Victory, Interrupted (How I Missed MJ in 1984)

It's September 7th. [[Serious whine alert!]] On this date in 1984 Michael and his brothers performed before a crowd of tens of thousands of fans at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado, the first of two shows at this stop of the Victory Tour. That was 27 years ago.

And I wasn't there.

No, I was the heartbroken 12-year-old girl sitting at her bedroom window about 70 miles away, facing in the direction of Denver with my walkman, my "Thriller" tape and "The Jacksons Live" (the live album from 1981's Triumph Tour), crying my frickin' head off. Both nights I sat there, this utter longing in my soul to be near Michael, buckets of tears, his music through my headphones having to suffice, but offering little consolation considering the JOY I was missing. Knowing he was there, in my state, in our capitol city, up there on that stage at that moment... oh my God! And I (if I hadn't fainted, lol) could've been there, joyfully pouring out tons (and I mean tons!) of that LOVE energy he often spoke of, back and forth, me to him, he to me (again, assuming I hadn't fainted ;), one in joy, in infinity!

<-- Michael in Denver!!! (supposedly)

"My main love for what I do is the admirers. I love the fans. Like when I’m doing a show and I see the fans out there dancing and screaming, excited, and we’re bringing that joy to them, that’s what I love most. And it’s just the greatest feeling in the world. You’re up there and you’re giving them that energy and that love and they’re just throwing it right back at you. And it’s great. And that’s my main love, the stage and making those admirers happy."
~ Ebony interview 1984

"Being onstage is magic. There's nothing like it. You feel the energy of everybody who's out there. You feel it all over your body..."
~ Rolling Stone interview 1983

But I wasn't there. And I don't think I'll ever quite get over that, not until I'm on the Other Side in Michael's arms! There was no real reason I wasn't there, but my parents: 1) didn't yet understand that this wasn't a phase...they kept assuming I'd wake up one day with my rapid-onset "Michaelmania" cured, and 2) they "couldn't" afford the concert..."no one's worth paying that much", as my mom would say - but I bet she regrets that now.

There had been controversy early on in the tour because it started with a weird, insane ticketing system in which one had to get a special order form out of their local newspaper (no copies allowed!) on the prescribed day, send it in on a tight deadline (as in NOW!) in a specific envelope (yes, even the envelope had to be the right size!) with a USPS money order (only that would do!) for 4 tickets (only 4! no more, no less!), after which you would wait in the desperate hope that out of the hundreds of thousands of ticket requests YOURS would be one of the lucky ones. Meanwhile, you were out $120 (that's probably equivalent to $300 or more nowadays) without even knowing if you'd get tickets or not. I remember hearing that the promoters held on until the last minute too, so you were left waiting for however many weeks, praying to God you'd open your mailbox and find an envelope with tickets, and not just a refund. (Unless you needed that refund to pay rent by this point.) When Michael realized what was up and how it was impacting his fans, he held a press conference to announce that the ticketing system would be changed as soon as possible and that everything he would make from the tour would go to charity. Awww, Mike. So consider that he was up there dancing and singing his heart out show after show and wasn't getting paid (in money). That's commitment. A quickly forgotten fact for most people.

Despite the ticket system upgrade, it was in everyone's minds that the Victory Tour was ridiculously expensive. Although you no longer had to buy tickets in blocks of four, it would still have been $60 (plus parking, transportation, etc) for a parent to take their crying, shaking, frantic pre-teen child infected with ultra-hysteria-inducing and highly-contagious Michaelmania (that's what the press always called it back then ... like loving Michael was a virus, a-hee-hee... one that in later years morphed into the state of "crazy" or "rabid"... note: my eyes are rolling right now). So my parents chose NOT to spend that money. Granted, we weren't rich, but I still believe that for once, for something that was SO UTTERLY IMPORTANT TO ME, they could've done it. And it has always pained me (I gave you the whine warning earlier, so no complaining!) that they didn't. The real sucky part is that scalpers (aka touts) were selling tickets on concert day at face value. Agh! I was 12. What could I do? How could I get there? What could I know? I had no clue. Damn.

I did see one show of the Bad Tour when he returned to Denver four years later (and for that, oh my Lord, I am SO thankful!!!), but I never again had a viable chance due to finances and circumstances and being on the wrong continent. (Except when it was too late. We had great seats to two 'This Is It' shows in 2009. Ouch.)

So here he is on one of those days of joy that never was for me. And wasn't he just AMAZING?! Oh, I love you, Michael. As we said back in '84... you are "FINE!" ;) And so very much more.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC-7mTx1NiA
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And below is a hilarious story (omg, rofl) by Jamie Foxx about seeing the Victory Tour in Dallas. Start at 1:30 into the vid, and let me warn you... there is some seriously strong language! No kidding. But his story is sooo funny and also impressive. He really gives you the feeling!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs5f_-UtyGY - "White men that have brought their whole families pass the **** out!" LOL! (But tickets were not $85, lol. They were $30 each ;)