So upon reading MJ's interview in Ebony, he really makes it clear (as he has been for years now..) he doesn't like touring.

But, what about just a live show? Along the lines of his 2001 MSG gigs.

That being said, do you guys think he will do any one-off shows in the future?

He's coming out with a new album soon, he has to perform.

I hope he does an Elvis-like comeback concert. Nothing too strenuous since it is obvious that he is not in shape as he used to be.

An MJ live show -- that would be awesome!

LittleBLUECorvette said:

If he doesn't like to tour,I wonder why he doesn't just do a continuing Vegas show,where he performs at the same venue every night? This is what Celine Dion has been doing for years and it would be very convenient for Michael...

He wouldn't have to go from one city to the next.
He could buy a residence right there in Vegas.
His fans would fly in from all over the globe to see him.
They would probably build him his own venue.
He would have a steady income again (something he hasn't had in awhile)


No more excuses.He needs to do this NOW.

SoulAlive said:

NO, I don´t have money to travel to Vegas to see him!!!

dag said:

It could go on for several years.You will have time to save money

Ha, he should do it somewhere central in Europe. That's where his main fanbase is. What he said in the Ebony interview aas that he doesn't like big long tours. Unfortunately it's like that's been drilled into him that this is the only option. Twat.

He's still got the fan base, and im sure with a bit of training he could get his voice in shape again. The problem is he'll want to do the biggest, brightest, most colourful, spectacular tour ever....or nothing. As I dont think he's physically or mentally in shape to do the former, i think he'll do the latter.

I would love to seem him do a few small, intimate, stripped down giggs where he rediscovers his back catalogue - but i think he'd find this too intimidating. I think he likes the distance of big stages and venues.

In fairness to him, he spent most of his life on the road touring. He owes his fans some shows, but he deserves the break also.

A stripped-down,acoustic tour would be a smart move.It wouldn't be as physically demanding on him and he wouldn't have to do alot of dancing.Just sit on a stool and sing.He could bring out old favorites like "I Can't Help It" and "Maybe Tomorrow".Fans would lose their minds.

SoulAlive said:

I think he should fly to the moon, and part the red sea afterwards. That would be great. And I really think it's about time Muhammed Ali quit this whole Parkinson's routine and got back in the ring where he belongs. Sure, the trembling thing was cute for a while, but it's played out now. All in all, it's obvious he just needs to put his gloves on again, and start knocking mofos out. What's stopping him?? The fool!!

midnightmover said:

Huh?

midnightmover said:

LOL. Thank you for posting this. Thank you so much.

Timmy84 said:

Think about it. Muhammad Ali boxing again. Then ask yourself how that might relate to SoulAlive's suggestion that Mike do an all-live acoustic show. What do those two suggestions have in common?

midnightmover said:

Ohhh... I gotcha now.

midnightmover said:

Oh my damn,

SoulAlive, you know I share this one with you but I think we may finally have to let it go. I know it’s tough but it gets easier once you accept it.

JackieBlue said:

Oh,I know it's never gonna happen It's a shame that he can't pull this off.I think,at this point,it's probably the only way he could make any kind of comeback.

SoulAlive said:

Fortunately, it won´t happen.I don´t think Mike´d sign up for anything where he would have to have concerts regurarly for a longer period of time.

SoulAlive said:

Well after seeing that Reunion tv central park thing he did on tv a couple of yrs back..it is an impossiblilty.Michael looked horrible and Usher showed him up!

Michaels hey-day for concerts was in the mid-late 80's early 90's to me (oh man had me passed out with Dirty Diana!!! )...but now I think he's been off the horse so long (with being a father) that I dont think he could get back into the straps if Roy Rogers helped him.

I think the closest thing were gonna get to Michaels greatness in concert is to pop the old VHS's and DVD's in the player and sigh and smile. *HOPE Michael somehow reads this and proves me wrong!!*

1KissAtATyme said:

That's why the acoustic set would be so great. Like Soul said, he could just sit there have stripped down versions of some of his uptempo songs and really showcase the great vocal songs. He could TALK to the audience for a change. Have 2 girls and a guy on back up and the best musicians. Carlos Santana could make and appearance, Marsha Ambrowyhatever from Floetry or Shanice could do a nice duet. If he plays those instruments how wonderful would it be to see him sit at the piano and sing I’ll Be There. Stevie could come out for I Can’t Help It. I'm getting excited just typing this up!

Of course, the appearances are all extras but there’s not much LESS you can do than an acoustic set. Vegas works because he doesn’t have the stress of touring. He rolls out of bed, takes a short trip over to the palace or wherever and sits on his stool in his pajamas for all I care. When he’s done, he’s outta there with hardly a worry. I’m not saying there’s no work involved but certainly a scaled down show would be a bit less on him than what he’s been doing.

Unless he just has no desire to perform, period.
[Edited 11/14/07 7:38am]

JackieBlue said:

LOL @ Marsha Ambrowyhatever


It does sound very exciting ...maybe u should be in managment!

But Michael was so BIG that my mind has a hard time fitting around him being "unplugged" acoustic version of his former "Bigger than Life..call the paramedics" self.

I've never seen Michael in concert..but Ive seen video after video of concerts...and I'd pee in my pants if I got the chance to see him like that again (wishful thinking I know )

But maybe u have a good thing going here with the acoustics...he's older now..cant move as good...and lets face it... he's had so many nose jobs that his voice quality isnt as good anymore when it comes to the faster tempo songs...its just gonna be hard for fans like me to grasp..But if he does it..Ill save up and see the show!

It might be a hard adjustment for fans that love the over the top shows he’s known for. I enjoy them but I’m a bit over it. Michael is amazing without all that stuff. All he needs is a stage and a microphone. But maybe he thinks the fans won’t love it or he won’t get that overwhelming audience response of fans crying and being carried off. I don’t know, I just think it would bring the focus back to his music and his voice and it would be a chance to see him in a different way. And U.S. fans wouldn’t need a passport to see him for a change.

Y'all are missing the point. Mike hasn't done an all live show now in TWENTY YEARS! There's a reason for that. He CAN'T do it anymore. Sorry to break it to you. Dude mimes dance-free ballads like "Heal The World" and "You Are Not Alone", so it has nothing to do with dancing. It has to do with vocal cords that are worn out. Take the blinkers off, people.

midnightmover said:

Well, I’ve definitely considered that this is the case because I can’t understand the constant miming. But part of me won’t believe that he would let his voice deteriorate unless it’s due to all the rhinoplasty. While I would really enjoy such a show, it’s really just a fantasy of what would have been nice. But like his movie career, some things are just (more than likely) not gonna happen.

SoulAlive said:

for real, start saving now. lord knows those ticket prices will be insane

JackieBlue said:

Yeah ...I hate to agree with u here but I do..and I think it has to do with a couple of things : he's a father now and probably isnt as concerned with it,he's older and knows he cant move like he use to night after night, he said in the past that he hated touring (I dont know if he hated the traveling or just having to do show after show) , and the extensive rhinoplasty he has had over the years constricts his vocal abilities.

I think the biggest thing tho is he has been out of the game so long. If he kept with it like Prince I dont think he would have to big of a problem.

JackieBlue said:

All you have to do is compare dates from the Bad Tour. When he started in '87 he sounded the best he ever sounded. I mean that literally. His voice never sounded as good as it did there. Then listen to a date from '88 and you can clearly hear the decline. He also started miming songs for the first time in concert. Then by the time you got to the final dates in '89 his voice was the worst it had ever been at that point. On the Dangerous tour there was more decline in evidence and more miming too. I'm pretty sure most of you have not even seen the footage of the live bits of the History tour in '97. If you had, you would understand why he was miming more than ever. He sounded ATROCIOUS. None of that footage is on Youtube. Fans are covering it up. But the point is, the decrease in the quality of his live vocals coincided with the increase in his miming. Does anyone think that's a coincidence? Does anyone think those are two totally unrelated developments? His voice starts to sound worse and he starts to mime more. Do these two things not have something to do with each other? Once you've followed that line of thought to it's logical conclusion you begin to see how ludicrous these daydreams about "unplugged" shows are.

midnightmover said:

Well, I have to agree with you. I’ve seen the Bad and History concerts and the 30 Anniversary performances and the miming is what irritated me the most. While he is/was a great performer, part of the appeal was the singing. I don’t want to pay to see a person dance to a track. That’s my personal preference and that is what a concert experience is supposed to be about. The live performance and energy of the artist and/or musicians and the audience.

Anyway, it was the History tour that made him drop on my list of concert experiences and lose a bit of interest. Nevertheless, the unplugged idea is one of the few areas of MJ I still enjoy discussing. It’s purely hypothetical and fun to imagine what if.

JackieBlue said:

Did you see a '96 or '97 date? '97 was atrocious vocally.

midnightmover said:

1997. It was tough. I mean there's so much excitement with seeing him live for the first time in ten years, the jetlag, the fighting for your own standing space and being in that sort of atmosphere is all an incredible adrenaline rush. But when you strip it down and really focus on the show and see it for what it is… well… I’ve enjoyed shows where an artist stood with a band and a microphone and made me feel reborn.