# HIStory World Tour

The HIStory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the globe with stops in 57 cities, 35 countries on five continents. The tour promoted Jackson's 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The second leg also promoted the remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. The tour was attended by over 4.5 million fans and grossed over US $165 million making it the highest-grossing tour of the 1990s by a solo artist.

## Overview

The tour was announced on May 29, 1996, and marked Jackson's first concert tour since the Dangerous World Tour ended in November 1993.

### Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania (1996)

Jackson's debut concert for the tour, performed at Letná Park in Prague, was one of the largest single attended concerts in his career, with over 125,000 people. On October 7, he performed for the first time ever in the Arab world and Africa as a solo artist in Tunis. During the tour's stopover in Sydney, he married Debbie Rowe in a private and impromptu ceremony. He was interviewed by Molly Meldrum in Brisbane and danced with two women during "You Are Not Alone".

### North America (1997)

From January 3–4, Jackson performed his only two concerts on this tour in the US, in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Aloha Stadium, to a crowd of 35,000 each; making him the first artist in history to sell out the stadium.

### Europe and Africa (1997)

During the break period, Jackson worked and released his Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix album. The second leg started on May 31, at the Weserstadion in Bremen, Germany.
Jackson performed at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark on his 39th birthday with 60,000 fans. He was presented with a surprise birthday cake, marching band, and fireworks on stage after "You Are Not Alone". The concert at Hippodrome Wellington of Ostend, Belgium, was originally scheduled for August 31, but was postponed to September 3 following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

### Latin America cancellations (1997–98)

There were some initial plans to take the tour, in February 1997, to such Brazilian cities as São Paulo, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília; but these plans were suspended due to promotional issues. Jackson tried to visit Brazil again in February 1998, as well as Argentina, but these too were scrapped so that he could work on MJ & Friends.

## Recordings

Throughout the tour, many concerts were professionally filmed by Nocturne Productions, but none were ever officially released on DVD. In South Korea, 마이클 잭슨 내한공연, a VHS recording of the show in Seoul, was released.
Jackson also planned to release a DVD of his July 6 performance in Munich. However, the film was never released, due to Jackson being unimpressed by his vocals brought on by laryngitis. In 2010, TV channels such as RTL 5, ZDF, WOWOW, and Veronica TV broadcast the Munich performance in HD. It was interspersed with snippets from the July 4 show and a large snippet of the Leipzig show (August 3) during the "Jackson 5 Medley" speech. In 2022, a 1080p version of "Billie Jean" from the Munich concert was leaked, featuring snippets from the July 4 performance. Part of the soundboard feed from the show was also leaked.

## Set list
### 1996–1997 set list

* "Great Gates of Kiev" (introduction)
* "Scream" / "They Don't Care About Us" / "In the Closet" (contains excerpts of "HIStory", "Great Gates of Kiev" and "She Drives Me Wild")
* "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
* "Stranger in Moscow"
* "Smooth Criminal" (contains elements of "Childhood")
* "The Wind" (video interlude)
* "You Are Not Alone"
* "The Way You Make Me Feel" (September 7, 1996 – June 15, 1997)
* The Jackson 5 Medley: "I Want You Back" / "The Love You Save" / "I'll Be There"
* Off the Wall Medley: "Rock with You" / "Off the Wall" / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (select 1996 and 1997 dates)
* "Remember the Time" (video interlude)
* "Billie Jean"
* "Thriller"
* "Beat It"
* "Come Together" / "D.S." (select 1996 dates) / "Blood on the Dance Floor" (select 1997 dates)
* "Black Panther" (video interlude)
* "Dangerous" (contains elements from "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes, Ennio Morricone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Theme", "Smooth Criminal", Janet Jackson's "You Want This" and "Interlude: Let's Dance", Judy Garland's "Get Happy", Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme", and a guitar intro from Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill")
* "Black or White"
* "Earth Song"
* "We Are the World" (video interlude)
* "Heal the World"
* "HIStory" (with instrumental of "They Don't Care About Us" as a curtain call and contains elements from "Great Gates of Kiev")
Alterations
* Songs originally considered for the first leg of the tour included "Man in the Mirror", "She's Out of My Life", "Jam", "Childhood", "Will You Be There", "Dirty Diana", "State of Shock" and "2 Bad". "Morphine" was also rehearsed twice for the 1997 leg but was also removed.
* The medley of "Come Together" and "D.S." was removed after the Adelaide concert on November 26, 1996. "Blood on the Dance Floor" replaced them for most of the 1997 leg before being removed after August 19. Prior to this, it was omitted from the Vienna concert on July 2.
* "Rock with You", "Off the Wall" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" were performed on select dates, before being permanently removed from the set list after June 13, 1997.
* "The Way You Make Me Feel" was performed on select dates until after June 15, 1997.
* Starting on September 3, 1997, the instrumental of "Gates of Kiev" was replaced with "Smile", in memory of Princess Diana.
* On August 22, 1997, "Ben" was played at the beginning of the Tallinn concert.

## Tour dates

List of 1996 concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold and number of available tickets :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance |
| September 7, 1996 | Prague | Czech Republic | Letná Park | 125,000 / 125,000 |
| September 10, 1996 | Budapest | Hungary | Népstadion | 50,000 / 50,000 |
| September 14, 1996 | Bucharest | Romania | Stadionul Național | 70,000 / 70,000 |
| September 17, 1996 | Moscow | Russia | Dynamo Stadium | 50,000 / 50,000 |
| September 20, 1996 | Warsaw | Poland | Lotnisko Bemowo | 120,000 / 120,000 |
| September 24, 1996 | Zaragoza | Spain | Estadio La Romareda | 45,000 / 45,000 |
| September 28, 1996 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Amsterdam Arena | 250,000 / 250,000 |
| September 30, 1996 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Amsterdam Arena | 250,000 / 250,000 |
| October 2, 1996 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Amsterdam Arena | 250,000 / 250,000 |
| October 7, 1996 | Tunis | Tunisia | El Menzah Stadium | 60,000 / 60,000 |
| October 11, 1996 | Seoul | South Korea | Olympic Stadium | 100,000 / 100,000 |
| October 13, 1996 | Seoul | South Korea | Olympic Stadium | 100,000 / 100,000 |
| October 18, 1996 | Taipei | Taiwan | Zhongshan Soccer Stadium | 80,000 / 80,000 |
| October 20, 1996 | Kaohsiung | Taiwan | Chungcheng Stadium | 30,000 / 30,000 |
| October 22, 1996 | Taipei | Taiwan | Zhongshan Soccer Stadium | — |
| October 25, 1996 | Singapore | Singapore | National Stadium | 26,000 / 35,000 |
| October 27, 1996 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | Stadium Merdeka | 80,000 / 80,000 |
| October 29, 1996 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | Stadium Merdeka | 80,000 / 80,000 |
| November 1, 1996 | Mumbai | India | Andheri Sports Complex | 70,000 / 70,000 |
| November 5, 1996 | Bangkok | Thailand | IMPACT Lake Front Concert Grounds | 40,000 / 40,000 |
| November 9, 1996 | Auckland | New Zealand | Ericsson Stadium | 86,000 / 86,000 |
| November 11, 1996 | Auckland | New Zealand | Ericsson Stadium | 86,000 / 86,000 |
| November 14, 1996 | Sydney | Australia | Sydney Cricket Ground | 86,000 / 86,000 |
| November 16, 1996 | Sydney | Australia | Sydney Cricket Ground | 86,000 / 86,000 |
| November 19, 1996 | Brisbane | Australia | ANZ Stadium | 40,000 / 40,000 |
| November 22, 1996 | Melbourne | Australia | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 130,000 / 130,000 |
| November 24, 1996 | Melbourne | Australia | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 130,000 / 130,000 |
| November 26, 1996 | Adelaide | Australia | Adelaide Oval | 30,000 / 30,000 |
| November 30, 1996 | Perth | Australia | Burswood Dome | 60,000 / 60,000 |
| December 2, 1996 | Perth | Australia | Burswood Dome | 60,000 / 60,000 |
| December 4, 1996 | Perth | Australia | Burswood Dome | 60,000 / 60,000 |
| December 8, 1996 | Manila | Philippines | Asia World City Concert Grounds | 110,000 / 110,000 |
| December 10, 1996 | Manila | Philippines | Asia World City Concert Grounds | 110,000 / 110,000 |
| December 13, 1996 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome | 180,000 / 180,000 |
| December 15, 1996 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome | 180,000 / 180,000 |
| December 17, 1996 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome | 180,000 / 180,000 |
| December 20, 1996 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome | 180,000 / 180,000 |
| December 26, 1996 | Fukuoka | Japan | Fukuoka Dome | 80,000 / 80,000 |
| December 28, 1996 | Fukuoka | Japan | Fukuoka Dome | 80,000 / 80,000 |
| December 31, 1996 | Bandar Seri Begawan | Brunei | Jerudong Park Amphitheater | 4,000 / 4,000 |
List of 1997 concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold and number of available tickets :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance |
| January 3, 1997 | Honolulu | United States | Aloha Stadium | 70,000 / 70,000 |
| January 4, 1997 | Honolulu | United States | Aloha Stadium | 70,000 / 70,000 |
| May 31, 1997 | Bremen | Germany | Weserstadion | 85,000 / 85,000 |
| June 3, 1997 | Cologne | Germany | Müngersdorfer Stadion | 60,000 / 60,000 |
| June 6, 1997 | Bremen | Germany | Weserstadion | — |
| June 8, 1997 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Amsterdam Arena | — |
| June 10, 1997 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Amsterdam Arena | — |
| June 13, 1997 | Kiel | Germany | Nordmarksportfeld | 55,000 / 55,000 |
| June 15, 1997 | Gelsenkirchen | Germany | Parkstadion | 50,000 / 50,000 |
| June 18, 1997 | Milan | Italy | San Siro | 65,000 / 65,000 |
| June 20, 1997 | Lausanne | Switzerland | Stade olympique de la Pontaise | 35,000 / 35,000 |
| June 22, 1997 | Bettembourg | Luxembourg | Krakelshaff | 45,000 / 45,000 |
| June 25, 1997 | Lyon | France | Stade de Gerland | 25,000 / 25,000 |
| June 27, 1997 | Paris | France | Parc des Princes | 95,000 / 100,000 |
| June 29, 1997 | Paris | France | Parc des Princes | 95,000 / 100,000 |
| July 2, 1997 | Vienna | Austria | Ernst-Happel-Stadion | 50,000 / 50,000 |
| July 4, 1997 | Munich | Germany | Olympiastadion | 150,000 / 150,000 |
| July 6, 1997 | Munich | Germany | Olympiastadion | 150,000 / 150,000 |
| July 9, 1997 | Sheffield | England | Don Valley Stadium | 45,000 / 45,000 |
| July 12, 1997 | London | England | Wembley Stadium | 212,601 / 216,000 |
| July 15, 1997 | London | England | Wembley Stadium | 212,601 / 216,000 |
| July 17, 1997 | London | England | Wembley Stadium | 212,601 / 216,000 |
| July 19, 1997 | Dublin | Ireland | RDS Arena | 40,261 / 40,261 |
| July 25, 1997 | Basel | Switzerland | St. Jakob Stadium | 55,000 / 55,000 |
| July 27, 1997 | Nice | France | Stade Charles-Ehrmann | 30,003 / 36,260 |
| August 1, 1997 | Berlin | Germany | Olympiastadion | 78,187 / 77,187 |
| August 3, 1997 | Leipzig | Germany | Festwiese | 54,483 / 55,000 |
| August 10, 1997 | Hockenheim | Germany | Hockenheimring | 85,000 / 85,000 |
| August 14, 1997 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Parken Stadium | 97,563 / 97,563 |
| August 16, 1997 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Ullevi | 50,000 / 50,000 |
| August 19, 1997 | Oslo | Norway | Valle Hovin | 45,000 / 50,000 |
| August 22, 1997 | Tallinn | Estonia | Tallinn Song Festival Grounds | 75,000 / 75,000 |
| August 24, 1997 | Helsinki | Finland | Helsinki Olympic Stadium | 100,000 / 100,000 |
| August 26, 1997 | Helsinki | Finland | Helsinki Olympic Stadium | 100,000 / 100,000 |
| August 29, 1997 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Parken Stadium | — |
| September 3, 1997 | Ostend | Belgium | Hippodrome Wellington | 55,000 / 60,000 |
| September 6, 1997 | Valladolid | Spain | Estadio José Zorrilla | 20,000 / 26,000 |
| October 4, 1997 | Cape Town | South Africa | Green Point Stadium | 70,000 / 70,000 |
| October 6, 1997 | Cape Town | South Africa | Green Point Stadium | 70,000 / 70,000 |
| October 10, 1997 | Johannesburg | South Africa | Johannesburg Stadium | 106,495 / 108,000 |
| October 12, 1997 | Johannesburg | South Africa | Johannesburg Stadium | 106,495 / 108,000 |
| October 15, 1997 | Durban | South Africa | Kings Park Stadium | 50,000 / 50,000 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 4,420,158 / 4,500,000 (98%) |