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What are your top 5 songs that Michael really should have performed in concert but for some reason never did?

filmandmusic

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1) The lady in my life: this could have been so awesome. Michael doing extended ad libs full of passion and soul, such a good song to showcase your vocals. Super soul song. The way I imagine it, he would be standing in front of a mic like the Dirty Diana performance

2) Childhood: hopefully that rehearsal footage will surface one day from what I read it was very special

3) Liberian girl : smooth sexual hot song, all kinds of possibilities to build something around this for a stage performance, something in a king size bed or something

4) give in to me : c'mon this would have rocked the house, I can see Michael dropping on his knees belting out give in to me repeatedly during Slash's awesome soloing

5) all the rest he never did live :p

Special edit to include “we’re almost there” I so hope he did this live at some point between 1975 and 1978
 
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1. Give into me - the song is so full of energy and passion (like most of them)
2. Remember the time
 
1. Who Is It
2. Keep The Faith
3. Childhood
4. Smile
5. Money
 
  • I can't help it (until the Bad Tour at latest)
  • Someone In The Dark
  • We've Had Enough
  • Smile
  • Tabloid Junkie

    (I would agree with Give In To Me but not in my top 5, and I didn't include Is It Scary because I'm sure it would have been playback.)

    I want to make separate a list for before Off The Wall:​
  • Wings Of My Love​
  • Maria (You Were The Only One)
  • All The Things You Are
  • Greatest Show on Earth (or maybe Morning Glow? but wasn't it performed at least once?)
  • That's what you get (for being polite) (wasn't it actually performed?)
 
Maxym said:
  • I can't help it (until the Bad Tour at latest)
  • Someone In The Dark
  • We've Had Enough
  • Smile
  • Tabloid Junkie

    (I would agree with Give In To Me but not in my top 5, and I didn't include Is It Scary because I'm sure it would have been playback.)

    I want to make separate a list for before Off The Wall:​
  • Wings Of My Love​
  • Maria (You Were The Only One)
  • All The Things You Are
  • Greatest Show on Earth (or maybe Morning Glow? but wasn't it performed at least once?)
  • That's what you get (for being polite) (wasn't it actually performed?)
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Maybe some of these pre off the wall songs were performed at times, we just don't know as there is hardly any info about setlist of the Jackson 5. I'm fairly certain a few of those were in the setlists but there is no prove of it.
I have been thinking about writing the Jacksons with a question regarding their old setlist but I don't know how to reach them and I'm fairly certain they won't give me an answer anyway lol.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned PYT yet. It's one of Michael's most streamed songs on Spotify, yet it had no performances and no short film.

Also, any song from Invincible aside from You Rock My World Specifically, I really wish he did Unbreakable live. Before MJ passed away, I predicted that it would be the opening number for the This Is It shows. It would have been the perfect first song to tell the whole world "I'm back and I'm still standing."
 
I had also imagined This Is It would take more from Invincible and focus on singing rather than dancing. After all even Michael Jackson could not top the 30-something MJ in dancing.
 
I wish Michael could have had a show where he got to perform songs he's never had a chance to perform.
 
I think he avoided to do a show like that because he thought people wouldn't be interested. Those shows would have been for the hardcore fans and not for the people who only know Thriller and Billie Jean.
 
I think he said that in some interview, or he was asked, I don't actually remember the source so it's just how I remember it... I think he said that he would like to do different stuff in his show, maybe change some choreographies, maybe change song lists... But that the majority of the audience was there to see the big hits performed as they expected...

He still added Dangerous to his shows at some point which I don't think really was expect by the wide audience, singe it had never been release in single... this seemed to be rather for himself and/or the fans. (I've never been really hyped by this song performed live and I'm not sure in how many shows it was included.)
 
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the one moment he wanted to do something different was ultimately cancelled. The 1995 one night only show.
Anyone,e know the setlist of that night?
 
filmandmusic said:
the one moment he wanted to do something different was ultimately cancelled. The 1995 one night only show.
Anyone,e know the setlist of that night?
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michael-jackson.fandom.com

One Night Only (HBO Special)

One Night Only was Michael Jackson's cancelled concert special for HBO, slated to be aired on Sunday, December 10, 1995 at 8 PM ET/PT. The special would feature a pre-recorded concert, which would take place in New York's Historic Beacon Theater on December 8-9. On December 6, Jackson was rushed...
michael-jackson.fandom.com michael-jackson.fandom.com

This gives info on what songs were rehearsed for that night.
 
@analogue not really crazy about what I read. Feels like a very rushed production that would ultimately Not have looked that different to other shows. Thriller and childhood would have been cool to see. Odd how he never did the new thriller routine in the HIStory tour if he loved it so much.
Overall mixed feelings!
 
@filmandmusic, the HBO 1995 setlist would have been somewhat special compared to his other shows/concerts.

It has been said that on the first night he was about to perform songs only from the 'HIStory' album, and on the second night only his classic songs from his other albums.

Then, the two HBO shows would have been edited into one HBO show for TV airing.

The HBO show has been rather overrated among his fans, but the reality is that it was not just a very rushed production but also it would have been a very catatonic, unexciting and mostly acoustic performance from Michael Jackson.

The fact also that the singer did not consider rescheduling his HBO performance seems to suggest that even Michael Jackson himself did not think that this was going to be a really good show (for his own standards).
 
I wish Michael had performed these songs live:

  1. Give In To Me. I would have loved it if he had performed it during the Dangerous Tour, replacing Beat It. I love Beat It, but he did it on every tour. I would have preferred Give In To Me during the Dangerous Tour, and then Beat It could make a glorious come back during the HIStory Tour.
  2. Keep the Faith. I always dreamed of Michael performing this song one time, during his Superbowl halftime show. Instead of Heal the World. Partly because I'm not such a big fan of Heal The World, and partly because I think Keep The Faith fits so well with sports. (Read the lyrics: "Believe in yourself no matter what it's gon' take / You can be a winner / But you got to keep the faith")
  3. Money. Well, just because it's an utter shame this song never got the attention it deserved. It's brilliant. It should have been a single, it should have had a video, it should have been performed live.
 
'ease on down the road' - diana ross performs it solo to this day. i'm sure michael could have. the song is upbeat and catchy, and would have made a great opener. although it's famous within the context of the movie, it didn't do too well as a single unfortunately. performing it in concert could have given it that extra exposure.

'someone in the dark' - again, this was only released on the e.t storybook - which was discontinued. i can imagine michael outdoing his studio vocal (if that's even possible) just like he did with 'she's out of my life'.

'say say say' - this was a hit never performed live. it would have been cool to see michael let loose with some dance moves 🤩

'p.y.t (pretty young thing)' - big hit that was popular with the general public. energetic and funky.

'somebody's watching me' - 'could have been incorporated with 'thriller' as a mash-up. largely regarded as a michael song anyway, despite him only singing the chorus.
 
Ease on down the road was once performed by Michael and Diana live, excellent performance btw but I am sure you’ve seen it @83magic
 
filmandmusic said:
Ease on down the road was once performed by Michael and Diana live, excellent performance btw but I am sure you’ve seen it @83magic
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oh, yes. after motown 25 and the james brown concert appearance in '83, it's my favourite performance :) it was part of a tv special though. not a concert.
 
1. In the Closet (FULL SONG)
2. Remember the Time
3. Give In to Me
4. Burn This Disco Out
5. She Drives Me Wild
 
1. Give In To Me
2. I Can't Help It
3. Whatever Happens
4. Someone Put Your Hand Out
5. Butterflies
 
hollywood tonight, hold my hand, chicago, place with no name, fall again, beautiful girl and etc. well, to be brief, all songs from this is it - invincible era should have been performed. they are the best!
 
i wish michael kept 'love never felt so good' for himself, and released it in 1983. i can imagine a stripped down performance with just a piano in the background. michael alone onstage, improvising some light steps..
 
@83magic
The piano only version that leaked first has always been a favorite of mine. It emphasized MJ’s vocals and he sounded so optimistic energetic and happy. I played it a lot when it leaked.
 
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