Some comments from fans who saw MJ perform BJ at Motown 25 (some fans were too young to see it live:
"when Michael moved to one side of the stage, and the brothers exited to the other side, and the lighting changed, and Michael put on that hat as the first few bars of Billie Jean started up, I got goosebumps. We were seeing a transformation before our very eyes: from little boy to man, from group member to solo star, and from star to superstar. It was amazing, and Michael just kept amping it up. By the time he got to the moonwalk, I thought my heart would stop. Electrifying is the best word for it. (J5 Collector)
This is the other thing about this performance. His later performances of Billie Jean (ie: tour and TV performances) are much more technically sound (not to mention quite often longer with the expanded dance to the drum beats, etc.) HOWEVER, they can never compare to this original performance for many reasons. As others have said here, it was a coronation of sorts, and really catapulted MJ to the world's consciousness like never before, hence the boost in album sales. But for me, this first one stands out and can never be beat because it is so unbelievably RAW, from the way the movement of his feet are always within the beat of the song (which is amazing for a "first time" performance) and especially the raw emotion in his eyes and facial expressions as he performs it. That kind of raw emotion could never be matched. (Ron ‘MJPC’
i swear its the moment that sent him into the superduper untouchable red giant star arena. (Howard Lloyd)
i was able to appreciate a moment of pure, unbridled joy when i saw that performance. it was brand new to me and totally awesome. i thought i was gonna hurt myself i was so excited. (SoWhat)
Dude turned Motown 25 into his kick off to immortality. (Murph71)
In a Top 100 list compiled by VH1 and Entertainment Weekly in 2000, Jackson's performance was ranked as the sixth greatest rock 'n' roll TV moment. Five years later, Entertainment Weekly named Jackson's Motown 25 performance as one of the most important pop culture moments in history. "It was a moment that crossed over in a way that no live musical performance ever had. There was a messianic quality to it", Entertainment Weekly editor Steve Daly commented. (from Wikipedia on Billie Jean)
I think people who weren't old enough at the time (1983 to see it live) maybe can't fully understand how truly amazing a performance it was and how much it meant to all of us who saw it live. When he did the moonwalk, I couldn't believe anyone could move like that. It was as if he was able to break the rules of gravity. And--to bring it back to Q--none of that would have happened if he had had his way and kept BJ off the album, and now he asks for $10 million--wtf????