There are few true super stars left in the game, before digital sales and Social Media, artists had to depend solely on radio spins and performances for album sales. Rising to stardom with the Jackson 5, as a solo artist Michael Jackson broke a number of barriers throughout his iconic career, from being the first urban act featured on a then fledgling MTV to winning 13 Grammy’s, 26 American Music Awards and having 13 number one singles in the U.S.
One of the biggest stars on the planet at the time, in 1993 Jackson would change the entire concept of the Halftime routine, as he gave a legendary performance during Super Bowl XXVII. Prior to this the show was just an after thought, a few forgettable commercials just long enough to go grab a beer and make a sandwich before catching the second half of the game. But the entire thing almost didn’t happen, as it took a bit of coaxing to get the King of Pop to make an appearance. A recent article by Sports Illustrated went into detail about how the event came to be:
“For a month they got nowhere. [The NFL’s Jim] Steeg sat down with the King of Pop’s manager, Sandy Gallin, 11 months before Super Bowl XXVII. “I remember pitching them,” he says, “and them not really having a clue what we were talking about.” At a subsequent meeting, producer Don Mischer pointed out that the Super Bowl would be broadcast in more than 120 countries. Now he had Jackson’s full attention.”
Jackson was convinced, “You mean to tell me my performance is going to be seen in country’s I’ll never do a concert at? I’m In.”
Take a look at the performance below:
