Those that saw MJ on HIStory Tour

He had problems to sleep.I don´t know if he used propofol but it´s possible.
He had problems to eat and drink-he said they made him have an IV.
He lost a friend when princess Diana died, hunted by paparazzis.
Michael was human and he was hunted by paparazzis too.
But he still performed for his fans in the evenings.
 
I was only 11 I didn't even know what lipsynch was. My idol was right infont of my eyes proving to me that he's actually real and not just a figment of my imagination. People never believe when I tell them this but Michael looked right at me!
 
I saw MJ on the HIStory tour and it never occurred to me. I was only about 12, so probably a bit dumb and naive. Little things like the fact that he was singing Janet's verse in Scream and the switch to live vocals at the end of the songs made me think it was all live.

It was such a brilliant show regardless of the lip-synching. The atmosphere was the most intense of any concert I've ever been to. It was truly magic.
Michael rercorded his on Janet's part so he was lipsnyching to his own voice and not Janet's.
 
i went to bad ,dangerous and history tours and bad ,dangerous tours most were live but history was a lot of lip-synching. but i didnt care. great shows .went to 12 in all in london
 
you gotta wonder why some people are obsessed with this question, though they say they are not...
 
What's more annoying is the lack of people's empathy or disconcern over another's state of spirit first or at all. Jackson hated doing the Victory Tour, but relented to the pressures of his family; then he mostly accepted touring the Dangerous World Tour to raise funds for his Heal The World Foundation and to visit hospitals and children's homes and make more donations; pretty much the same goes for the HIStory Tour. Throughout all these mentioned period of times he often felt like crap, either emotionally or physically (throat problems, lack of sleeping, insomnia, other physical pains). He continued honoring some concerts even when fighting for his life from the mental exhaustion and dehydration caused by the devilish 1993 allegations. He continued performing Earth Song even after almost dying on the stage bridge from the MJ and Friends Seoul, Korea concert. If we were to believe the rumor that his former wife, Debbie Rowe, had a miscariage before having Prince, he still found the strength to perform, to be in front of the audience and dance when he couldn't find the strength to sing, or dance even when he felt he couldn't. He accepted doing the 31 This Is It, even though it consumed him enormously, and couldn't eat, sleep etc, and eventually died, and the examples could go on an on, of how Jackson always put his fans first and made superhuman efforts to be there for them, still managing to be good or great for them, disregarding his pains and disregarding what others' opinions of the performances are. Of course, many have said, 'Well, he should've stayed home if he was gonna lyp-synch'. And in that event, the same people would've complained or quit being fans if he had been a no-show, and the media would've have a field day with that, so he couldn't win either way. If he performed 100 percent live, complaints would've still poured in, like "Well, he didn't perform live good, he sucked'. And people are still amazed or annoyed by his perfectionism and couldn't understand it. That's 'cause he knew he was going to be ripped apart by critiques and be thrown like a 'hot potato', like his father would often promise him and his brothers.

How many of us complaining could do that? What he did. 'This Is It' was going to be made for his children and his fans for whom he lived. But what difference do all explanations of this kind make if Jackson didn't satisfy our wants and pleased our senses? Or if we don't believe in what he says or it doesn't matter? What if he didn't sing live for This Is It? What if his health would have deteriorated during the concerts and died shortly afterwards? What if he had needed to postpone or cancel more shows which eventually would have been the case? Already when a couple of dates were rescheduled before the start of the shows there was that unforgetable (?) mass hysteria, and some quit being fans and cussed him and whatever. He more than once said "One of my biggest fears is letting my fans down". Did that matter to some? We who're whining and complaining, do we ever even imagine the stress and turmoil Jackson faced all his life while a hunting evil voice resounding in the depths of his memory always warned "Do not disapoint the audience!"? Do we imagine what his soul must have hurt like at the mere idea, that he fought until his dying day, feeling weak and tired eventually because of the lack of sleep and proper feeding -> because of overworking himself for his fans who were his life? He committed his life to others, always trying to please them in whatever way he can. Because he was not God, he sometimes ended up inevitably disapointing others and, most likely, himself as well. There's lots of accounts of him suffering when thinking he was not good enough (i.e. regarding the Billie Jean spin at the Motown 25 show) or when he felt he didn't do enough for someone, and he bore no less than the whole world on his shoulders, because the whole world expected something from him. He always gave so much of himself, until he could no longer/he gave himself completely. Greed took him away, gushing from so many sides. And what's even more sad, human love.

And again, all points of this kind are pointless when our whims aren't being met, preferably or imperatively all of them.




yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!!!!!!!!! you better preach!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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It is great that his fans don't mind if he lip syncs or not they are just happy to see him but it is still wrong to lip sync when the general public are paying for a live performance, i understand he has a lot of dancing to do and he puts serious energy into every performance but i think most fans would perfer less dancing if it meant more live singing. We all seen how bad whitney was on her last tour yet still she didn't resort to lip syncing, bad as it was it was live and that is what people pay for.

Was he NOT on stage, standing in front of you? Did he perform the show via satellite? Did he record the shows then play them at the venue...or was he PERFORMING LIVE in front of you? There are more aspects 2 a performance than singing. You pay 2 see Michael Jackson live and thats exactly what the people got. Unless the tag line read "Michael Jackson : HIStory World Tour : Singing Live In (Insert country/city) " then you got what you paid for, the man on stage performing in front of you LIVE.
 
I saw BAD, Dangerous and History concerts all out Wembley stadium, you would never of known that Mike was lip-syncing and you wouldn't of been able to compare between BAD and History, this only comes apparent when viewed back on a tv screen close up.

Are you talking about the big screens during the concerts? If so, it would be impossible to tell from them because they were always milli seconds off. As in a lag. You can notice that when you watch the recordings of the history tour.

Did we really want MJ to sing live? He did sing "Wanna Be Startin Somethin" live, and honestly it was great for that song, and i like the voice he used, but it wouldnt have suited the other songs.

Also the spoken parts of In the Closet.

he did it to have a great show. we all know michael could sing.

People saying he did the same setlist, dances, and lighting every show, well yea. It was a production. Just as if you went to broadway shows. that was the HIStory tour. was art, and beautiful, and he was able to do it over and over again almost to a T for many fans to experience it.
 
Was he NOT on stage, standing in front of you? Did he perform the show via satellite? Did he record the shows then play them at the venue...or was he PERFORMING LIVE in front of you? [/B]There are more aspects 2 a performance than singing. You pay 2 see Michael Jackson live and thats exactly what the people got. Unless the tag line read "Michael Jackson : HIStory World Tour : Singing Live In (Insert country/city) " then you got what you paid for, the man on stage performing in front of you LIVE.


I totally agree with what you are saying!
Besides, I've got my ticket right here and nowhere on it does it say "Michael Jackson singing all live" :)
 
I'm with you nickzark!

I don't understand that obssesion either, he's the greatest showman of aur time, one of the best singer ever. WHAT'S YOUR FREAKING PROBLEM! (those ones that bring negativity)
How many of us that didn't have the priviledge would have wanted to see Michael perform at least once, no matter which tour.
 
I saw the HIStory Tour at Wembley Stadium, and I was aware Michael was lip-syncing by the time he was singing 'They Don't Care About. All the vocals were too identical in sound and diction to the recordings of the songs.

I'd already seen Michael in concert on the Bad and Dangerous tours, and what I know about Michael when he sings live is that he also ad-libs/improvises vocals on various lyrics, adding a new word, or sound or singing a lyric at different pace. There was none of that on the HIStory Tour, and the further in the concert got the more obvious it was that Michael was lip-syncing.

Michael's lip-syncing also meant you couldn't feel Michael's aura as you could when he sang live on the previous tours I went to, because his live vocals are what connected the audience from the front on the stadium (which is where I always was for Michael's concerts), to the back of the stadium. There were parts Michael sang live, like the end of 'You Are Not Alone', 'J5 Medley the end of 'Billie Jean' and the end of 'Beat it' and and 'Heal The World'. I was very disappointed Michael choose to lip-sync. I still wonder if Michael had a medical reason not to sing on tour? ... due a throat operation he had in 1992 after the Bucharest concert.

I didn't leave the HIStory Tour in awe like I did the Bad and Dangerous Tours, but I really enjoyed the HIStory Tour despite the lip-syncing.
 
I saw the HIStory Tour at Wembley Stadium, and I was aware Michael was lip-syncing by the time he was singing 'They Don't Care About. All the vocals were too identical in sound and diction to the recordings of the songs.

I'd already seen Michael in concert on the Bad and Dangerous tours, and what I know about Michael when he sings live is that he also ad-libs/improvises vocals on various lyrics, adding a new word, or sound or singing a lyric at different pace. There was none of that on the HIStory Tour, and the further in the concert got the more obvious it was that Michael was lip-syncing.

Michael's lip-syncing also meant you couldn't feel Michael's aura as you could when he sang live on the previous tours I went to, because his live vocals are what connected the audience from the front on the stadium (which is where I always was for Michael's concerts), to the back of the stadium. There were parts Michael sang live, like the end of 'You Are Not Alone', 'J5 Medley the end of 'Billie Jean' and the end of 'Beat it' and and 'Heal The World'. I was very disappointed Michael choose to lip-sync. I still wonder if Michael had a medical reason not to sing on tour? ... due a throat operation he had in 1992 after the Bucharest concert.

I didn't leave the HIStory Tour in awe like I did the Bad and Dangerous Tours, but I really enjoyed the HIStory Tour despite the lip-syncing.

you have a right to your opinion, and that's what this is all for, but i have a right to at least ask you questions based on how you posted.

it doesn't feel like proof he was lip synching, when you say that he sounded too much like his recordings. how do you know, with his massive talent, that he didn't have elephantine memory, that he introduced, during those concerts? after all..in this is it, he firmly asked the keyboard player to make his songs sound like the recording. maybe he evolved into wanting to do that.

then...at the end of your post, you say you weren't in awe, yet you then contrast that statement, by saying...you really enjoyed the HIStory tour.


i guess i'm not able to line up the order of those statements or somn..

but again...everybody has their opinion...and their experience is their own.

i'll just add that msg, which came later than HISTory..some people were saying he was sick. and they didn't say it in a good way(in stark contrast to all the screaming at the concert. i'm loving all the study in contrasts, by the way)..but i was at one of those concerts, and his performance of Billie Jean mimicked the recording. but at the very end, he changed it a bit. but the difference between the beginning of the song to the end, was so seamless, that i'd have to have a lot of time on my hands to study to see where the supposed lip synching began, and the live performance began. If that is what happened. and that is the point of the difference between another artist's concert. and a Michael Jackson experience. it's what he does with whatever he has...and an x factor. sometimes i think people don't like not having control...and..you really can't control the assessment of a Michael Jackson experience.
 
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you gotta wonder why some people are obsessed with this question, though they say they are not...

You gotta wonder why people just love to pick arguements all the time.....
 
Reading so many of these opinions (which are perfecly valid points) and stories from everyone makes me feel like it wasn't as big a privilage seeing him in person :(
 
Can we leave that awkward issue behind and talking possitive instead? please

In your opinion, which was the best HIStory concert? I've see parts of the Khaula Lumpur (sorry spell) concert and really think it was awesome. I've also heard that Brunei was great too.
What do you think guys?
 
I totally agree with what you are saying!
Besides, I've got my ticket right here and nowhere on it does it say "Michael Jackson singing all live" :)
You're sooooooooooooo lucky! >>>>
crazy_kermit.gif
 
you have a right to your opinion, and that's what this is all for, but i have a right to at least ask you questions based on how you posted.

it doesn't feel like proof he was lip synching, when you say that he sounded too much like his recordings. how do you know, with his massive talent, that he didn't have elephantine memory, that he introduced, during those concerts? after all..in this is it, he firmly asked the keyboard player to make his songs sound like the recording. maybe he evolved into wanting to do that.

then...at the end of your post, you say you weren't in awe, yet you then contrast that statement, by saying...you really enjoyed the HIStory tour.


i guess i'm not able to line up the order of those statements or somn..

but again...everybody has their opinion...and their experience is their own.

i'll just add that msg, which came later than HISTory..some people were saying he was sick. and they didn't say it in a good way(in stark contrast to all the screaming at the concert. i'm loving all the study in contrasts, by the way)..but i was at one of those concerts, and his performance of Billie Jean mimicked the recording. but at the very end, he changed it a bit. but the difference between the beginning of the song to the end, was so seamless, that i'd have to have a lot of time on my hands to study to see where the supposed lip synching began, and the live performance began. If that is what happened. and that is the point of the difference between another artist's concert. and a Michael Jackson experience. it's what he does with whatever he has...and an x factor. sometimes i think people don't like not having control...and..you really can't control the assessment of a Michael Jackson experience.


wait are u suggesting that michael was actually singing live? lol
 
what I noticed in all these discussions about lip-syncing (not just in this thread, but in the fandom in general) is that the majority of those complaining about lip-syncing weren't actually at the concerts and only saw the footage, so they judge from there, which is a totally different experience from being there and seeing Michael perform.
 
wait are u suggesting that michael was actually singing live? lol

It honestly would not suprise me if he was suggesting Michael was possibly singing live.

Personally im just as much a fan of him for his dancing as his singing. So I do lke the HIStory Tour and the lip synching doesnt really bother me.

If anything the actual live singing is frustrating because you know he can do better.
 
I was 14 when i went to HIStory tour in Amsterdam, my seat was incredibly far away from the stage and at that time i had no time to worry about lipsynching. I was finally seeing my hero in concert. So i can never hate on that concert, it was my one and only MJ concert and i will cherish that to my dying day.

When it comes to watching videos though, i prefer the Bad and Dangerous tours, cause i absolutely love it when he sings live. During TII you can hear how good he sings live. One thing i never understood how he lipsynched to slow songs like Heal the world and Man in the mirror, but he always sung WBSS live, lol.
 
I was 14 when i went to HIStory tour in Amsterdam, my seat was incredibly far away from the stage and at that time i had no time to worry about lipsynching. I was finally seeing my hero in concert. So i can never hate on that concert, it was my one and only MJ concert and i will cherish that to my dying day.

When it comes to watching videos though, i prefer the Bad and Dangerous tours, cause i absolutely love it when he sings live. During TII you can hear how good he sings live. One thing i never understood how he lipsynched to slow songs like Heal the world and Man in the mirror, but he always sung WBSS live, lol.

Me neither. On The Dangerous Tour, Heal The World could have been sung live. I guess because WBSS was earlier in the show so he was less tired?

I allways thought it was neccesary for him to have a bit of a break after WBSS. He went straight from WBSS singing live and full out dancing, straight into singing Human Nature. He just sounded terribly out of breath. Not to mention Jam being right before WBSS as well.
 
Yeah but also during the Superbowl Heal the world performance, the Remember the time performance during a award show or something like that. The MTV You are not alone performance...all slow songs, but still lip synched, i always thought that was too bad :(.
 
Tell me one performer who have sung "LIVE" every single show of his/her. Nobody's perfect and there could be more than one reason to not perform live.
And the most important thing, who are we to judge? Perfection does not exist.
 
I just wanted to say, it is very interesting to read all opinions here.

I agree with those that empathize with Michael & try to understand what were underlying problems, but I also hear those that voice questions, as I had questions myself too, especially about those slow songs, as ^^ Staffordshire Bullterrier pointed out up there.

I was never fortunate enough to go to any, and I mean any, of his concerts, and I will probably regret it all my life. As long as we don't judge (which I didn't see here, since even those that weren't too happy still said seeing Mike live was incredible and that many people enjoyed those concerts) exchanging contradictory opinions is what makes discussion interesting, no?

:)
 
Tell me one performer who have sung "LIVE" every single show of his/her. Nobody's perfect and there could be more than one reason to not perform live.
And the most important thing, who are we to judge? Perfection does not exist.

Theres a difference between lip synching the odd show here and there, and lip synching 90% of every concert on a tour.

Im not putting Michael down, as I understand his reasoning for lip synching. Im just saying, theres a difference. Everyone has done it though.

He even lip synced when he was a little boy and his voice was absolutely perfect.

I think the thing that pisses some people off is the fact that he was lip synching on a live concert where people pay to go and see him. Its not so bad when its on a TV show or awards show.
 
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