Live Performances
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was one of the songs released as a single without an accompanying video, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” nonetheless has attained a popularity rivaling its sister compositions on the album, and has become Jackson’s song of choice for opening live concerts. Not being as strictly associated with a specific dance routine as those others has arguably allowed for more flexibility in performances and staging.
Two notable occurrences during live performances are the physically complicated “stop/start” dance technique that brings Jackson and his dancers to a frozen stop several times, and the sing-along between performer and audience during the bridge.
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was also used on every set list of Jackson’s tours, from the Victory Tour in 1984, right the way through to the HIStory Tour in 1997. Unlike most of the other songs performed live, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” has never been lip-synched during any of Jackson’s tours.
The song was performed by Jackson as both a member of The Jacksons as well as a solo artist during world concert tours. The song, as well as other songs from Thriller, were performed by Jackson during The Jacksons final world concert series, Victory Tour in 1984, the song was the tours opening song. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was performed during all of Jackson's concert tours as a solo artist. Similar to the Victory Tour, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was the Bad World Tour opening song on both tour legs. The concert series lasted from 1987 to 1989.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was also performed during Jackson's Dangerous World Tour from June 1992 to November 1993. The Dangerous World Tour was supposed to last longer, but was cancelled due to Jackson's health concerns, as well as the stress from the child sexual abuse accusations made against him. The next, and what would be the last performance of the song, was during Jackson's world concert tour, HIStory World Tour, from 1996 to 1997.
Since March 2009, Jackson was preparing to perform "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" during his This Is It concert series from 2009 to 2010. During rehearsals for the This Is It concerts, Jackson's performance of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" contained a capella snippet of "Speechless", from Jackson's studio album Invincible (2001). Following Jackson's death in June of the same year, video footage of Jackson rehearsing the song was featured in the 2009 concert documentary, Michael Jackson's This Is It. The video footage was also featured on the film's DVD.
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Famous quotes containing the words live and/or performances:
“A knowledge that people live close by is,
I think, enough. And even if only first names are ever exchanged
The people who own them seem rock-true and marvelously self-sufficient.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“At one of the later performances you asked why they called it a “miracle,”
Since nothing ever happened. That, of course, was the miracle
But you wanted to know why so much action took on so much life
And still managed to remain itself, aloof, smiling and courteous.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)