FCBARCELONA.CAT

26.06.2009 12:59

King of pop performed at the Camp Nou

Manel Tomàs

Michael Jackson, who died yesterday aged 50 years, had a link with Barça. On the night of August 9, 1988, he was watched by 60,000 fans at the Camp Nou.

Steven Spielberg collaborated with the show, and nobody was left disappointed by an innovative production that combined dance, magic and music with the latest generation lighting and laser effects. The fans were left astounded by the performers’ deft footwork onstage and ability to deliver each song to perfection. Maybe not everybody was a Jackson fan, but having already sold 250 million records in his twenty years in the business, there were few that could doubt the star’s influence on world pop.

Star from early on

Born in Indiana, USA, on August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson started singing aged just four with his four older brothers in school parties and local celebrations. In 1966, The Jackson Five debuted with little Michael as their vocal star. In 1971, aged just 12, he recorded his first solo album: Got to be there. It was the start of a massive musical career that peaked in 1982 with Thriller, the highest selling album in history.

From then on, his life was mixture of media frenzy and extreme hype, along with tales of his personal eccentricities and peculiar changes in his physical appearance as a result of aesthetic surgery. By the time of his August 9, 1988 show at the Camp Nou, he was the undisputable king of pop.

Fantasy at the Camp Nou

Michael Jackson’s show was one of the most astonishing ever to be put on in Barcelona. The stage and special effects were designed by none other than cinematic genius Steven Spielberg.

Located at the Camp Nou south goal, the stage was 60 metres wide and 35 metres high, with the ceiling holding twenty tons of lights generating 600,000 watts. Meanwhile, four video screens showed pictures of the concert recorded by automatic cameras.