be a nigger megastar.}}
Don King's reaction was blunt:
Michael was so upset when he learned of King's remarks that he called his lawyer [[John Branca]] and demanded to “sue his ass”. Branca calmed him down and persuaded him to drop the idea.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
{{quote|There's no way Michael should be as big as he is and treat his family the way he does. He feels his [[Joe Jackson (manager)|father]] done him wrong? His father may have done some wrong, but he also had to do a whole lot right&nbsp;... What Michael's got to realize is that he's a nigger&nbsp;... He's one of the megastars of the world, but he's still going to be a nigger megastar. He must accept that. Not only must he understand that, he's got to accept it and demonstrate that he wants to be a nigger. Why? To show that a nigger can do it.}}
Michael was so upset when he learned of King's remarks that he called his lawyer [[John Branca]] and said "Sue the bastard. That guy has been pushing my last nerve since day one." Branca calmed him down and persuaded him to drop the idea.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />


Financially, the Jacksons themselves ended up making very good money based on excellent ticket sales and the financial deal they struck with Sullivan. The Jacksons netted approximately $36 million, which worked out to about $7 million for each brother, most of which they spent on expensive lifestyles. Michael, who alone did not need the money, donated his share of the proceeds from the tour, approx. $5 million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5000000|1984}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}), to three charities, as he had earlier promised, including the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research, The [[United Negro College Fund]], and Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times.<ref>[http://www.campronaldmcdonald.org Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times]</ref>. He had also received an $18 million advance (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|18000000|1984}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) from Sullivan for a Michael Jackson [[designer jeans]] brand, few of which were ever produced and sold before Sullivan had to stop production.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />
The Jacksons netted approximately $36 million, which worked out to about $7 million for each brother. Michael, who alone did not need the money, donated his share of the proceeds from the tour, approximately $5 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5|1984}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}), to three charities, as he had promised, including the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research, the [[United Negro College Fund]], and [[Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.campronaldmcdonald.org|title=Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times|website=www.campronaldmcdonald.org}}</ref> He had also received an $18 million advance (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|18|1984}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) from Sullivan for a Michael Jackson [[designer jeans]] brand, few of which were ever produced and sold before Sullivan had to stop production.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness" />


Estimates of SMC's losses have ranged from $13 million to $22 million (${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|13000000|1984|r=-3}}}} to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|22000000|1984|r=-3}}}} in modern dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}) Sullivan and his father quietly put the word out around the NFL that the Patriots and their stadium were for sale. Their $100 million asking price for the combined package made more sense when the Patriots qualified for [[Super Bowl XX]] after [[1985 NFL season|the next season]], the first time they had ever done so.<ref name="The League" />
Estimates of SMC's losses have ranged from $13 million to $22 million (${{inflation|US|13|1984}} million to ${{inflation|US|22|1984}} million in modern dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}). Sullivan and his father quietly put the word out around the NFL that the Patriots and their stadium were for sale. The $100 million asking price for the combined package made somewhat more sense when the Patriots unexpectedly qualified for [[Super Bowl XX]] after [[1985 New England Patriots season|the next season]], the first time they had ever done so.<ref name="The League" /> However, the immediate financial return for this achievement was limited especially since the team played entirety of the 1985-86 postseason on the road. Thus, even after reaching the Super Bowl, the team's revenue was not nearly enough for the Sullivans to service the debt from the Victory Tour.


An early deal for the team collapsed, and the Patriots limped on. Even after making the Super Bowl, the team's revenue was not nearly enough for the Sullivans to service the debt from the Victory Tour. At one point they were so close to [[bankruptcy in the United States|bankruptcy]] that the NFL had to advance them $4 million to make their payroll. Sullivan's woes increased when his wife filed for divorce, and he had to set up a luxury box at the stadium as his personal living quarters. He allegedly wrote several letters to Michael, begging the star for money to bail the team out, but Michael never replied.<ref name="Farinella column" />
Compared to their contemporary [[major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports league]] colleagues, the Sullivans were never particularly wealthy owners. Furthermore Foxboro Stadium, although only a thirteen year old facility in 1984, was one of the smallest venues in the NFL and already well into the process of becoming outmoded by league standards. At one point the Sullivans were so close to [[bankruptcy in the United States|bankruptcy]] that the NFL had to advance them $4 million to make their payroll. Chuck Sullivan's woes increased when his wife filed for divorce, and he had to set up a luxury box at Foxboro Stadium as his personal living quarters. He allegedly wrote several letters to Michael, begging for money to bail the team out, but Michael never replied.<ref name="Farinella column" />


The Sullivans finally gave up and sold the Patriots to [[Victor Kiam]] in 1988. However, Kiam was unable to keep himself or the team financially stable either, and eventually they were sold again in 1992 to [[James Orthwein]], who nearly moved the team to St. Louis before selling it in 1994 to [[Robert Kraft]], their current owner, under whose management have appeared in eight Super Bowls, winning five. Kraft had entered the picture some years earlier, when he bought Sullivan Stadium out of bankruptcy. He has a Victory Tour poster in his office as a reminder of how he was able to realize his lifelong dream of owning the Patriots.<ref name="Farinella column" />
Under heavy pressure from the NFL, the Sullivans finally gave up and sold the Patriots to [[Victor Kiam]] in 1988. However, Kiam was unable to keep himself or the team financially stable either, and eventually the Patriots were sold again in 1992 to [[James Orthwein]]. Meanwhile, Foxboro Stadium lapsed into bankruptcy and was purchased by Boston paper magnate [[Robert Kraft]].<ref name="Farinella column" /> Kraft used the stadium's lease as leverage to prevent Orthwein from breaking the agreement and moving the team to [[St. Louis]]. He further made it clear that he would go to court to enforce the lease's ironclad commitment for the Patriots to play in the stadium until 2001. Orthwein then put the team on the market, but the wording of the lease scared off potential buyers because they would also be required to negotiate with Kraft. With no other choice, Orthwein accepted Kraft's own $175 million offer to buy the Patriots in 1994.<ref name="Forbes2">{{cite news|last=Burke|first=Monte|date=2015-09-19|title=Unlikely Dynasty|work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2005/0919/122.html}}</ref> Kraft has a Victory Tour poster in his office as a reminder of how he was able to realize his lifelong dream of owning the Patriots.<ref name="Farinella column" />


==People==
==Legacy==
Aside from a few months in mid-1975, the Victory Tour era marked the only time that all six Jackson brothers worked together at the same time as a band. [[Jackie Jackson]] missed most of the tour because of a leg injury. That injury was described at the time as a knee injury incurred during strenuous rehearsals.<ref name="jet-840709">Jet Magazine; July 9, 1984 https://books.google.com/books?id=yLADAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA56&ots=m23wqSHXti&dq=jet%20magazine%20jackie%20jackson%20knee&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref> Margaret Maldonado (the mother of two of [[Jermaine Jackson]]'s children) has alleged that Jackie in fact broke his leg in an automobile accident: his first wife Enid ran him over in a parking lot after catching him with another woman. Jackie would recover, and was able to rejoin his brothers on stage for the last portion of the tour.<ref name="jet-840709" /><ref name="maldonado-book">Margaret Maldonado Jackson, "Jackson Family Values" ISBN 0-7871-0522-8</ref>
Aside from a few months in [[The Jackson 5 World Tour|mid-1975]] and [[Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration|Michael's 30th Anniversary Celebration concert]] in 2001, the Victory Tour was one of the very few times that all six Jackson brothers worked together at the same time as a band. Jackie missed most of the tour because of a leg injury, which was described at the time as a knee injury incurred during strenuous rehearsals.<ref name="jet-840709">{{cite magazine | title=Jackie Will Travel With Victory Tour, But Knee Won't Let Him Perform | magazine=Jet Magazine | date=July 9, 1984 | page=56 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yLADAAAAMBAJ&q=jet%20magazine%20jackie%20jackson%20knee&pg=PA1 | access-date=December 3, 2018}}</ref> Margaret Maldonado, the mother of two of Jermaine's children, has alleged that Jackie in fact broke his leg in an automobile accident: his first wife Enid deliberately ran him over in a parking lot after catching him with Paula Abdul. Jackie would, however, eventually recover and was able to rejoin his brothers on stage for the last portion of the tour.<ref name="jet-840709" /><ref name="maldonado-book">Margaret Maldonado Jackson, ''Jackson Family Values'' {{ISBN|0-7871-0522-8}}</ref> Michael sang all the lead vocals, except for a trio of Jermaine's solo hits.


[[Eddie Van Halen]] made a special guest appearance doing the "[[Beat It]]" guitar solo on July 13 in [[Irving, Texas|Irving]], [[Texas]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103091475/ "Newsmakers: Michael Jackson wins over his tough critic"], [[Fort Myers News-Press]], July 15, 1984, page 2A.</ref>
Michael sang all the lead vocals, except for a medley of Jermaine's solo hits.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}


Shortly after the tour ended and the announcement that it was the group's final tour, Michael returned to his solo career<ref>{{cite news |title=Jacksons Conclude Five-Month Tour |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=smcxAAAAIBAJ&dq=michael+jackson+the+jacksons+dodger&pg=PA4&article_id=7098,6314812 |access-date=March 6, 2022 |publisher=Ocala Star-Banner |date=December 10, 1984 |location=Ocala, Florida |page=4A |language=en}}</ref> and Marlon left the group to start a [[Baby Tonight|solo career of his own]].
[[Eddie Van Halen]] made at least two special guest appearances doing the "[[Beat It]]" guitar solo.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

Shortly after the tour ended, Michael returned to his solo career and Marlon left the group to start his own solo career without [[The Jacksons]].{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}


==Set list==
==Set list==
The following set list was performed during the tour.<ref name="MJFAQ">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BKlZCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT215|title=Michael Jackson FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of Pop|last=O'Toole|first=Kit|date=October 2015|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=9781495045981}}</ref>
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2016}}
The set list included songs from the Jackson's albums ''[[Destiny (The Jacksons album)|Destiny]]'' and ''[[Triumph (The Jacksons album)|Triumph]]''. Despite the name of the tour, the ''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' album was not represented. There were also songs on the list from Jermaine's and Michael's solo careers. Songs from Michael's albums ''[[Off the Wall (album)|Off the Wall]]'' and ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' were both represented. The set list did not include "[[Thriller (song)|Thriller]]" itself because Michael did not like the way the song sounded live (it was later performed regularly during Michael's solo tours).

{{hidden
| headercss = background: #ccccff; font-size: 100%; width: 70%;
| contentcss = text-align: left; font-size: 100%; width: 65%;
| header = Setlist
| content =
#"Sword in the Stone" <small>(Introduction)</small>
#"[[Wanna Be Startin' Somethin']]"
#"[[Wanna Be Startin' Somethin']]"
#"[[Destiny (The Jacksons album)|Things I Do for You]]"
#"[[Things I Do for You]]"
#"[[Off the Wall (Michael Jackson song)|Off the Wall]]"
#"[[Off the Wall (Michael Jackson song)|Off the Wall]]"
#"[[Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)|Human Nature]]" {{efn|contains intro excerpts from "[[Ben (song)|Ben]]")}}
#"[[Ben (song)|Ben]]" / "[[Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)|Human Nature]]"
#"[[This Place Hotel]]"
#"[[This Place Hotel]]"
#"[[She's Out of My Life]]"
#"[[She's Out of My Life]]"
#[[Jermaine Jackson]] Medley: "[[Let's Get Serious (song)|Let's Get Serious]]" / "You Like Me, Don't You?"/"Dynamite" / "[[Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)]]" <small>(with [[Michael Jackson|Michael]])</small>
#"[[Let's Get Serious (song)|Let's Get Serious]]" / "[[You Like Me Don't You|You Like Me, Don't You?]]" / "[[Dynamite (Jermaine Jackson song)|Dynamite]]" / "[[Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)]]"
#[[The Jackson 5]] Medley: "[[I Want You Back]]" / "[[The Love You Save]]" / "[[I'll Be There (The Jackson 5 song)|I'll Be There]]"
#"[[I Want You Back]]" / "[[The Love You Save]]" / "[[I'll Be There (Jackson 5 song)|I'll Be There]]"
#"[[Rock with You (Michael Jackson song)|Rock with You]]"
#"[[Rock with You]]"
#"[[Lovely One]]"
#"[[Lovely One]]"
#"[[Workin' Day and Night]]"
#"[[Workin' Day and Night]]"
#;Encore 1
#"[[Beat It]]"
#"[[Beat It]]"
#"[[Billie Jean]]"
#"[[Billie Jean]]"
#;Encore 2
#"[[Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)]]" {{efn|contain excerpts from "[[State of Shock (song)|State Of Shock]]" and "[[Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough]])"}}
#"[[Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)]]" (with excerpts from "[[Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough]]" and "[[State of Shock (song)|State of Shock]]")

{{notelist}}
}}
'''Notes'''
*Jermaine sometimes performed the song "Dynamite" during his solo medley in place of the usual "You Like Me, Don't You?"


==Tour dates==
==Tour dates==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of tour dates, showing date, city, country, venue, attendance, gross<ref>Box office score data:
* Kansas City (July 6–8): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-07-21.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=41|volume=96|issue=29|date=July 21, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Dallas (July 13–15): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-07-28.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=57|volume=96|issue=30|date=July 28, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Jacksonville (July 21–23), East Rutherford (July 29–31): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-08-11.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=49|volume=96|issue=32|date=August 11, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* New York City (August 4–5): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-08-18.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=29|volume=96|issue=33|date=August 18, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Knoxville (August 10–12): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-08-25.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=59|volume=96|issue=34|date=August 25, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Pontiac (August 17–19): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-09-01.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=47|volume=96|issue=35|date=September 1, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Orchard Park (August 25–26), Philadelphia (September 1–2): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-09-29.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=37|volume=96|issue=39|date=September 29, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Montreal (September 16–17): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-10-13.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=49|volume=96|issue=41|date=October 13, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Atlanta (October 26–27), Miami (November 2–3): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-12-15.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=36|volume=96|issue=49|date=December 15, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
* Vancouver (November 16–18), Los Angeles (November 30 – December 2): {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-12-22.pdf|title=Billboard Boxscore|page=41|volume=96|issue=50|date=December 22, 1984|issn=0006-2510}}
</ref>
|-
! scope="col" style="width:12em;"| Date
! scope="col" style="width:12em;"| Date
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| City
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| City
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Country
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Country
! scope="col" style="width:16em;"| Venue
! scope="col" style="width:17em;"| Venue
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Attendance
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Attendance
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Revenue
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Revenue
|- bgcolor="#DDDDDD"
| colspan=6| '''North America'''
|-
|-
|July 6, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 6, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]
|rowspan="26"|United States
|rowspan="26"|United States
|rowspan="3"|[[Arrowhead Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Arrowhead Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|45,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|135,000 / 135,000
|rowspan="3"|$4,050,000
|rowspan="3"|$4,050,000
|-
|-
|July 7, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 7, 1984
|-
|-
|July 8, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 8, 1984
|-
|-
|July 13, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 13, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Irving, Texas|Irving]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Irving, Texas|Irving]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Texas Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Texas Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|118,803 / 118,803
|rowspan="3"|40,000 (Per date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|$3,564,090
|rowspan="3"|$3,564,090
|-
|-
|July 14, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 14, 1984
|-
|-
|July 15, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 15, 1984
|-
|-
|July 21, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 21, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Jacksonville]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Gator Bowl Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Gator Bowl Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|45,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|135,000 / 135,000
|rowspan="3"|$4,050,000
|rowspan="3"|$4,050,000
|-
|-
|July 22, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 22, 1984
|-
|-
|July 23, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 23, 1984
|-
|-
|July 29, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 29, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford]]
|rowspan="3"|[[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Giants Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Giants Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|150,798 / 150,798
|rowspan="3"|44,282 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|$4,523,940
|rowspan="3"|$4,523,940
|-
|-
|July 30, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 30, 1984
|-
|-
|July 31, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|July 31, 1984
|-
|-
|August 4, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 4, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[New York City]]
|rowspan="2"|[[New York City]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Madison Square Garden]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Madison Square Garden]]
|rowspan="2"|17,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|32,000 / 32,000
|rowspan="2"|$960,000
|rowspan="2"|$960,000
|-
|-
|August 5, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 5, 1984
|-
|-
|August 10, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 10, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Neyland Stadium]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunbar |first=Hayden |title=Michael Jackson's Neyland Stadium concert drew fans, drama in Knoxville |url=https://eu.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/07/29/michael-jacksons-neyland-stadium-concert-drew-fans-drama-in-knoxville/74446216007/ |work=Knoxville News Sentinel |access-date=October 6, 2024}}</ref>
|rowspan="3"|[[Neyland Stadium]]<ref>http://www.knoxville.com/news/2009/jun/26/at-height-of-his-fame-jackson-thrilled-knoxville/</ref>
|rowspan="3"|148,407 / 148,407
|rowspan="3"|48,783 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|$4,452,210
|rowspan="3"|$4,452,210
|-
|-
|August 11, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 11, 1984
|-
|-
|August 12, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 12, 1984
|-
|-
|August 17, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 17, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Pontiac Silverdome]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Pontiac Silverdome]]
|rowspan="3"|145,000 / 145,000
|rowspan="3"|47,900 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|$4,350,030
|rowspan="3"|$4,350,030
|-
|-
|August 18, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 18, 1984
|-
|-
|August 19, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 19, 1984
|-
|-
|August 25, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 25, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Orchard Park, New York|Buffalo]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Orchard Park (town), New York|Orchard Park]]
|rowspan="2"|[[New Era Field|Rich Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Highmark Stadium (New York)|Rich Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|47,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|94,000 / 94,000
|rowspan="2"|$2,820,000
|rowspan="2"|$2,820,000
|-
|-
|August 26, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 26, 1984
|-
|-
|September 1, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 1, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Philadelphia]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Philadelphia]]
|rowspan="2"|[[John F. Kennedy Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia)|John F. Kennedy Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|60,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|145,000 / 145,000
|rowspan="2"|$4,350,000
|rowspan="2"|$4,350,000
|-
|-
|September 2, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 2, 1984
|-
|-
|September 7, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 7, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Denver]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Denver, Colorado|Denver]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Mile High Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Mile High Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|54,000 / 51,000 <ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|105,000 / 105,000
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2" {{N/A}}
|-
|-
|September 8, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 8, 1984
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 16, 1984<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sep 17, 1984, page 23 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1010638670/?match=1&terms=%22Michael%20Jackson%22 |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>
|September 17, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Montreal]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Montreal, Quebec|Montreal]]
|rowspan="2"|Canada
|rowspan="2"|Canada
|rowspan="2"|[[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Montreal Olympic Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Olympic Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|35,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|110,000 / 110,000
|rowspan="2"|$2,640,000
|rowspan="2"|$2,640,000
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 17, 1984<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sep 18, 1984, page 16 - Star-Phoenix at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/511873255/?match=1&terms=%22Michael%20Jackson%22 |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>
|September 18, 1984
|-
|-
|September 21, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 21, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|rowspan="4"|United States
|rowspan="4"|United States
|rowspan="2"|[[RFK Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|45,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|180,000 / 180,000
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="4" {{N/A}}
|-
|-
|September 22, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 22, 1984
|-
|-
|September 28, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 28, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Cincinnati]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Philadelphia]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Riverfront Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia)|John F. Kennedy Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2" {{N/A}}
|rowspan="2"| —
|-
|-
|September 30, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 29, 1984
|-
|-
|October 5, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 5, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Toronto]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Toronto, Ontario|Toronto]]
|rowspan="3"|Canada
|rowspan="3"|Canada
|rowspan="3"|[[Exhibition Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Exhibition Stadium]]
|rowspan="3"|47,288 / 47,288
|rowspan="3"|60,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|4,539,648<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA14|title=Top Boxscores
|rowspan="3"| —
|magazine=Billboard|date=22 December 1984|page=14|via=Google Books}}</ref>
|-
|-
|October 6, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 6, 1984
|-
|-
|October 7, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 7, 1984
|-
|-
|October 12, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 12, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Chicago]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Chicago]]
|rowspan="11"|United States
|rowspan="11"|United States
|rowspan="3"|[[Comiskey Park]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Comiskey Park]]
|rowspan="3"|40,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|120,000 / 120,000
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="5" {{N/A}}
|-
|-
|October 13, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 13, 1984
|-
|-
|October 14, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 14, 1984
|-
|-
|October 19, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 19, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Cleveland]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Cleveland Stadium|Cleveland Municipal Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Cleveland Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|50,000 / 44,000<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|94,000 / 94,000
|rowspan="2"| —
|-
|-
|October 20, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 20, 1984
|-
|-
|October 26, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 26, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Atlanta]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Atlanta]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium]]
|rowspan="2"|31,000 / 30,000<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|70,000 / 70,000
|rowspan="2"|$1,960,000
|rowspan="2"|$1,960,000
|-
|-
|October 27, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 27, 1984
|-
|-
|November 2, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 2, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Miami]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Miami, Florida|Miami]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Miami Orange Bowl]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Miami Orange Bowl]]
|rowspan="2"|68,000 / 66,000<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|120,788 / 120,788
|rowspan="2"|$3,382,064
|rowspan="2"|$3,382,064
|-
|-
|November 3, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 3, 1984
|-
|-
|November 9, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 9, 1984
|rowspan="2"|[[Houston]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Houston]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Astrodome]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Astrodome|Houston Astrodome]]
|rowspan="2"|40,000 / 40,000<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="2"|80,000 / 80,000
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2" {{N/A}}
|-
|-
|November 10, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 10, 1984
|-
|-
|November 16, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 16, 1984
|rowspan="3"|[[Vancouver]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Vancouver]]
|rowspan="3"|Canada
|rowspan="3"|Canada
|rowspan="3"|[[BC Place]]
|rowspan="3"|[[BC Place]]
|rowspan="3"|42,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
|rowspan="3"|180,000 / 180,000
|rowspan="3"|$2,896,800
|rowspan="3"|$2,896,800
|-
|-
|November 17, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 17, 1984
|-
|-
|November 18, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 18, 1984
|-
|-
|November 30, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 30, 1984
|rowspan="6"|[[Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="6" |[[Los Angeles]]
|rowspan="6"|United States
| rowspan="6" |United States
|rowspan="6"|[[Dodger Stadium]]
| rowspan="6" |[[Dodger Stadium]]
|rowspan="6"|55,000 (Per Date)<ref>http://www.billiejean.be/Tours/Victory_Tour.html</ref>
| rowspan="6" |300,000 / 300,000
|rowspan="6"|
| rowspan="3" |$4,200,000
|-
|-
|December 1, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|December 1, 1984
|-
|-
|December 2, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|December 2, 1984
|-
|-
|December 7, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|December 7, 1984
| rowspan="3" {{N/A}}
|-
|-
|December 8, 1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|December 8, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|December 9, 1984
|-
|-
|December 9, 1984
|}
|}


== Known planned shows ==
{{hidden
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
| headercss = background: #ccccff; font-size: 100%; width: 56%;
|+List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, and reason for cancellation
| contentcss = text-align: left; font-size: 100%; width: 56%;
! scope="col" style="width:12em;" |Date
| header = Cancellations and postponements
! scope="col" style="width:10em;" |City
| content =
! scope="col" style="width:10em;" |Country

! scope="col" style="width:16em;" |Venue
*09/03/84: [[Philadelphia]], United States, [[JFK Stadium]]; CANCELLED (Extremely bad weather conditions.)<ref name="news.google.com">https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VxgiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AaYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2710,3914465&dq=the+jacksons+victory+tour+philadelphia+rained+out&hl=en</ref> This show was rescheduled to September 28, 1984.<ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YrU_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=JFcMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5516,1771186&dq=the+jacksons+victory+tour+philadelphia+rained+out&hl=en</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:13em;" |Reason
*10/05/84: Philadelphia, United States, JFK Stadium; Cancelled and rescheduled to September 1, 1984 in mid-August. (Because the Labour Day weekend was more lucrative and did not fall during Yom Kippur, the most holy Jewish holiday.)<ref name="news.google.com"/>
|-
*10/06/84: Philadelphia, United States, JFK Stadium; Cancelled and rescheduled to September 2, 1984 in mid-August. (Because the Labour Day weekend was more lucrative and did not fall during Yom Kippur, the most holy Jewish holiday.)<ref name="news.google.com"/>
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|June 22, 1984<ref>{{cite news| title=Jacksons on the Way Michael's Mom Says Tour Includes Washington |newspaper=The Washington Post | date=22 May 1984 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/05/22/jacksons-on-the-way-michaels-mom-says-tour-includes-washington/dc113e4a-f9e4-4c5e-a7e0-7bc7c95fd356/ | access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/06/05/Rupp-Arena-officials-say-they-may-have-to-tell/2769455256000/ | title=Rupp Arena officials say they may have to tell... - UPI Archives }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/19/arts/start-of-the-jacksons-tour.html | title=Start of the Jacksons' Tour | work=The New York Times | date=June 19, 1984 }}</ref>
*10/13/84: Pittsburgh, United States, Three Rivers Stadium; CANCELLED (The show were moved to Chicago.)<ref name="ReferenceA">https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EwUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lGIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4475,3501996&dq=the+jacksons+victory+tour+pittsburgh+cancel&hl=en</ref>
|[[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]]
*10/14/84: Pittsburgh, United States, Three Rivers Stadium; CANCELLED (The show were moved to Chicago.)<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
| rowspan="19" |United States
*11/23/84: [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], United States, [[Sun Devil Stadium]]; CANCELLED (Jermaine Jackson had flu.)<ref name="ReferenceB">https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zLMOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sYIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4554,1758295&dq=the+jacksons+victory+tour+cancel&hl=en</ref><ref name="ReferenceC">https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ca9OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2UwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6472,3745940&dq=the+jacksons+victory+tour+phoenix&hl=en</ref>
|[[Rupp Arena]]
*11/24/84: Phoenix, United States, Sun Devil Stadium; CANCELLED (Jermaine Jackson had flu.)<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="ReferenceC"/>
| rowspan="17" {{N/A}}
* At the final concert in Los Angeles, Michael announced that the Victory Tour was the Jacksons' last tour. This came allegedly as a shock to his brothers and father, who had planned for the tour to continue in Europe.<ref name="The Magic and The Madness">{{cite book|last=Taraborelli|first=J. Randy|title=Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009|year=2009|publisher=[[Hachette Digital]]|isbn=978-0-446-56474-8|url=https://books.google.com/?id=HNUr4CBd7ksC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+magic+and+the+madness#v=onepage&q=victory%20tour%20Europe&f=false|authorlink=J. Randy Taraborrelli|accessdate=September 22, 2012}}</ref> According to other sources (at least on November 20, 1984) it was already publicly known that the tour would disband after its Los Angeles stop.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
|-
}}
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 2, 1984
| rowspan="2" |[[New York City]]<ref name="Jacksons List 10 More Tour Stops"/>
| rowspan="2" |[[Madison Square Garden]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 3, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 17, 1984
| rowspan="2" |[[Indianapolis]]<ref name="Jacksons List 10 More Tour Stops"/>
| rowspan="2" |[[Hoosier Dome]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|August 18, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 2, 1984
| rowspan="8" |[[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]]<ref name="Jacksons List 10 More Tour Stops">{{cite news |date=6 July 1984 |title=Jacksons List 10 More Tour Stops |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/06/arts/jacksons-list-10-more-tour-stops.html}}</ref>
| rowspan="8" |[[Kia Forum|The Forum]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 3, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 4, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 7, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 8, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 9, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 11, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|September 12, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 13, 1984
| rowspan="2" |[[Pittsburgh]]<ref name="Jacksons List 10 More Tour Stops"/>
| rowspan="2" |[[Three Rivers Stadium]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|October 14, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 7, 1984
| rowspan="2" |[[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]]<ref name="Jacksons List 10 More Tour Stops"/>
| rowspan="2" |[[Angel Stadium|Anaheim Stadium]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 8, 1984
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 23, 1984
| rowspan="2" |[[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Sun Devil Stadium]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Jermaine Jackson]]'s flu
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|November 24, 1984
|}


==Personnel==
==Personnel==

===Performers===
===Performers===
* [[Michael Jackson]]: [[singing|vocals]], keyboards
'''Lead Performers'''
* [[Michael Jackson]]: vocals
* [[Randy Jackson (The Jacksons)|Randy Jackson]]: vocals, percussion, keyboards
* [[Randy Jackson (The Jacksons)|Randy Jackson]] &ndash; [[singing|vocals]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]], [[keyboards]]
* [[Jermaine Jackson]]: vocals; [[bass guitar|bass]]
* [[Jermaine Jackson]]: vocals; [[bass guitar|bass]]
* [[Tito Jackson]]: vocals; [[guitar]]
* [[Tito Jackson]]: vocals; guitar
* [[Marlon Jackson]]: vocals; percussion
* [[Marlon Jackson]]: vocals; percussion
* [[Jackie Jackson]]: vocals; percussion (First performance during the Quebec concerts.)
* [[Jackie Jackson]]: vocals; percussion (First performance during the Quebec concerts.)
* Keyboards: Rory Kaplan, [[Patrick Leonard|Pat Leonard]] & Jai Winding
* Keyboards: Rory Kaplan, [[Patrick Leonard|Pat Leonard]] and Jai Winding
* Guitar: [[David Williams (guitarist)|David Williams]] & Gregg Wright
* Guitar: [[David Williams (guitarist)|David Williams]] and Gregg Wright
* Drums: [[Jonathan Moffett]]
* Drums: [[Jonathan Moffett]]


Line 395: Line 451:
* Assistant Coordinator: Marla Winston
* Assistant Coordinator: Marla Winston
* Production Manager: Peyton Wilson
* Production Manager: Peyton Wilson
* Assistant Production Managers: Gary Bouchard & Debbie Lyons
* Production Assistants: Marcene (Peterson) O'Bryen & Machan (Margret) Taylor
* Assistant Production Managers: Gary Bouchard and Debbie Lyons
* Stage Manager: Mike Hirsh
* Stage Manager: Mike Hirsh
* Assistant Stage Manager: Pee Wee Jackson
* Assistant Stage Manager: Pee Wee Jackson
Line 403: Line 460:
* Robotic Lighting: Design – Michael Jackson
* Robotic Lighting: Design – Michael Jackson
* Eidophor Video Projection: M.B. Productions, Inc.
* Eidophor Video Projection: M.B. Productions, Inc.
* Design Execution & Manufacturing: Applied Entertainment Systems
* Design execution and manufacturing: Applied Entertainment Systems
* Lighting Company: TASCO
* Lighting Company: TASCO, MORPHEUS LIGHTS INC.
* Site Coordinators : Bugzee Hougdahl & Jose Ward
* Sound Company: Clair Brothers Audio
* Sound Company: Clair Brothers Audio
* House Mixers: [[ML Procise]] & Mike Stahl
* House Mixers: [[ML Procise]] and Mike Stahl
* Monitor engineer: Rick Coberly
* Monitor engineer: Rick Coberly
* Laser Effects: Showlasers, Inc., Dallas, Texas
* Laser Effects: Showlasers, Inc., Dallas, Texas
Line 414: Line 470:
* Musicians Costumes Design: Enid Jackson
* Musicians Costumes Design: Enid Jackson
* Magical Illusions: Franz Harary
* Magical Illusions: Franz Harary
* Tour Photographer: Harrison Funk
* Video Director: Sandy Fullerton
*Video Director: Sandy Fullerton
* Jackson Crew Sportswear: [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]
* Jackson Crew Sportswear: [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]
* Community Affairs: Harold Preston
* Community Affairs: Harold Preston
* Consultant to Community Affairs: Cynthia Wilson
* Consultant to Community Affairs: Cynthia Wilson
* Pyrotechnics Director: John Watkins


== See also ==
{{Portal|1980s}}
* [[List of highest-grossing concert tours]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002shnj Image of The Jacksons performing on stage in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium during the Victory Tour, 1984]. [[Los Angeles Times]] Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, [[Charles E. Young Research Library]], [[University of California, Los Angeles]].


{{The Jackson 5}}
{{The Jackson 5}}
{{Michael Jackson}}
{{Thriller (album)}}
{{Portalbar|1980s}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Victory Tour (The Jacksons Tour)}}
[[Category:The Jacksons concert tours]]
[[Category:The Jacksons concert tours]]
[[Category:1984 concert tours]]
[[Category:1984 concert tours]]
[[Category:Farewell concert tours]]

Latest revision as of 03:29, 6 January 2025

Victory Tour
Tour by the Jacksons
LocationNorth America
Associated albums
Start dateJuly 6, 1984 (1984-07-06)
End dateDecember 9, 1984 (1984-12-09)
No. of shows55
Attendance2.5 million[1]
Box officeUS $75 million ($220 million in 2023 dollars)[2]
The Jacksons tour chronology
Michael Jackson tour chronology
Triumph Tour
(1981)
Victory Tour
(1984)
Bad
(1987–1989)

The Victory Tour was a concert tour of the United States and Canada by the American pop band, the Jacksons, from July to December 1984. It was the only tour with all six Jackson brothers, even though Jackie was injured for some of it. The group performed 55 concerts to an audience of approximately 2.5 million.[1] Of the 55 locations performed at, 53 were large stadiums. Most came to see Michael, whose album Thriller was dominating the music world at the time. Many regard it as his Thriller Tour, with most of the songs on the set list coming from his Thriller and Off the Wall albums.

The tour reportedly grossed approximately $75 million ($220 million in 2023 dollars[2]) and set a new record for the highest-grossing tour.[3] It showcased Michael's single decorated glove, black sequined jacket, and moonwalk. The tour was choreographed by Paula Abdul,[4][5] and promoted by Don King. Despite the billing of being a 'world tour', the shows were staged to the United States and Canada alone.

Despite its focus on Michael, the tour was named after the Jacksons' album Victory. The album was released four days before the tour's first show in Kansas City and turned out to be a commercial success. However, besides some ad libbing during the show's encore, none of the album's songs were performed on the tour. Jermaine had a successful new album out as well (Jermaine Jackson, also known as Dynamite, which had been released in April 1984) and some material from that album was performed.

According to Marlon, Michael refused to rehearse or perform any of the songs from Victory and was also reluctant on embarking on the tour himself; it took his mother Katherine and fans to persuade him before he finally agreed. Marlon also stated that Michael had only reluctantly joined his brothers, who needed the income while he himself did not.[6] On the tour, tensions between Michael and his brothers increased so much that at the December 9 concert he announced that it would be the last time they would perform together, ending plans for a European and Australian leg of the tour in the spring and summer of 1985.

The Jacksons and Don King still made money from the tour. Michael donated his share to several charities as he had promised prior to the tour, but the rancor between him and his brothers had a deep and lasting effect on the Jacksons as a family, alienating him from them for most of his later life, and effectively ended the Jacksons as a performing group. The Jacksons made one more album in 1989, but Michael and Marlon only participated in one song on it, and aside from the concert celebrating Michael's thirty years as a solo artist in 2001, they never toured again during Michael's lifetime.

The tour was also a financial disaster for promoter Chuck Sullivan and his father Billy; the losses from the tour eventually forced them to sell the New England Patriots football team they owned after Foxboro Stadium, the team's home field, lapsed into bankruptcy.

Background

[edit]
The Jacksons on stage at Arrowhead Stadium

In November 1983, the Jacksons announced plans for a major tour in 1984 at a press conference, with boxing promoter Don King offering $3 million ($8.8 million in 2023 dollars[2]) in upfront advances. That spring, the Victory album had been recorded, to be released shortly before the tour itself.

At the time the tour was announced, the Jacksons had not lined up a promoter for the shows. In the spring of 1984, Chuck Sullivan, son of Billy Sullivan, owner of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL), went to Los Angeles to see if he could get the Jacksons to choose the team's home, Foxboro Stadium, which the family also owned, for the group's Boston-area shows. After using his financial and legal expertise to help his father regain control of the team he had founded and built in the wake of a 1974 boardroom coup, the younger Sullivan, who had promoted concerts as an undergraduate at Boston College and during his United States Army service in Thailand, had begun staging concerts at the stadium to generate extra income for the team.[7]

The set list included songs from the Jacksons' albums Destiny and Triumph. Despite the name of the tour, the Victory album was not represented.[8] There were also songs on the list from Jermaine's and Michael's solo careers. Songs from Michael's albums Off the Wall and Thriller were both represented. The set list did not include "Thriller" itself because Michael did not like the way the song sounded live, but it was later performed regularly during Michael's solo tours. "State Of Shock" was also rehearsed during sound check but was never performed (although a snippet of Michael’s vocal was heard in leaked footage of the concert in Toronto).[9] Jermaine sometimes performed the song "Dynamite" during his solo segment in place of the usual "You Like Me, Don't You?".

Planning and organization

[edit]

At a meeting, Frank DiLeo, a vice president of the Jacksons' label, Epic Records, told Sullivan that the group's talks with its original promoter had broken down and they were seeking a replacement. Sensing an opportunity, Sullivan returned to Boston and began putting together the financing to allow Stadium Management Corp. (SMC), the Patriots' subsidiary that operated Foxboro Stadium, to promote the entire Victory Tour. Initially he partnered with Eddie DeBartolo, then-owner of another NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers, in putting together a bid offering the Jacksons two-thirds of the tour's gross revenue against a guaranteed $40 million ($117 million in modern dollars[2]).[7]

DeBartolo withdrew from the bid when he began to see the deal as too risky. Sullivan persevered by himself, and in late April DiLeo told him at another meeting in Los Angeles that SMC, which had never handled a tour, would be the promoter of the year's most eagerly anticipated concert tour, expected to gross $70–80 million. The deal was very generous to the Jacksons. Sullivan had agreed that they would receive 83.4% of gross potential ticket revenues, which meant in practical terms that the group would be paid as if the show had sold out regardless of whether it actually did. That percentage was at least 25 points above what was at that time the industry standard for artists on tour.[7]

An aerial view of a large sports stadium with a four-lane road next to it on the left and the beginnings of a similar structure at lower right
Foxboro Stadium, used as collateral to finance the tour, as seen shortly before its demolition in the early 2000s.

Sullivan also guaranteed the Jacksons an advance of $36.6 million ($107 million in modern dollars[2]). He put Foxboro Stadium up as collateral for a $12.5 million loan to pay the first installment shortly before the tour started. The balance was due two weeks later.[7]

The month after winning the tour bid, Sullivan approached stadium managers at the NFL's meetings, many of whom were there to bid for future Super Bowls. He sought changes to their usual arrangements with touring performers in order to make the Victory Tour more profitable. Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs, agreed to accept only a $100,000 fee for the three opening concerts instead of its usual percentage of ticket sales and concessions. The Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, provided nearly half a million dollars' worth of free goods and services. Ultimately, 26 of the 55 dates were played in 17 stadiums that were home to NFL teams.[7] But some others balked at Sullivan's demands. To use John F. Kennedy Stadium, Sullivan asked the city of Philadelphia for almost $400,000 in tax breaks and subsidies. Among them were free hotel rooms and suites for all tour workers, free use of the stadium and waiver of concession revenue. He said the Jacksons' presence would generate revenue that would make up the difference, but the city stood firm on some provisions.[7]

Outside of negotiations, Sullivan's behavior on tour embarrassed the Jacksons on some occasions. At Washington's Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, he forgot his pass and was denied entry.[10] Sullivan was particularly humiliated when the board of selectmen in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where his family's team and stadium were located, uncharacteristically denied a permit for the concert, citing "the unknown element". This was not only a major personal embarrassment for Sullivan, but also a crippling financial blow as it denied the family the use of the only facility where they would have kept all of the revenue from sources such as concessions and parking.

News writers suggested in retrospect that the board's decision was racially motivated. It was also stated that there had been continuing security concerns about the stadium during Patriots' games and previous concerts, but the board had never denied permits on that basis before.[10] Others pointed the possibility of lobbying from the Sullivans' business rivals, since the family had accumulated many enemies in the state of Massachusetts over years of often bitter struggle to keep control of the Patriots. In any case, Sullivan was acutely aware that staging any sort of large event in Massachusetts at the time was considered a privilege utterly dependent on the goodwill of the board of selectmen, and thus was in no position to antagonize them further by challenging their decision.

To help defray the tour's costs, the Jacksons sought a corporate sponsor. They had all but concluded a lucrative deal with Quaker Oats when King came to them with a deal he had already signed with Pepsi. Although it would pay them less money, the brothers were acutely aware that King was able and willing to shut down the entire tour if he were crossed. They thus had no choice but to take the deal with Pepsi and break off talks with Quaker.

Part of the deal arranged by King was that Michael, who did not drink Pepsi, would have to do two television commercials. He made sure that his face appeared minimally in them to avoid overexposing his image, much to King's annoyance. During filming of one of the two commercials, Michael suffered second and third degree burns on his scalp when a pyrotechnic effect malfunctioned, catching his hair on fire. Many people, including friends and associates of Michael, believe this incident is what sparked his later problems with prescription drug abuse.[11][12][13][14]

Ticket controversy and other business issues

[edit]

King, Sullivan and the Jacksons' father, Joe Jackson (who no longer managed any of his sons by that point), came up with a way to generate additional revenue from ticket sales. Those wishing to attend would have to send a postal money order for $120 ($350 in 2025 dollars[2]) along with a special form to a lottery to buy blocks of four tickets at $30 apiece (US$88 in 2023 dollars[2]), ostensibly to curtail scalpers. Upon receipt the money was to be deposited into a standard money market account earning 7% annual interest; it would take six to eight weeks for the lottery to be held and money to be refunded to the unsuccessful purchasers. Since only one in ten purchasers would win the lottery and receive tickets, there would be more money in the bank for that time period than there were tickets to sell, and they expected to earn $10–12 million in interest.[14]

Joe, Jermaine, Marlon, Jackie, Tito and Randy were in favor of the plan, but Michael was not and warned them that it would be a public relations disaster. The $30 ticket price was already higher than most touring acts (such as Prince and Bruce Springsteen) charged at the time and was compounded by the requirement to buy four. This put tickets out of reach of many of Michael's African-American fans who were not financially secure. That community was joined by many commentators in the media in vociferously criticizing the Jacksons over the plan.[14] Nevertheless, when newspapers published the form for tickets to the first show in Kansas City in late June, fans lined up at stores before they opened to buy them. A local radio disk jockey said some newspapers were even stolen from lawns.[15]

On July 5, 1984, after receiving a letter from eleven-year-old fan Ladonna Jones, who accused the Jacksons and their promoters of being "selfish and just out for money," Michael held a press conference to announce changes in the tour's organization and also to announce that his share of the proceeds from the tour would be donated to charity. Jones later received VIP treatment at the Dallas concert. The following is Michael's speech at the press conference:

A lot of people are having trouble getting tickets. The other day I got a letter from a fan in Texas named Ladonna Jones. She'd been saving her money from odd jobs to buy a ticket, but with the turned tour system, she'd have to buy four tickets and she couldn't afford that. So, we asked our promoter to work out a new way of distributing tickets, a way that no longer requires a 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 I decided to donate all my money I make from our performance to charity. There will be further press statements released in the next two weeks.

Afterwards, the procedures were modified, but all sales continued to be made by mail (except for the six final shows at Dodger Stadium, where tickets were also sold through Ticketmaster). Tickets were typically made available only a week to ten days in advance, and many tickets ended up in the hands of ticket brokers.

The ticket price remained unchanged and at a press conference, King justified the $30 price as appropriate and that he did not blame the promoters for charging that price, adding that "you must understand, you get what you pay for."[16]

Financial difficulties

[edit]
A bowl-shaped concrete structure. In the middle is an oval sign with "Arrowhead" written on it in red letters.
Arrowhead Stadium, where the tour opened, as it appeared at the time

The tour sold what was then a record number of tickets despite the high price.[17] The opening shows were widely covered in the national media and sold out. "Anybody who sees this show will be a better person for years to come", King told the media before the first date in Kansas City. "Michael Jackson has transcended all earthly bounds. Every race, color and creed is waiting for this tour."[14]

Sullivan had estimated in June that he would make up to $13 million, but by August he had reduced that estimate by more than three-quarters, to $3 million. Transporting the 365-ton (331 t) stage Michael had designed, which took up one-third of a football field (approximately 19,200 square feet (1,780 m2)), required over thirty tractor trailers. It was so large it required using some of the seating area, in some venues taking as much as a quarter of the potential available seats off the market.[10]

Before the tour began Sullivan had spent nearly a million dollars on legal fees and insurance. Among the 250 workers on the tour payroll was an "ambiance director" who provided "homey touches" to the traveling parlor the group relaxed in before and after shows. Overhead costs were soon averaging around a million dollars a week, far over expectations, and Sullivan was unable to pay the $24 million balance on the advance. He renegotiated the deal down to 75% of gross potential seat revenues soon after the tour began.[7]

Jackson family tensions

[edit]

Tensions between Michael and his brothers increased during the tour. Michael stayed at his own hotels and flew between stops on a private jet while the rest of the family flew commercial. At one point he demanded that a publicist be fired and, when he found out right before a show that she had not been, he refused to go on until she was. Michael was also disappointed that his idol James Brown had declined his invitation to join the group on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City due to Brown's continued outrage about the ticket lottery.[14]

The other Jacksons also had grievances with Michael. He turned down a multimillion-dollar offer from Paramount Pictures to film one of the shows that his brothers had accepted, only to have a crew he had hired show up to shoot its own film several nights later (they subsequently blocked its release). Despite a pre-tour agreement that only the Jacksons themselves could ride in the van chartered to take them to shows, Michael began taking child star Emmanuel Lewis along with them. Later, after a similar agreement over a helicopter that took the brothers to a show at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Michael showed up with Sean Lennon (son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono), and his brothers glared at him for the entire flight.

Before the tour was halfway completed, the brothers were taking separate vehicles to concerts,[14] staying on different floors of their hotels and refusing to talk to each other on the way to shows. Meetings broke down among factions, with two lawyers frequently representing Michael's interests, another Jermaine's, and one more for Jackie, Tito and Marlon. "It was the worst experience Michael had ever had with his brothers", said a longtime family friend. "Some were jealous, there was denial, the whole gamut of human emotions."[14]

Other problems

[edit]

Health problems affected the tour. Jackie missed the first half with a leg injury, supposedly sustained during rehearsals. At one point, Michael became so exhausted from the stress of quarreling with his brothers that he was placed under medical care.[14]

By the later shows on the tour, its novelty had worn off and the strains were having an effect. Although the Victory album was certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales of two million copies,[18] the shows were failing to sell out. Dates planned for Pittsburgh were cancelled; extra shows in Chicago made up the difference. By early October, the time of the shows in Toronto's Exhibition Stadium, a total of 50,000 tickets had gone unsold, so Sullivan renegotiated again, getting the Jacksons to agree to revenues based on actual sales.[7]

Things got worse as the tour reached its final leg on the West Coast. In late November, the shows at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, were canceled. Officially the reason was that Jermaine was too sick with the flu to perform, but there was some speculation that slow ticket sales played a role as well. Sullivan was so short of cash he stopped payment on a $1.9 million check to the group after the Vancouver dates. Immediately afterwards, he suffered a minor heart attack and left the hospital early to renegotiate with the Jacksons again, claiming losses of $5–6 million. By this time the parties were no longer meeting in person. The Jacksons agreed to waive the stopped payment in return for a greater share of revenue from the six final shows at Dodger Stadium. Sullivan's estimated profit was down to half a million dollars.[7]

The Jacksons and King had made money even though Sullivan had not, and near the end of the tour they began making plans for a European leg, as well as an Australian leg. When word reached Michael, he let them know through his representatives that he would not take part. At the rain-soaked tour finale at Dodger Stadium, after six sold out shows, Michael announced at the end of the show that this would be the last time they would all perform together, much to his brothers' surprise. As a result, the plans to go to Europe and Australia were ended.[14]

Aftermath

[edit]

Michael's announcement generated some backlash from his brothers. King stated:

There's no way Michael should be as big as he is and treat his family the way he does. He feels his father done him wrong? His father may have done some wrong, but he also had to do a whole lot right ... What Michael's got to realize is that he's a nigger ... He's one of the megastars of the world, but he's still going to be a nigger megastar.

Michael was so upset when he learned of King's remarks that he called his lawyer John Branca and demanded to “sue his ass”. Branca calmed him down and persuaded him to drop the idea.[14]

The Jacksons netted approximately $36 million, which worked out to about $7 million for each brother. Michael, who alone did not need the money, donated his share of the proceeds from the tour, approximately $5 million ($15 million in 2023 dollars[2]), to three charities, as he had promised, including the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research, the United Negro College Fund, and Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times.[19] He had also received an $18 million advance ($53 million in 2023 dollars[2]) from Sullivan for a Michael Jackson designer jeans brand, few of which were ever produced and sold before Sullivan had to stop production.[14]

Estimates of SMC's losses have ranged from $13 million to $22 million ($38 million to $65 million in modern dollars[2]). Sullivan and his father quietly put the word out around the NFL that the Patriots and their stadium were for sale. The $100 million asking price for the combined package made somewhat more sense when the Patriots unexpectedly qualified for Super Bowl XX after the next season, the first time they had ever done so.[7] However, the immediate financial return for this achievement was limited especially since the team played entirety of the 1985-86 postseason on the road. Thus, even after reaching the Super Bowl, the team's revenue was not nearly enough for the Sullivans to service the debt from the Victory Tour.

Compared to their contemporary major professional sports league colleagues, the Sullivans were never particularly wealthy owners. Furthermore Foxboro Stadium, although only a thirteen year old facility in 1984, was one of the smallest venues in the NFL and already well into the process of becoming outmoded by league standards. At one point the Sullivans were so close to bankruptcy that the NFL had to advance them $4 million to make their payroll. Chuck Sullivan's woes increased when his wife filed for divorce, and he had to set up a luxury box at Foxboro Stadium as his personal living quarters. He allegedly wrote several letters to Michael, begging for money to bail the team out, but Michael never replied.[10]

Under heavy pressure from the NFL, the Sullivans finally gave up and sold the Patriots to Victor Kiam in 1988. However, Kiam was unable to keep himself or the team financially stable either, and eventually the Patriots were sold again in 1992 to James Orthwein. Meanwhile, Foxboro Stadium lapsed into bankruptcy and was purchased by Boston paper magnate Robert Kraft.[10] Kraft used the stadium's lease as leverage to prevent Orthwein from breaking the agreement and moving the team to St. Louis. He further made it clear that he would go to court to enforce the lease's ironclad commitment for the Patriots to play in the stadium until 2001. Orthwein then put the team on the market, but the wording of the lease scared off potential buyers because they would also be required to negotiate with Kraft. With no other choice, Orthwein accepted Kraft's own $175 million offer to buy the Patriots in 1994.[20] Kraft has a Victory Tour poster in his office as a reminder of how he was able to realize his lifelong dream of owning the Patriots.[10]

Legacy

[edit]

Aside from a few months in mid-1975 and Michael's 30th Anniversary Celebration concert in 2001, the Victory Tour was one of the very few times that all six Jackson brothers worked together at the same time as a band. Jackie missed most of the tour because of a leg injury, which was described at the time as a knee injury incurred during strenuous rehearsals.[21] Margaret Maldonado, the mother of two of Jermaine's children, has alleged that Jackie in fact broke his leg in an automobile accident: his first wife Enid deliberately ran him over in a parking lot after catching him with Paula Abdul. Jackie would, however, eventually recover and was able to rejoin his brothers on stage for the last portion of the tour.[21][22] Michael sang all the lead vocals, except for a trio of Jermaine's solo hits.

Eddie Van Halen made a special guest appearance doing the "Beat It" guitar solo on July 13 in Irving, Texas.[23]

Shortly after the tour ended and the announcement that it was the group's final tour, Michael returned to his solo career[24] and Marlon left the group to start a solo career of his own.

Set list

[edit]

The following set list was performed during the tour.[25]

  1. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
  2. "Things I Do for You"
  3. "Off the Wall"
  4. "Ben" / "Human Nature"
  5. "This Place Hotel"
  6. "She's Out of My Life"
  7. "Let's Get Serious" / "You Like Me, Don't You?" / "Dynamite" / "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)"
  8. "I Want You Back" / "The Love You Save" / "I'll Be There"
  9. "Rock with You"
  10. "Lovely One"
  11. "Workin' Day and Night"
    Encore 1
  12. "Beat It"
  13. "Billie Jean"
    Encore 2
  14. "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (with excerpts from "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "State of Shock")

Tour dates

[edit]
List of tour dates, showing date, city, country, venue, attendance, gross[26]
Date City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
July 6, 1984 Kansas City United States Arrowhead Stadium 135,000 / 135,000 $4,050,000
July 7, 1984
July 8, 1984
July 13, 1984 Irving Texas Stadium 118,803 / 118,803 $3,564,090
July 14, 1984
July 15, 1984
July 21, 1984 Jacksonville Gator Bowl Stadium 135,000 / 135,000 $4,050,000
July 22, 1984
July 23, 1984
July 29, 1984 East Rutherford Giants Stadium 150,798 / 150,798 $4,523,940
July 30, 1984
July 31, 1984
August 4, 1984 New York City Madison Square Garden 32,000 / 32,000 $960,000
August 5, 1984
August 10, 1984 Knoxville Neyland Stadium[27] 148,407 / 148,407 $4,452,210
August 11, 1984
August 12, 1984
August 17, 1984 Pontiac Pontiac Silverdome 145,000 / 145,000 $4,350,030
August 18, 1984
August 19, 1984
August 25, 1984 Orchard Park Rich Stadium 94,000 / 94,000 $2,820,000
August 26, 1984
September 1, 1984 Philadelphia John F. Kennedy Stadium 145,000 / 145,000 $4,350,000
September 2, 1984
September 7, 1984 Denver Mile High Stadium 105,000 / 105,000
September 8, 1984
September 16, 1984[28] Montreal Canada Olympic Stadium 110,000 / 110,000 $2,640,000
September 17, 1984[29]
September 21, 1984 Washington, D.C. United States Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 180,000 / 180,000
September 22, 1984
September 28, 1984 Philadelphia John F. Kennedy Stadium
September 29, 1984
October 5, 1984 Toronto Canada Exhibition Stadium 47,288 / 47,288 4,539,648[30]
October 6, 1984
October 7, 1984
October 12, 1984 Chicago United States Comiskey Park 120,000 / 120,000
October 13, 1984
October 14, 1984
October 19, 1984 Cleveland Cleveland Stadium 94,000 / 94,000
October 20, 1984
October 26, 1984 Atlanta Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 70,000 / 70,000 $1,960,000
October 27, 1984
November 2, 1984 Miami Miami Orange Bowl 120,788 / 120,788 $3,382,064
November 3, 1984
November 9, 1984 Houston Houston Astrodome 80,000 / 80,000
November 10, 1984
November 16, 1984 Vancouver Canada BC Place 180,000 / 180,000 $2,896,800
November 17, 1984
November 18, 1984
November 30, 1984 Los Angeles United States Dodger Stadium 300,000 / 300,000 $4,200,000
December 1, 1984
December 2, 1984
December 7, 1984
December 8, 1984
December 9, 1984

Known planned shows

[edit]
List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, and reason for cancellation
Date City Country Venue Reason
June 22, 1984[31][32][33] Lexington United States Rupp Arena
August 2, 1984 New York City[34] Madison Square Garden
August 3, 1984
August 17, 1984 Indianapolis[34] Hoosier Dome
August 18, 1984
September 2, 1984 Inglewood[34] The Forum
September 3, 1984
September 4, 1984
September 7, 1984
September 8, 1984
September 9, 1984
September 11, 1984
September 12, 1984
October 13, 1984 Pittsburgh[34] Three Rivers Stadium
October 14, 1984
November 7, 1984 Anaheim[34] Anaheim Stadium
November 8, 1984
November 23, 1984 Tempe Sun Devil Stadium Jermaine Jackson's flu
November 24, 1984

Personnel

[edit]

Performers

[edit]

Credits

[edit]
  • Tour Coordinator and Co-Producer with the Jacksons: Larry Larson
  • Assistant Coordinator: Marla Winston
  • Production Manager: Peyton Wilson
  • Production Assistants: Marcene (Peterson) O'Bryen & Machan (Margret) Taylor
  • Assistant Production Managers: Gary Bouchard and 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 and manufacturing: Applied Entertainment Systems
  • Lighting Company: TASCO, MORPHEUS LIGHTS INC.
  • Sound Company: Clair Brothers Audio
  • House Mixers: ML Procise and Mike Stahl
  • Monitor engineer: Rick Coberly
  • Laser Effects: Showlasers, Inc., Dallas, Texas
  • Laser Special Effects Operator: Michael Moorhead
  • Laser Technician: Steve Glasow
  • Musicians Costumes Design: Enid Jackson
  • Magical Illusions: Franz Harary
  • Tour Photographer: Harrison Funk
  • Video Director: Sandy Fullerton
  • Jackson Crew Sportswear: Nike
  • Community Affairs: Harold Preston
  • Consultant to Community Affairs: Cynthia Wilson
  • Pyrotechnics Director: John Watkins

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Bloom, Howard (April 15, 2020). Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me: A Search for Soul in the Power Pits of Rock and Roll. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-5168-7 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ McDougal, Dennis (January 6, 1985). "THE THRILLER OF 'VICTORY' : Snatching profit from the agony of the biggest, splashiest and most troubled rock concert tour in history". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Vena, Jocelyn. "Paula Abdul Remembers 'Many Memorable Moments' With Michael Jackson". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Parker, Lyndsey (July 18, 2014). "Paula Abdul's Favorite Choreography Moments of Her Career". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Meyers, Kate (July 12, 1996). "Jackson 5's final tour was 12 years ago". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2019. But as of a month before the Victory tour's opening on July 6, 1984, the spirit of victory, not to mention the Victory LP itself, was nowhere to be found. Greed and disorganization ruled: Ticket prices, at $30 a pop, seemed out of reach of the group's inner-city fans, and a gaggle of promoters (including the infamous Don King) vied to run the show. Even the brothers themselves were at odds. "It was the parents' idea to bring them together because the other brothers needed money," says Michael Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli. "Michael didn't want to do it, but his mother appealed to him and he can't turn his mother down."
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harris, David (1986). The League: The Rise and Decline of the NFL. New York City: Bantam Books. pp. 629–32. ISBN 0-553-05167-9.
  8. ^ "Jacksons - Victory Tour". concertarchives. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  9. ^ @jsugarfootm (June 14, 2020). ""State of Shock"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Farinella, Mark (June 27, 2009). "Jackson's part in Pats' history was real 'thriller'". The Sun Chronicle. Attleboro, Massachusetts. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  11. ^ Knoll, Corina; Gottlieb, Jeff (April 29, 2013). "Jackson's drug use started after Pepsi commercial, attorney says" – via Los Angeles Times.
  12. ^ "Frank Cascio Book: Pepsi Ad to Blame for Michael Jackson Drug Addiction". The Root. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "Never-Before-Seen Medical Records Reveal How Pepsi Fire Started Michael Jackson On The Road To Addiction". October 21, 2013.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Taraborelli, J. Randy (2009). Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009. Hachette Digital. ISBN 978-0-446-56474-8. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  15. ^ Miller, Jim (July 16, 1984). "Newsweek Review of the Opening Night of The Victory Tour July 16, 1984". Newsweek. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  16. ^ CanalNostalgicodeTwo (April 26, 2010), Remembering the time: Victory Tour Special (part 1), archived from the original on December 19, 2021, retrieved July 9, 2019
  17. ^ Cole, Suzanne P.; Engle, Tim; Winkler, Eric (April 23, 2012). "50 things every Kansas Citian should know". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  18. ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  19. ^ "Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times". www.campronaldmcdonald.org.
  20. ^ Burke, Monte (September 19, 2015). "Unlikely Dynasty". Forbes.
  21. ^ a b "Jackie Will Travel With Victory Tour, But Knee Won't Let Him Perform". Jet Magazine. July 9, 1984. p. 56. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  22. ^ Margaret Maldonado Jackson, Jackson Family Values ISBN 0-7871-0522-8
  23. ^ "Newsmakers: Michael Jackson wins over his tough critic", Fort Myers News-Press, July 15, 1984, page 2A.
  24. ^ "Jacksons Conclude Five-Month Tour". Ocala, Florida: Ocala Star-Banner. December 10, 1984. p. 4A. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  25. ^ O'Toole, Kit (October 2015). Michael Jackson FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of Pop. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9781495045981.
  26. ^ Box office score data:
  27. ^ Dunbar, Hayden. "Michael Jackson's Neyland Stadium concert drew fans, drama in Knoxville". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  28. ^ "Sep 17, 1984, page 23 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  29. ^ "Sep 18, 1984, page 16 - Star-Phoenix at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  30. ^ "Top Boxscores". Billboard. December 22, 1984. p. 14 – via Google Books.
  31. ^ "Jacksons on the Way Michael's Mom Says Tour Includes Washington". The Washington Post. May 22, 1984. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  32. ^ "Rupp Arena officials say they may have to tell... - UPI Archives".
  33. ^ "Start of the Jacksons' Tour". The New York Times. June 19, 1984.
  34. ^ a b c d e "Jacksons List 10 More Tour Stops". The New York Times. July 6, 1984.
[edit]