Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration (2025)

The 30th Anniversary Special is a musical revue show by Michael Jackson. It was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 7 and 10, 2001. In November 2001, CBS aired the two concerts as a two-hour special honoring Jackson's 30th year as a solo artist. The show was editedby combiningfootage of the two concerts into a whole special. It has also aired on BET and TV One.

Set list[]

September 7 show[]

1. "Intro" - Samuel L. Jackson
2. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" - Usher, Mya, and Whitney Houston
3. "Absolutely Everybody, Shine" - Vanessa Amorosi
4. "Humanitarian Speech" (not televised) - Marlon Brando
5. "Ben" - Billy Gilman
6. "Angel" and "It Wasn't Me" - Shaggy, Rayvon, Rikrok
7. "Home" (from The Wiz) - Monica
8. "You Can't Win" (from The Wiz) - Jill Scott
9. "Ease On Down The Road" (from The Wiz)- Jill Scott, Monica, Al Jarreau, and Deborah Cox
10. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" - James Ingram and Gloria Estafan
11. "She's Out Of My Life" - Marc Anthony
12. "Heal The World" - Mya, Deborah Cox, Rah Digga, Monica, Tamia, and The Brooklyn Youth Choir
13. "You Are Not Alone", "Never Never Land" (not televised), and "Over The Rainbow" (not televised) - Liza Minnelli
14. "Bootylicious" - Destiny's Child
15. "Crying Time" (not televised) - Ray Charles and Casandra Wilson
16. "Intro Speech" - Elizabeth Taylor
17. "Can You Feel It", "HIStory Intro", "I Want You Back", "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" - Michael Jackson and The Jacksons
18. "Dancing Machine" - Michael Jackson, The Jacksons, and *NSYNC
19. "The Way You Make Me Feel" - Michael Jackson and Britney Spears
20. "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
21. "Black Or White" and "Beat It" - Michael Jackson and Slash
22. "We Are The World" - All artists, Yoko Ono, Kenny Rogers and Quincy Jones
23. You Rock My World - Michael Jackson and all artists

September 10 show[]

1. "Intro" - Samuel L. Jackson
2. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" - Usher, Mya, and Whitney Houston
3. "Absolutely Everybody, Shine" - Vanessa Amorosi
4. "Ben" - Billy Gilman
5. "Home" (from The Wiz) (not televised) - Monica
6. "Ease On Down The Road" (from The Wiz) (not televised) - Monica, Al Jarreau, Deborah Cox, and Jill Scott
7. "You Are Not Alone" and "Never Never Land" (not televised) - Liza Minnelli
8. "Intro Speech" - Elizabeth Taylor
9. "Get Ur Freak On" - Missy Elliot and Nelly Furtado
10. "Man In The Mirror" - 98 Degrees, Luther Vandross, and Usher
11. "I Want Candy" - Aaron Carter
12. "I Will Survive" - Gloria Gaynor
13. "I'll Never Love This Way Again" - Dionne Warwick
14. "Midnight Train to Georgia" - Gladys Knight
15. "I Do (Cherish You)" - 98 Degrees
16. "My Baby" - Romeo and Master P
17. "Can You Feel It", "HIStory Intro", "ABC", "The Love You Save", "I'll Be There", and "I Want You Back" - Michael Jackson and The Jacksons
18. "Dancing Machine" - Michael Jackson and The Jacksons
19. "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)" - Michael Jackson and The Jacksons
20. "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
21. "Black Or White" and "Beat It" - Michael Jackson and Slash
22. "You Rock My World" - Michael Jackson, Usher, and Chris Tucker

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

• Jackson did not rehearse for the September 7 show. Because of that, he let the audience pick songs after "Billie Jean". They chose "You Rock My World", but the band wasn't ready, so they played "Black Or White" instead.
  • Footage for rehearsals leaked in 2024. These featured Jackson with his iconic curls tied, on stage with *NSYNC and Britney Spears.^[1]
• Whitney Houston and Jackson rehearsed the song "One Day In Your Life". They were supposed to perform this, but didn't, probably due to orchestral issues as stated in Anthony King’s blog.
• The performances for "We Are The World" and the reprise of "You Rock My World" by Everyone were not televised, but was filmed by an amateur fan. Footage from both performances were leaked online in low quality on YouTube.
• 3T were schedule to perform but due to problems with Sony they didn't.
• When broadcasted, the special showed footage mostly from the September 10 show. This is especially evident during the performance of "Billie Jean", when during the first show, he performed a very short moonwalk and improvised the danceending, while during the second show, he performed a longer moonwalk and beatboxes toward the end, just like the HIStory Tour.
• None of Michael's albums were promoted to the 30th Anniversary
• When "Billie Jean" was broadcasted, the beginning and first verse switches between both shows' shots, after that, it sticks to the second show overall. The ending dance is mostly taken from the first show.
• The elevated positioning of Michael Jackson's band during a show caused significant technical issues. Unlike the Bad Tour where the band was in a pit, this setup placed them 15 feet off the floor, disrupting Michael's ability to communicate with his musicians. This led to timing and cue problems, affecting performances, including Dionne Warwick's cue during "We Are the World." Michael's usual method of cueing his musical directors and drummer was hindered by the band's distance, causing delays and miscommunications. The band’s elevated position required more time for cues to be received and acted upon, contrasting sharply with previous tours where immediate synchronization was possible due to the band being right behind him. Despite the visual appeal of the setup, it caused too many issues, impacting the show's flow. Adjustments made by the second performance improved the situation, but the initial elevated positioning proved more problematic than beneficial.

References[]