Rate your favorite performances (Tour wise) of Human Nature!

Themidwestcowboy

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1. Victory Tour. I just love the way he sung it on the Victory Tour because it's so similar to the record, and come on Thriller era vocals?! Granted you can get a bit put off but the instrumentation, but halfway through the tour (Ala Toronto) it sounded great.

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2. This Is It. Still slaying it at 50! I’m going to contradict myself and say that this is the closest we have heard MJ sing the song as it was sung on the record. When I think about it it may actually be my favorite performance of the song ever. But because he never got to perform it live in a concert with finalized instrumentation this will be #2.

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3. Bad Tour. Really you can't go wrong with bad. It is sort of an extension from the Victory Tour. Better instrumentation, Pause in the middle. He deviated a little bit from the original vocal arrangement which ultimate made me put Vic before bad.

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4. Dangerous Tour. I feel like he sacrificed his vocals for the robotic dance routines and intentionally made it a bit coarser. I think he was capable of singing it the way he did during the bad tour judging by the way he sung the bridge perfectly on dangerous. I wish he wouldn't have danced so much, Human Nature is all about the vocals! Dangerous end up on the bottom of my list.

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Honorable Mention: Royal Concert Brunei. Beautiful, Beautiful instrumentation. Best live instrumentation of the song that I have ever heard.
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Ooh, this is a great idea for a thread! And about my favorite song no less (both the album version and in terms of the live performance).

1. Bad Tour. Particularly the Wembley concert performance is pure perfection to me. When I first saw this concert, I started to cry when he engaged the audience in a sing-along. It's a perfect balance between the soulful singing and the sexy/sensual dance moves. The echo wasn't overdone here like in some other Bad Tour performances, and it is my favorite version of the arrangement/instrumentation of this song.


2. This Is It. The way he starts singing acapella, the relaxed way he moves. It's like he's on another plane of existence. I LOVE the jacket with the shoulder pads, and the hand gesture he makes when singing "Does he do me that way", as if lighting up his face, is pure genius.

3. Royal Brunei concert. An absolutely beautiful rendition of the song. He seems very relaxed and enjoying himself, particularly when he flashes that giant smile and lights up the audience with a blow kiss. I think this is a huge improvement over the Dangerous Tour version, bringing back something that was missing since the Bad Tour.

4. Dangerous Tour. I remember showing this to a friend after first showing the Bad Tour version, and she was like "Why does he sound so exhausted?", and I had to explain to her that he was doing it on purpose. I kind of like the way he does a super-sensual, almost whispery voice, but I still prefer the clean vocals of the Bad Tour. The dance moves on the other hand are maybe even more spectacular, but it really does sacrifice the singing slightly. I very much like how he engages with the audience a bit more here, though.


5. Victory Tour. I don't know what it is about this, but it feels like a demo of the song to me. He seems to be speeding his way through the chorus, and not taking his time to really perform it. The brothers' backing vocals don't help a bit. Also on the Victory Tour, he was still making his transition from the Jacksons era and trying to find his style as a solo act, so the moves aren't nearly as sharp yet, and the "shh shh" -sounds (couldn't find a better way to describe them) are all over the place. Still great, though.
 
4. Dangerous Tour. I remember showing this to a friend after first showing the Bad Tour version, and she was like "Why does he sound so exhausted?", and I had to explain to her that he was doing it on purpose. I kind of like the way he does a super-sensual, almost whispery voice, but I still prefer the clean vocals of the Bad Tour. The dance moves on the other hand are maybe even more spectacular, but it really does sacrifice the singing slightly. I very much like how he engages with the audience a bit more here, though.


Perfectly explained! My exact sentiments
 
Oh, one of my top 5 favorite MJ songs ever. I'm going with the DWT performances.
 
1. Yokohama. The best Human Nature performance in my opinion right now:

2. Wembley 88. Also an amazing performance.

3. This Is It. The vocals are amazing and Michael still had it.

4. Dangerous Tour rehearsals. I like how the music sounds.
 
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1. Bad Tour
The dancing is awesome, the singing top notch and overall flawless performances.
2. Dangerous Tour
I absolutely LOVE his dancing in this tour! Plus the costume makes it even better! He sounds a bit exhausted but it does nothing to his awesome stage presence. But, as it is less perfect than 1. , it gets the second place.
3. This Is It
Loved this version! The vocals were awesome, if he had gotten to do them live along with the dance in Dangerous, it would've been number one! :D
4. Victory Tour
Didn't like the instrumentation at all. Plus the energy was missing... The vocals were very good tho.
 
1. Bad Tour
The dancing is awesome, the singing top notch and overall flawless performances.
2. Dangerous Tour
I absolutely LOVE his dancing in this tour! Plus the costume makes it even better! He sounds a bit exhausted but it does nothing to his awesome stage presence. But, as it is less perfect than 1. , it gets the second place.
3. This Is It
Loved this version! The vocals were awesome, if he had gotten to do them live along with the dance in Dangerous, it would've been number one! :D
4. Victory Tour
Didn't like the instrumentation at all. Plus the energy was missing... The vocals were very good tho.
 
The Dangerous Tour versions suffered because of the headset mic. He was trying to compensate for not breathing hard into the mic, and that messed up the vocals ultimately.
He still hit the long/high notes, but not being able to move the mic away from the mouth quickly took away from it.

Bad Tour is always the best.
 
1. Yokohama. I think this is the best Human Nature performance in my opinion right now:

2. Wembley 88. Also an amazing performance.

3. This Is It. The vocals are amazing and Michael still had it.

4. Dangerous Tour rehearsals. I like how the music sounds.
My list would be the same as yours. I think the Dangerous rehearsals are wonderful. Way better than the show.

(This is a great thread-love hearing all these versions of Human Nature today. I just love this song so.)


Edited to add-just went back and rewatched the Brisbane performance-I swear right in the middle chills started going down my back-isn't that stupid? You'd think after all these years and even listening to it all day-
 
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Gotta go with This Is It. At 50 years old, Michael still had it. The moves were slick, and the vocals were off the charts. 2nd would be Bad Tour, Victory in 3rd. I won't recognize Dangerous or HIStory as they were lip synched.
 
Gotta go with This Is It. At 50 years old, Michael still had it. The moves were slick, and the vocals were off the charts. 2nd would be Bad Tour, Victory in 3rd. I won't recognize Dangerous or HIStory as they were lip synched.

It was not lip synched on dangerous.
 
1. This Is It
2. Bad Tour
3. Brunei
4. Dangerous Tour
5. Victory Tour
 
I'm geniuinely surprised that Victory ends up at the bottom of most your lists, but it's understandable. Sometimes the music sounds like a video game on Victory lol, and it was the first time performing the song.

On another note he should have performed it on the HIStory Tour
 
I'm geniuinely surprised that Victory ends up at the bottom of most your lists, but it's understandable. Sometimes the music sounds like a video game on Victory lol, and it was the first time performing the song.

On another note he should have performed it on the HIStory Tour

The music + the lack of energy. No mime-type moves at the end, very less crowd involvment.
 
Vocals: This Is It & BAD Tour 1987 (would be 1988 but we currently have no decent audio mix to judge from)
Dance: Dangerous & Victory
 
The Dangerous Tour performance of Human Nature really stood out, he captured something in that moment

The Bad Tour was top notch
 
1. BAD Tour
2. This Is It
3. Victory Tour
4. Dangerous Tour (I don't like the vocals on this one)
 
Yeah, they messed with Michael's vocals... Yokohama is mixed far better
I don't know if it's the mix or not, but I watched both of them on YouTube last night and Yokohama is really gorgeous. It just seems richer and more plaintive.
It's just beautiful, no matter what tho.
 
I don't watch the tours enough to rate them, but my favourite is hands down without a doubt his performance in This Is It.

You should've seen me in the theatres man. I hadn't properly heard the song before and I remember my mouth just being agape as much as possible. I was stunned because I knew Michael Jackson was amazing but I didn't know he was that amazing... goddamn those were some beautiful vocals.

I remember rushing home to find it on my The Essential MJ collection, wondering why I had never really played it before!
 
So... when I break apart each part of the performance it will go back and forth between Bad and Dangerous but I really think if Michael did it for History it would have been my favorite.. he did not do his songs at that same fast speed as Dangerous which would have helped him vocally, it was the tour he enjoyed doing popping the most which is some of my favorite parts of Human Nature..
 
1) Victory Tour - Vocals sound very similar to the record version. Nice instrumentation and no annoying stop and start in the middle of the song, which became a feature in later performances of the song. And I love the fact that it starts with Ben and then transitions into Human Nature.

2) Bad Tour - Better instrumentation than the Victory Tour and it had by far some of Michael's best robotic dance moves to end the performance. Vocals sound very clean and crisp, although not as good as they were during Victory Tour.

3) Royal Brunei 96 - Big improvement over Dangerous Tour, in terms of instrumentation. Vocals sound less breathy as well.

4) Dangerous Tour - Very breathy and tired vocals and instrumentation not as good as it should have been. Robotic dance moves were also better on the Bad Tour.

P.s. If This Is It concerts have happened, I would have put it at #1. Michael's vocals were heavenly, the best he has ever sounded while singing HN live. Instrumentation was also top notch.
 
Oh nice, I will listen to all 5 tomorrow to come up with my ranking although I'm pretty sure Victory will come out on top.
I really need to watch the Brunei show as it apparently features quite a lot live vocals.
 
Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Live At Wembley July 16, 1988 (Stereo))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujDSiL600nc
 
ok I listened and I think it's a toss up between Victory and bad tour.
He probably wouldn't have sounded that good on the actual this is it tour, it's a massive difference between rehearsing and taking breaks and actual 100% performing.
Personally I think Dangerous is really mediocre, too much dancing as well
 
I will go with This Is It.

BUT - honorable mention - Dangerous Tour Copenhagen concert. - So relaxed, yet so full of energy. - Great (and very different) performance.

ALSO - the DWT rehearsals is amazing.
 
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