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Michael Jackson

Richfield Coliseum

Oct. 10 and 11, 1988 

Michael Jackson's Bad tour — his first solo concert run and one of the highest-grossing rock tours ever — was one of the year's concert highlights. Though Jackson's bloom had faded ever-so slightly since his mega-smash Thriller — these were the years predating his sexual-abuse allegations and sham marriage to Lisa Marie Presley — Jackson continued to top the charts with hits like "Dirty Diana" and "Man in the Mirror." This elaborately orchestrated spectacle lit up the rural Richfield Coliseum. Through the haze of time, we distinctly recall two things about the night. One was the jaw-dropping moment when Jackson disappeared from one side of the stage and nearly instantaneously reappeared on the opposite end in another costume. The second was that Don King and Mike Tyson were seated in front of us. Cordoned off and out of reach, the boxer's muscular frame and the promoter's gravity-defying 'do created distinctive silhouettes. In the end, a killer stage show, a strong musical performance, and a cast of talented, perfectly synced backup dancers that became the King of Pop's trademark cast its spell on the crowd. (Samantha Fryberger)