Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration


The Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration was a 2001 concert show by Michael Jackson. It was staged in Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 7 and 10, 2001. In late November 2001, the CBS television network aired the concerts as a two-hour special in honor of Jackson's thirtieth year as a solo entertainer. The show was edited from footage of the two performances. The show was watched by 29.8 million viewers on CBS when it aired later the same year.
The shows sold out in 2 hours. Ticket prices were among the most expensive ever for an event; the best seats cost $10,000 and included a dinner with Jackson and a signed poster. The show was choreographed by Glenn Douglas Packard and Brian Thomas, who were nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. It was presented by David Gest, World Events LLC and Clear Channel Entertainment in conjunction with American Airlines, American Eagle and Amazon. Jackson reportedly earned $7.5 million for each of the two concerts. The concert official Boxscore was $10,072,105 for both concerts.
To some fans, Jackson appeared more disoriented in the first concert as he only did one short moonwalk and improvised the ending of the "Billie Jean" performance. In 2011, presenter David Gest claimed that Jackson was on drugs during the concerts in the documentary . However, Jackson himself said that he had not rehearsed for the first concert. In his book You Are Not Alone: Michael Through a Brother's Eyes, brother Jermaine Jackson said that Michael was taking Demerol, a pain relieving medicine with psychotropic effects. The show attracted numerous celebrities, including basketball players, actors, and other musicians.

Set lists

Friday, September 7

PerformerSong
Samuel L. JacksonIntroduction
Usher, Mýa and Whitney Houston"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
Marlon BrandoHumanitarian Speech
Billy Gilman"Ben"
Shaggy featuring Rayvon and Rikrok"Angel/It Wasn't Me"
Monica, Al Jarreau, Jill Scott and Deborah Cox"Home"
"You Can't Win"
"Ease On Down The Road"
James Ingram & Gloria Estefan"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
Marc Anthony"She's Out Of My Life"
Monica, Tamia, Mýa, Deborah Cox and Rah Digga"Heal The World"
Liza Minnelli"You Are Not Alone"
"Never Never Land/Over The Rainbow"
Destiny's Child"Bootylicious"
Ray Charles and Cassandra Wilson"Crying Time"
Elizabeth TaylorIntroducing The Jacksons
The Jacksons"Can You Feel It"
"ABC"
"The Love You Save"
"I'll Be There"
"I Want You Back"
The Jacksons Featuring *NSYNC"Dancing Machine"
The Jacksons"Shake Your Body "
Michael Jackson and Britney Spears"The Way You Make Me Feel"
Chris TuckerIntroducing Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson"Billie Jean"
Michael Jackson, Jason Paige and Slash"Black or White"
"Beat It"
Michael Jackson"You Rock My World"
All artists"We Are the World"
"You Rock My World "

Monday, September 10

PerformerSong
Usher, Mýa and Whitney Houston"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
Dionne Warwick"I'll Never Love This Way Again"
Lil' Romeo and Master P"My Baby"
Gloria Gaynor"I Will Survive"
98 Degrees, Usher and Luther Vandross"Man In The Mirror"
Missy Elliott and Nelly Furtado"Get Ur Freak On"
Billy Gilman"Ben"
Liza Minnelli"You Are Not Alone"
"Never Never Land/Over The Rainbow"
Aaron Carter"I Want Candy"
Gladys Knight"I Heard It Though The Grapevine"
"Midnight Train To Georgia"
Monica, Tamia, Mýa, Deborah Cox and Rah Digga"Heal The World"
Elizabeth TaylorIntroducing The Jacksons
The Jacksons"Can You Feel It"
"ABC"
"The Love You Save"
"I'll Be There"
"I Want You Back"
""
"Shake Your Body "
Michael Jackson"The Way You Make Me Feel"
Chris TuckerIntroducing Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson"Billie Jean"
Michael Jackson, Jason Paige and Slash"Black or White"
"Beat It"
Michael Jackson featuring Usher and Chris Tucker"You Rock My World"

Concert dates

Aftermath

On September 11, 2001, Jackson along with his personal assistant Frank Cascio were scheduled for a meeting at the World Trade Center, to return a "two million" dollar watch Jackson used for the concert, and a diamond necklace for Elizabeth Taylor, but overslept and did not make it. In the aftermath of the attacks, Jackson sponsored a charity concert titled. The concerts were held in Washington, D.C.. Other featured artists that also performed in the benefit concert were the Backstreet Boys, Slash, Krystal Harris, Huey Lewis and the News, James Brown, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Gilman, O-Town, Usher, Christina Milian, Carole King, Al Green, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Bette Midler, CeCe Peniston, Aerosmith, America, P. Diddy, NSYNC, Destiny's Child, Rod Stewart, Goo Goo Dolls, Train, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige. In addition, his sister Janet Jackson performed with him.
This event also marked Randy Jackson's final concert with his brothers. He would contribute backup vocals for Michael's posthumous 2009 song, This is It, along with his brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine, before announcing his retirement from entertainment. From 2012-13, the remaining brothers reunited for the Unity Tour, which was held in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Personnel

;Lead performer
;Additional performers
;Band members
;Music department
;Choreographer