Triumph Tour
| Tour by the Jacksons | |
| Location | North America |
|---|---|
| Associated album |
|
| Start date | July 8, 1981 |
| End date | September 26, 1981 |
| No. of shows | 46 |
| Box office | US $5.5 million ($18.43 million in 2023 dollars)[1] |
| The Jacksons tour chronology | |
The Triumph Tour was a concert tour by the Jacksons, covering the United States and Canada from July 8 to September 26, 1981. The tour grossed a total of $5.5 million ($18.4 million in 2023), setting a record breaking four sold out concerts in Inglewood, California, just southwest of Los Angeles.[2]
History
[edit]By 1981, the Jacksons had regained success as a platinum-selling recording group with two albums, Destiny (1978) and Triumph (1980). Additionally, lead singer Michael Jackson was in the final stages of promoting his 1979 multi-platinum album, Off the Wall. This tour allowed Michael to bring in new show production ideas more to his liking. Inspired by Earth, Wind & Fire's live shows, Michael created the costumes and designed the stage. It was on this tour that he first wore his sequined glove, which later became world-famous after his Motown 25 performance. He and his brothers also collaborated on an intro that signaled similarities to their "Can You Feel It" music video. As it had been for many years, the choreography was done by Michael, Jackie and Marlon Jackson. The shows included magical elements designed by Doug Henning—for example, Michael disappearing in smoke during "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".[3][4][5]
Touring tenure
[edit]The Triumph Tour began in Memphis, Tennessee and ended with a sold-out week of shows in Inglewood. Each show earned highly positive reviews, in part due to Michael's leadership and showmanship. His brothers also earned praise, particularly for Randy's and Tito's musicality, and Marlon's dance ability. The tour marked the last truly integrated group effort, as Michael's solo career would soon eclipse his success with his brothers. The tour was so well-received and popular that Epic had the brothers record a variety of shows, and compile them for an upcoming live release. It's rumored that the tracks were recorded during stops in Memphis, New York City, Buffalo and Providence. The live album, The Jacksons Live!, came out in the winter of 1981, and went gold in its initial run. Current sales are two million.
After the tour ended, Michael went back to record Thriller, his follow-up to Off the Wall (1979). It would be three years before the Jacksons would go back on the road again. Rolling Stone later named the Triumph Tour one of the best 25 tours between 1967 and 1987. To showcase the success of the Triumph Tour, Michael Jackson commented that it was their first show without any marginal material. After the Triumph tour, Michael patterned the Victory Tour (1984) and his Bad World Tour (1987–1989).
Stage
[edit]The stage was dark and had three groups of strobe lights, all of them containing different colors of lights, facing the stage diagonally. The stage also had a spotlight that followed the main performers. In addition to the lighting, the musicians played their instruments on fixtures (the horn section to the left of the stage, the drums to the center, and keyboards to the right; with the exception of the guitarists and Randy Jackson who played the piano, keyboards, and different percussions).
Opening act
[edit]Tour dates
[edit]Box office score data
[edit]| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-South Coliseum | Memphis | 11,999 / 11,999 | $118,528 |
| Reunion Arena | Dallas | 15,602 / 15,602 | $153,252 |
| Lakeland Civic Center | Lakeland | 10,000 / 10,000 | $107,000 |
| Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Buffalo | 11,000 / 11,000 | $115,000 |
| Riverfront Coliseum | Cincinnati | 15,898 / 15,898 | $166,038 |
| Omni Coliseum | Atlanta | 15,667 / 15,667 | $163,773 |
| Spectrum | Philadelphia | 17,842 / 17,842 | $224,881 |
| Hartford Civic Center | Hartford | 11,153 / 11,153 | $121,490 |
| Providence Civic Center | Providence | 13,000 / 13,000 | $146,000 |
| ASU Activity Center | Tempe | 7,230 / 14,000 | $75,915 |
| The Forum | Inglewood | 55,000 / 55,000 | $633,029 |
| Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | Oakland | 12,435 / 14,000 | $149,633 |
| Total | 196,826 / 205,161 (95%) | $2,174,539 | |
Personnel
[edit]- The Jacksons
- Michael Jackson – vocals
- Jackie Jackson – vocals, percussion
- Tito Jackson – guitar, vocals
- Marlon Jackson – vocals, percussion
- Randy Jackson – vocals, congas, piano, keyboards
- Band
- David Williams – guitar
- Bill Wolfer[11] – synthesizer
- Mike McKinney – bass
- Jonathan Moffett – drums
- Wesley Phillips, Cloris Grimes, Alan (Funt) Prater, Roderick (Mac) McMorris – horns (East Coast Horns)
References
[edit]- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Triumph Tour (1981)". titojackson.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ Doug Henning Michael Jackson -wind Triumph
- ^ Michael Jackson - Off the Wall[usurped]www.AllMichaelJackson.com
- ^ Michael Jackson biography: The Jacksons yearswww.Michael-Jackson-trader.com Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "It's a Jacksons' Summer! They're taking off again". Billboard. Vol. 93. New York: Billboard Publications, Inc. July 4, 1981. pp. 28–29. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "The Jacksons - Triumph Tour (1981)". The Michael Jackson Fan Club. June 2013. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ^ Ralston, Jeannie (July 29, 1981). "The Jacksons: All Eyes Were on Michael Last Night". Evening Independent. Vol. 74, no. 230. St. Petersburg, Florida: Times Publishing Company. p. 8B. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Michael Jackson Fan Site Billie Jean". www.billiejean.be.
- ^ Box office score data:
- Memphis (July 8), Dallas (July 11): "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 29. July 25, 1981. p. 37. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Lakeland (July 28), Cincinnati (August 8): "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 33. August 22, 1981. p. 40. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Atlanta (August 12), Philadelphia (August 14), Hartford (August 15): "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 34. August 29, 1981. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Providence (August 21), Buffalo (August 2): "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 35. September 5, 1981. p. 45. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Tempe (September 15): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 39. October 3, 1981. p. 35. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Oakland (September 22): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 40. October 10, 1981. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Inglewood (September 18–19, 25–26): "Billboard Boxscore" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 42. October 24, 1981. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Bill Wolfer | Credits". AllMusic.
