How Michael Jackson made fans go wild and faint purely by standing still for several minutes
6 January 2022, 13:47 | Updated: 6 January 2022, 13:53
Michael Jackson was the ultimate popstar. He was one of the greatest dancers, he could write timeless songs, and he made fans around the world go totally bonkers when he performed live.
The King of Pop will be remembered for many iconic moments, from the 'Thriller' zombie dance, to his 'Smooth Criminal' lean to his 'Billie Jean' moonwalk.
But there's another tool Michael Jackson used in his armoury to make the most of his stage presence.
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On several occasions while on tour in the 1990s, Michael found a stunning way to kick off his live shows...
He just stood still.
As the footage below shows, during his Dangerous tour, Michael would begin his live show by suddenly jumping onto the stage from below, while pyrotechnics would be set off.
Michael Jackson - Live In Bucharest (The Dangerous Tour)
While wearing his trademark gold jacket and dark sunglasses, Michael would then simply stay in position for a full minute and a half, all while sparks would rain down behind him, and the crowd would be chanting his name.
Only then did he quickly jerk his head to one side, prompting further screams from his adoring fans, before slowly taking off his sunglasses. He then burst into a performance of his hit 'Jam'.
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Such was the power of his fandom, several people could be seen fainting and being carried off by security while Michael did this routine at various concerts around the world.
He repeated the trick at his Super Bowl halftime performance in 1993, where he began the annual tradition of staging a big-budget showcase during America's biggest sporting moment.
Michael Jackson - Super Bowl XXVII 1993 Halftime Show (Remastered Perfomance)
Michael's famous pose would later be immortalised in a 10-foot sculpture of the "warrior-like" pose, created in 1994 by Diana Walczak, which featured on the front cover of his 1995 album HIStory.
To promote that album's tour, record label Epic placed ten 30-foot replicas of the statue in locations around the world, including the River Thames in London, Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and the pedestal of the destroyed Stalin Monument in Prague.
