My 5 Favorite Live Performances by Michael Jackson
The Iconic Entertainer Was Peerless With His Art
The short films of the great Michael Jackson have long been the stuff of legend. He was most definitely a pioneering artist of epic proportions and it always showed in his work.
His concert tours were also phenomenal and were among the most successful and acclaimed in the history of show business. In between all that were MJ’s one-off live performances for television.
He did many in his long career, most during his adolescence as a member of The Jackson 5 and later, The Jacksons. But there were several that he did as an adult solo artist that blew the roof off the venues in which they took place.
Here, I list my 5 favorite live performances by MJ, not counting his world tours of course. They are listed here in chronological order.
1. Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever (Airdate: May 16, 1983) — For all intents and purposes, this spellbinding performance was when MJ first became the biggest star in the world. When it initially aired on NBC, Jackson was in the midst of the stratospheric success of his Thriller album.
At 24, he was a cultural phenomenon as kids and teens all across America tried to emulate his inimitable style. During this show, MJ…
