UNBELIEVABLE:Why Michael Jackson Deleted This Big Hit From His Setlist at His Biggest Tour Stop Before Realising It Was Wrong

 

Sixteen years after his tragic death, the impact of the multi-talented Michael Jackson continues to be felt through his music. Even after over a decade and a half of being gone, we continue to analyze Jackson’s variety of songs that are still relevant today, and how his first significant career controversy still led to the transformation of music videos forever.

 

The singing, songwriting, producing, and dancing of the King of Pop’s prime days were so iconic, in fact, that it’s still a shock to learn his second-best-selling album of all time (1987’s Bad) almost went winless at the 1988 Grammy Awards. This wasn’t the only interesting moment of significance that ultimately emerged around the release and reaction to Bad, however.

 

When Jackson embarked on the Bad World Tour in 1988, one of the biggest stops on the road occurred on July 16th, 1988, at London, England’s famed Wembley Stadium. On this night, Jackson chose to take his highly popular Bad single “Dirty Diana” out of the concert setlist, and for one, very specific reason.”Dirty Diana” was a major hit for Jackson at the time, with overtly provocative lyrics based around the idea of groupies who hang around concerts and musicians. The hard rock exterior of “Dirty Diana” was reminiscent of Jackson’s song “Beat It” from his 1982 LP Thriller, and ultimately went to number one on the US charts (while also charting internationally).

 

When Jackson learned that British royals Princess Diana and her then-husband Prince Charles would be attending the 1988 show at Wembley that evening, he chose to remove “Dirty Diana” from the set out of his feelings of high regard for the Princess. However, when the King of Pop met Diana before the show, her response to Jackson’s choice was surprising.Jackson and Princess Diana had a lengthy friendship over the years before her death in 1997 (largely over the phone), but only met once in person during this show at Wembley Stadium. Diana was reportedly a huge fan of Jackson’s work, having allegedly played some of his songs on consistent repeat before the concert.