It’s the 3rd September 1996! The first date of the HIStory World Tour is set for the 7th at Letna Park in Prague, Czech Republique.
The King of Pop is visiting the capital and local fans are going wild! Crowds of screaming fans are welcoming Michael Jackson in front of the Old Town’s InterContinental Hotel where the popstar will be staying during his stay in the country.
After his jet sat for half an hour on the tarmac of Prague airport’s VIP terminal, the flamboyant but reclusive Michael Jackson emerged in a gold lame and red outfit under a white parasol blocking the bright sun.
Several hundred fans handpicked by promoters greeted the star, and he hugged several who presented gifts on the tarmac before Michael Jackson’s motorcade left.
After waving at others lining the 10-mile route into the city from a gleaming Rolls Royce, Michael and his police-escorted phalanx of luxury cars carrying his entourage drove through a screaming welcoming party at his hotel.
Thousands of fans massed at the hotel on the river Vltava, climbing over each other for a glimpse of the star.
A huge statue representing the album cover of HIStory has been erected in the park where several decades earlier a statue of Stalin was standing.
Getting all the necessary approvals was actually easier than expected, said Promoter Serge Grimaux.
“I must tell you, the first person I approached was the mayor of Prague 7 (a city district). He said: ‘Do you want to do this, really?’ I said: ‘Yes, I really want to do that.’ He said: Okay, I’ll work for it to happen, but if I get it, don’t back off.’ “
“That was, for me, the most important deal I made,” said the promoter. “Because this guy, from the moment I met him to the moment I had a deal, made it happen in five days. Unbelievable, but it took five days.”
1,200 tons of sound equipment, headlights, projections, illuminated costumes were shipped from Los Angeles, a site never seen before in Czech Republique. A 707 and 2 Antonov-124 cargo planes ferried the equipment and a 250-man crew across the Atlantic and with an extra 2,000 local workforce to set the stage and security.
During the 3 days that Michael spent in Prague ahead of the concert, he took a tour of the capital and visited President Vaclav Havel at Prague Castle.
After this meeting, Michael visited a children’s home in Zbraslav and the child traumatology centre in Prague’s Motol Hospital.
Promoter Serge Grimaux was in charge of the events designs. “My mandate as a promoter is to turn HIStory into hysteria, and that’s what I promised him,” said Serge.
Grimaux admits the excitement Michael creates every time he ventures out creates a certain level of inconvenience for the residents of the city. When Michael arrived at his hotel, an estimated crowd of 5,000 blocked a major thoroughfare through the city. Street cars were backed up by the dozens and traffic ground to a halt.
“To a certain extent, it is inconvenient,” Grimaux said. “On the other hand, he had told everyone since the very beginning that he wanted to be with the people… He wants to go to the museum, to see places.. special.. the unusual. He wants to go to the hospitals. He wants to see kids. He is very concerned about that…He wanted to go shopping today, so he went shopping.”
Michael also wanted to see some of the many historic sites in the city, including the Charles Bridge.
120,000 people gathered at Letna’s park to watch the King of Pop on September 7, 1996 with thousands more cramming behind the erected fences to get a glimpse of the show.
Like every first show, The HIStory World Tour in Prague came with some technical issues and adjustments for future dates. It was maybe not the best show due to those reasons but the ambiance and the excitement of the fans made up for it!
1996-1997 Concert Set List
- “Gates of Kiev” Video Intro
- “HIStory Medley”: “Scream” / “They Don’t Care About Us” featuring snippet of “HIStory” / “In the Closet” featuring snippet of “She Drives Me Wild”
- “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”
- “Stranger in Moscow”
- “Smooth Criminal”
- “The Wind” Video Interlude
- “You Are Not Alone”
- “The Way You Make Me Feel” performed on select dates
- “The Jackson 5 Medley”: “I Want You Back” / “The Love You Save” /”I’ll Be There”
- “Off the Wall Medley” performed on select 1996 and 1997 dates / “Rock With You” / “Off the Wall” / “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
- “Remember the Time” Video Montage Interlude
- “Billie Jean”
- “Thriller”
- “Beat It”
- “Come Together”/”D.S.” performed on select 1996 dates / “Blood on the Dance Floor” (performed from Bremen to Oslo in the second leg, omitted on July 2)
- “Black Panther” Video Interlude (sometimes replaced with “Brace Yourself” video)
- “Dangerous” (withdrawn from Tokyo concert on Dec. 20 and from Manila concert on Dec. 8; samples an extract from “Owner of a Lonely Heart” by Yes, Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” theme, “Smooth Criminal”, Janet Jackson’s “You Want This” and “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)
My favorite Michael tour. 🥰🥰🥰