The Michael Jackson Eras; Share Your Memories!

This is a thread that I wanted to make for a while, I'd love for everybody to share their memories of the different Michael eras, such as Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous, etc. Any tours you went to? Music video premieres? Album release parties? Single choices you totally disagreed with? Singles bought? Posters, merchandise, etc. Anything that pertains to Michael's MUSIC and ALBUM ERAS, please discuss here! I'd love to hear everything considering I became a big fan in 2006, so I only really got to go through Thriller 25 Era, which was really fun! So I can only imagine an actual real era must've been amazing. For Thriller 25 I remember promoting it to all my friends, all over the school, I bought the CD the day it came out and learned the dance for Thriller and performed it at one of my school dances. I bought the Ebony magazine and 2 Jet covers in which I framed one of the covers. I also collected any promotionals that were in any magazines such as Rolling Stone, etc. I remember spending that whole night watching the Grammys just waiting for Michael to show up, unfortunately he didn't but I have to say those hot wings and appetizers with my soda all night waiting for him to come out was pretty exciting in itself LOL! I wish I could've experienced other eras, but I was born in '96 so that is kind of out of the question haha!

Anyway, speak on guys!

Ah...SO MANY memories....23 years....I'm so happy I was able to experience the MJ magic for that long.

I'll come back and write more when I have more time, but one memory that comes to mind is from the Bad era, when I had just become a fan. I got the Bad Tour Yokohama concert on video from a friend of mine and I remember that when EVER I was home alone, I'd always turn the volume ALL the way up, turn all lights off....and then watch the show while standing in front of the TV and pretend I'm at MJ's concert. I'd jump up and down to the music...clap to the beat...sing along at the top of my lungs...and cheer wildly after each song. :lol: :lol: :lol: Good times!!! Sometimes I'd not hear my parents coming home and they'd walk in on me while I was jumping up and down in front of the TV while singing my heart out to MJ's songs and be like "WHAT are you doing??!!" :doh: :lol: That was pretty embarrassing! :lol:

okay... It started with me in the Thriller era I was only 10... I remember hearing this intriguing voice on the radio... its was "the girl is mine" ... I looked up the name in our TV guide and it had a 'link' to a pop program... figure out, I had never watched any... I was this too quiet child and my mum wanted me to get a hobby or discover a passion and whenever she complains I talk too much about Michael now... I silence her with... "You wanted me to have a passion when I was only 10... Well, I have a passion now, okay..." Sparks chrashed into my heart when I first saw Beat it... It was 'love at first sight'

I went through the Bad era and as you say it was pretty exciting and the anticipation of new tracks etc was overwhelming at times:yes: Since then i have accumulated an extensive range of memorabilia:yes:

My first Era was the History-Era. I was ten years old and my parents bought me the record.
i listend every day to it. also every week i stole the Bravo Magazine from my sister
to find something about MJ. i loved the coverage of his video shoots for History.
also i watched every music video show to see if a new MJ Video was released (hard times without
Internet and forums like these , right?!)

Highlight of that Era was the History Show i saw in Bremen 1997!

Nice thread! But as Daryll748 said, quite painful! Here are some memories that popped into my mind:

Dangerous

• dancing to „Heal the world“ with my then boyfriend (ok, we were 11...)

• being told that it was Michael speaking at the beginning of „Heal the world“ and believing it :doh:

• inventing some choreography for „Who is it“ on a friend's birthday

• reading articles about the Dangerous Tour in Bravo magazine, I especially remember the one where a German bodyguard told some insider stories which were so cute

• rerecording the Dangerous Album from a friend

• buying my first ever MJ cassette - „Bad“ because my dad had told me that he had read a lot of good reviews on that one

• envying a friend who had tickets for the Dangerous concert in Frankfurt

• watching parts of the Bucharest concert on TV – it was my uncle's wedding that day and I remember bothering my parents to go home so I could watch it. We came home with „I just can't stop loving you“ and I was only allowed to watch till „Thriller“ because it was time for bed then As we didn't have a video recorder, my dad recorded it on MC for me – but watched it completely himself and was so excited about it the next day – and I was sad

• reading the first Black & White magazines and being so fascinated, a whole new world opened up in front of me

• my dad coming into my room one morning to wake me up with a newspaper stating that Michael was being investigated for child molestation

• feeling sick because of all the rumors, LaToya's revelations, Michael's breakdown...

• writing a letter to Bravo's „I love Michael“ campaign – my English was so bad, I bet Michael didn't understand a word! I remember asking my dad how to spell „HEAL the world“ and he said „Heel“ lmao

• having penpals all over the world and writing hundreds of letters and exchanging MCs and videos

HIStory

• buying Scream/Childhood single on the first day of release

• listening to the whole HIStory album in store with headphones because I was just too curious and couldn't wait until I got home

• watching the world premiere of Stranger in Moscow at a friend's house and seeing Michael perform on the "Wetten, dass...?" show - I was so proud because everyone had seen it and loved it

• seeing Michael for the very first time in Prague 96

• having the time of my life traveling to HIStory concerts with my friends in 97

• being absolutely heartbroken after my last HIStory show in Copenhagen on Michael's birthday

• the cancellation of Michael's „Smile“ performance on the „Wetten, dass...?“ show, for which we had tickets

• talking to Michael for the first time and getting my first autograph

• „Wetten, dass...?“ Saarbrücken and MJ & Friends concert in Munich – singing for Michael all day long in front of his hotel

• MJ Day 10 in London with Michael saying „2 more months“ for the new album

Invincible

• YRMW leaking on the internet... „KTU the beat“

• organizing an Invincible-release party in Hamburg and partying to the new music all night long

• the whole SONY ish – slowly realizing there's something wrong because they kept promising and promising and never delivered

• demos in Berlin and London (incl. Killer Thriller Party)

• having an incredible week with Michael in Berlin 2002, meeting him and making him laugh

• preparing to go to Ischgl to see Michael perform on the mountain there – tickets were already bought, hotels booked – then it was canceled

• the Bashir documentary... attending the TV program of the German broadcast to support MJ

• preparing to go to Hamburg to see Michael who was supposed to arrive the next days - then getting a phone call from a friend that Neverland had been searched... - then the whole mess started - very hard times

• flying over to Santa Maria to support Michael, being in court with him, crying a lot, being angry a lot

• of course: the verdict

• the first time seeing him after the verdict in London 2005 – I clearly remember how each and every fan was just so proud and happy to see him and relieved that these horrible times were over, I never heard chanting as loud as this

• the WMAs – being angry about the bad organization and the bad coverage and thinking that everything was different and that somehow everything went the wrong way

• my last time seeing Michael in London 2007

• the announcement of the concerts and the feeling that this was so not Michael – the venue, the ticketing, the way he had announced the shows, the 50 concerts...

• being in LA for a day and visiting Michael's new home, seeing him drive by – if we only had known this would have been our last time close to him...

• preparing to go to London

• the end...

-My first era was Dangerous (around 1993) and I remember watching Vh1 all day whenever they had Michael Jackson Day.
They would play Moonwalker and I'd watch it every single time it came on LOL. They played the Jacksons on Cher & Pop-Up Video.
-I remember sitting in school singing "Beat It" to myself
-I got the "Dancing the Dream" book (First Edition) when it came out
-I remember watching the MTV VMAs in '95 live.
-I found the "Making of Thriller" VHS in an Odd Lots store
-I was excited to get his VHS tapes when they came out (Video Greatest Hits, HIStory on Film, Dangerous-The Short Films)
-I went to a family member's home just so I could tape Ghosts the first time it came on TV.
-My first Michael CD was HIStory.
-My cousin got "The Visual Documentary" book in '97
-I stayed up late to see him win the Artist of the Millennium award and was mad they didn't do until the very end LOL.
-I was in a jewelry store at the mall when Invincible had just came out and the cashier had the CD playing and spent the
whole time telling my mom and I how great the album was.
-I almost hyperventilated when he came out onstage with NSYNC on MTV LOL
-I'd always wanted the Thriller vinyl and last year I finally it in a thrift store and instead of running to it I just stood there staring with my mouth hanging open 'til my Mom said "You better go get it before someone else does!" LOL

*I know it sounds weird but when I was a kid, I never paid attention or wondered why Michael's skin color changed or his nose, etc. He was just Michael Jackson to me. I could watch "Thriller" then "Remember The Time" and not have a second thought about his looks. The innocence of a child huh?

I'm ashamed. I don't have many fond memories of MJ-eras because the truth is, I was a hater. Well, not a hater hater. I didn't HATE him. But I cracked nose/pedophile jokes, just like everyone else around me. I had no idea who he was or what he did. Absolutely zip.

Then last year, on a mere whim, I decided to watch the ABC video. The first time I ever heard the song was on the movie Daddy Daycare and for most of my life, I thought a girl sung it. Then, I don't know why, I started watching other Jackson 5 videos. Then I go to Blame It On The Boogie. I fell in love.

Or something like that.

Anyways, so began what would be a 8-month obsession.

But I still have some moments I'm proud I can look back on. When I was little, I had Free Willy on VCR. And those who have it or have watched it know that Michael's "Hold Me" song was a part of the movie. So before Free Willy started, the live-concert video of Hold Me would come on. I loved the song. It was so MOVING. It still is. I don't think I had a clue that it was Michael Jackson singing it, but to this day, it still gives me chills. I took out the video a few weeks ago and watched it and I almost cried when his song came on.

I WAS SO STUPID.
UGH.
I wish SOMEONE would have stood up for MJ. Someone that could have just NUDGED me towards him. I regret it so much. I could have MET him (probably not, but that's what it feels like; the regret), or at least, you know, APPRECIATED HIM WHILE HE WAS ALIVE.

Sometimes I wonder, "What's the point?" He's dead. He's GONE. I get caught up in these fantasies of going back in time and befriending him, but the fact is, that's never going to happen. Who am I kidding?

But other times...

Other times those fantasies are so real. It's like he's not dead.

So there's my little lifestory. Sorry if I ranted. ^^

*Completly dry*;3363339 said:

Nice thread! But as Daryll748 said, quite painful! Here are some memories that popped into my mind:

Dangerous

• dancing to „Heal the world“ with my then boyfriend (ok, we were 11...)

• being told that it was Michael speaking at the beginning of „Heal the world“ and believing it :doh:

• inventing some choreography for „Who is it“ on a friend's birthday

• reading articles about the Dangerous Tour in Bravo magazine, I especially remember the one where a German bodyguard told some insider stories which were so cute

• rerecording the Dangerous Album from a friend

• buying my first ever MJ cassette - „Bad“ because my dad had told me that he had read a lot of good reviews on that one

• envying a friend who had tickets for the Dangerous concert in Frankfurt

• watching parts of the Bucharest concert on TV – it was my uncle's wedding that day and I remember bothering my parents to go home so I could watch it. We came home with „I just can't stop loving you“ and I was only allowed to watch till „Thriller“ because it was time for bed then As we didn't have a video recorder, my dad recorded it on MC for me – but watched it completely himself and was so excited about it the next day – and I was sad

• reading the first Black & White magazines and being so fascinated, a whole new world opened up in front of me

• my dad coming into my room one morning to wake me up with a newspaper stating that Michael was being investigated for child molestation

• feeling sick because of all the rumors, LaToya's revelations, Michael's breakdown...

• writing a letter to Bravo's „I love Michael“ campaign – my English was so bad, I bet Michael didn't understand a word! I remember asking my dad how to spell „HEAL the world“ and he said „Heel“ lmao

• having penpals all over the world and writing hundreds of letters and exchanging MCs and videos

HIStory

• buying Scream/Childhood single on the first day of release

• listening to the whole HIStory album in store with headphones because I was just too curious and couldn't wait until I got home

• watching the world premiere of Stranger in Moscow at a friend's house and seeing Michael perform on the "Wetten, dass...?" show - I was so proud because everyone had seen it and loved it

• seeing Michael for the very first time in Prague 96

• having the time of my life traveling to HIStory concerts with my friends in 97

• being absolutely heartbroken after my last HIStory show in Copenhagen on Michael's birthday

• the cancellation of Michael's „Smile“ performance on the „Wetten, dass...?“ show, for which we had tickets

• talking to Michael for the first time and getting my first autograph

• „Wetten, dass...?“ Saarbrücken and MJ & Friends concert in Munich – singing for Michael all day long in front of his hotel

• MJ Day 10 in London with Michael saying „2 more months“ for the new album

Invincible

• YRMW leaking on the internet... „KTU the beat“

• organizing an Invincible-release party in Hamburg and partying to the new music all night long

• the whole SONY ish – slowly realizing there's something wrong because they kept promising and promising and never delivered

• demos in Berlin and London (incl. Killer Thriller Party)

• having an incredible week with Michael in Berlin 2002, meeting him and making him laugh

• preparing to go to Ischgl to see Michael perform on the mountain there – tickets were already bought, hotels booked – then it was canceled

• the Bashir documentary... attending the TV program of the German broadcast to support MJ

• preparing to go to Hamburg to see Michael who was supposed to arrive the next days - then getting a phone call from a friend that Neverland had been searched... - then the whole mess started - very hard times

• flying over to Santa Maria to support Michael, being in court with him, crying a lot, being angry a lot

• of course: the verdict

• the first time seeing him after the verdict in London 2005 – I clearly remember how each and every fan was just so proud and happy to see him and relieved that these horrible times were over, I never heard chanting as loud as this

• the WMAs – being angry about the bad organization and the bad coverage and thinking that everything was different and that somehow everything went the wrong way

• my last time seeing Michael in London 2007

• the announcement of the concerts and the feeling that this was so not Michael – the venue, the ticketing, the way he had announced the shows, the 50 concerts...

• being in LA for a day and visiting Michael's new home, seeing him drive by – if we only had known this would have been our last time close to him...

• preparing to go to London

• the end...

Click to expand...

Now that's a true fan!

NinaB said:

*I know it sounds weird but when I was a kid, I never paid attention or wondered why Michael's skin color changed or his nose, etc. He was just Michael Jackson to me. I could watch "Thriller" then "Remember The Time" and not have a second thought about his looks. The innocence of a child huh?

Click to expand...

Beautiful