The Destiny World Tour was the third concert tour by American pop band The Jacksons, to promote the Destiny album. It began on February 10, 1979, in Brighton, England, and later spread to 2 continents and 3 countries. They played 80 concerts in the United States alone. The tour concluded in Hawaii on January 13, 1980.
Background[]
Before starting the tour, The Jacksons set out to make brief television appearances, starting in Los Angeles, recording in mid-December 1978 or early January 1979, such as Midnight Special (air date February 3, 1979), American Bandstand (air date February 10), and Soul Train (air date February 3).
In Europe, they made appearances in Bremen, Germany on Musikladen (air date January 25), in Madrid, Spain on Sumarisimo on January 30, 1979 (air date February 5) and Aplauso[a 1] (air date February 3), in the Netherlands on SHOWBIZZQUIZ on January 31, 1979, TopPop on February 1, 1979 and Sonja's Goed Nieuws Show on February 2, 1979. There's also a TopPop "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" performance. However, the exact details on the date are unknown.
Their last stop for a television appearance was on Top of The Pops in London, England, on February 8, 1979. On February 9, Michael Jackson was interviewed on BBC radio along with George Harrison. The former explained that he was rehearsing for the tour earlier in the day.
Legs[]
1st Leg (Europe)[]
The tour began on February 10, 1979, in Brighton, England, shortly after the release of the Destiny album the previous December.
February 14 - 15, The Jacksons did a detour to Leysin, Switzerland, to record two television specials. The first was Disco In the Snow, in which they performed "Blame It on the Boogie". The second was Abba Showtime, in which they performed "Destiny".
The tour visited two continents, including concerts in Europe, before taking on a 79-city tour in the United States.
2nd Leg (United States)[]
The second leg of the tour had The Jacksons playing moderate-sized arenas, such as the Valley Forge Music Fair in Philadelphia, which seats 3,000. However, the brothers revamped their show for larger arenas. The Jacksons took a four-month break from touring starting in June 1979 so that Michael could be able to finish working on Off the Wall.
3rd Leg (United States and Bahamas)[]
For the third leg, additional songs were added to the setlist, most notably songs from Off the Wall. The opening act in the third leg was L.T.D. The tour grossed an estimated 7.5 million dollars.
Jermaine Jackson appeared briefly on stage at the Philadelphia concert on October 12, 1979.[1]
4th Leg (Canceled)[]
When the tour's third leg was announced, a European leg was due to be announced in April 1980. However, on March 3, Randy was badly injured in a car crash in Hollywood, which resulted in the leg's subsequent cancellation.[2]
Broadcasts & Recordings[]
Very few recordings have come about from this tour. The first leg only has 2 existing recordings, albeit in good quality, with the February 23 London show in video and the February 26 Amsterdam show in audio.[3][4] The latter was broadcast on the radio on the Tros-Radio / The Ferry Maat Soulshow.[4]
Of the second leg, there's an 8mm film recording of Memphis (May 20) that, in April 2025, came to light.[5] Small snippets of the Landover concert have featured in commercials.
Of the third leg, a professional video recording of the October 3 New Orleans show is available. Snippets of the Indianapolis show are available, which are derived from a local news report. Memphis (November 25) has been leaked but soundboard audio. "Off the Wall" and "Rock with You" from the Oakland concert were broadcast in 1980 on music television shows such as ABC Countdown and Veronica Club. Various songs from Inglewood and Honolulu are available from an editorial videotape.
Setlist[]
2nd Leg[]
- "Dancing Machine"
- "Things I Do for You"
- "Ben"
- "I Am Love"
- "Keep on Dancing"
- "Medley: "I Want You Back" / "ABC" / "The Love You Save"
- "I'll Be There"
- "Enjoy Yourself"
- "Destiny"
- "Show You the Way to Go"
- "All Night Dancin'"
- "Blame It on the Boogie"
- "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"
3rd Leg[]
- "Dancing Machine"
- "Things I Do for You"
- "Get It Together"
- "Ben"
- "I Am Love"
- "Keep on Dancing"
- "Off the Wall"
- "I Wanna Be Where You Are"
- "Daddy’s Home"
- Medley: "I Want You Back" / "ABC" / "The Love You Save"
- "I'll Be There"
- "Rock with You"
- "Enjoy Yourself"
- "Blame It on the Boogie"
- "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"
- "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"
Tour Dates[]
First leg (Europe)
| Date | City | Country | Venue | No. of shows | Opening Act |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 10, 1979 | Brighton | England | Brighton Centre | 1 | - |
| February 11, 1979 | Preston | Preston Guild Hall | 2 | - | |
| February 12, 1979 | Wakefield | Wakefield Theatre Club | 2 | - | |
| February 13, 1979 | Sheffield | Fiesta Nightclub | 1 | - | |
| February 17, 1979 | Manchester | Manchester Apollo | 2 | Dougie James[6] | |
| February 18, 1979 | Birmingham | Bingley Hall | 1 | - | |
| February 19, 1979 | Halifax | Civic Theatre | 1 | - | |
| February 20, 1979 | Leicester | De Monfort Hall | 1 | - | |
| February 23, 1979 | London | Rainbow Theatre | 2 | The Real Thing | |
| February 24, 1979 | 2 | The Real Thing | |||
| February 25, 1979 | Poole | Poole Arts Centre | 1 | - | |
| February 26, 1979 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Koninklijk Theater Carré | 2 | - |
| March 1, 1979 | Glasgow | Scotland | The Apollo | 2 | - |
| March 2, 1979 | Paris | France | Le Palace | 2 | - |
Second leg (United States)
| Date | City | Country | Venue | No. of shows | Opening Act |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 14, 1979 | Cleveland | United States | Palace Theatre | 2 | The McCrarys |
| April 15, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| April 19, 1979 | Devon | Valley Forge Music Fair | 1 | The McCrarys | |
| April 20, 1979 | 1 | The McCrarys | |||
| April 21, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| April 22, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| April 25, 1979 | Niles | Mill Run Playhouse | 1 | The McCrarys | |
| April 26, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| April 27, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| April 28, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| April 29, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| May 3, 1979 | St. Petersburg | Bayfront Center | 1 | Foxy | |
| May 4, 1979 | Sunrise | Sunrise Musical Theater | 1 | The McCrarys | |
| May 5, 1979 | 1 | The McCrarys | |||
| May 6, 1979 | Jacksonville | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| May 10, 1979 | Houston | Celebrity Circle Theatre | 2 | The McCrarys | |
| May 11, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| May 12, 1979 | 2 | The McCrarys | |||
| May 13, 1979 | Baton Rouge | Riverside Centroplex Arena | 1 | - | |
| May 16, 1979 | Birmingham | Boutwell Memorial Auditorium | 1 | Sister Sledge | |
| May 17, 1979 | Columbus | Municipal Auditorium | 1 | Foxy | |
| May 18, 1979 | Nashville | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| May 19, 1979 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| May 20, 1979 | Memphis | Mid-South Coliseum | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| May 24, 1979 | Kansas City | Kemper Arena | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| May 26, 1979 | Beaumont | Fair Park Coliseum | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| May 27, 1979 | Fort Worth | Tarrant County Convention Center | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| May 28, 1979 | Shreveport | Hirsch Memorial Coliseum | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| June 1, 1979 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee County Stadium | 1 | - | |
| June 2, 1979 | Norfolk | Norfolk Scope | 1 | Foxy | |
| June 3, 1979 | Columbia | Carolina Coliseum | 1 | Foxy, Chuck Brown | |
| June 8, 1979 | Charlotte | Charlotte Coliseum | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| June 9, 1979 | Landover | Capital Centre | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy | |
| June 10, 1979 | Greensboro | Greensboro Memorial Coliseum | 1 | Sister Sledge, Foxy |
Third leg (United States and Bahamas)
| Date | City | Country | Venue | No. of shows | Opening Act |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2, 1979 | New Orleans | United States | Municipal Auditorium | 1 | LTD |
| October 3, 1979 | 1 | LTD | |||
| October 4, 1979 | Shreveport | Hirsch Memorial Coliseum | 1 | LTD | |
| October 5, 1979[b 1] | Baton Rouge | Riverside Centroplex Arena | 1 | LTD | |
| October 6, 1979 | Huntsville | Von Braun Civic Center | 1 | LTD | |
| October 7, 1979 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | 1 | LTD | |
| October 12, 1979 | Philadelphia | Spectrum | 1 | LTD | |
| October 13, 1979 | Rochester | Rochester Community War Memorial | 1 | LTD | |
| October 14, 1979 | Pittsburgh | Civic Arena | 1 | LTD | |
| October 18, 1979 | Saginaw | Saginaw Civic Center | 1 | LTD | |
| October 19, 1979 | Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | 1 | LTD | |
| October 20, 1979 | St. Louis | Kiel Auditorium | 1 | LTD | |
| October 21, 1979 | Dayton | University of Dayton Arena | 1 | LTD | |
| October 25, 1979 | Columbus | Fairgrounds Coliseum | 1 | LTD | |
| October 26, 1979 | Syracuse | Onondaga County War Memorial | 1 | LTD | |
| October 27, 1979 | Buffalo | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | 1 | LTD | |
| October 28, 1979 | Springfield | Springfield Civic Center | 1 | LTD | |
| November 1, 1979 | Kalamazoo | Wings Stadium | 1 | LTD | |
| November 2, 1979 | Chicago | Chicago Stadium | 1 | LTD | |
| November 3, 1979 | Cleveland | Public Auditorium | 1 | LTD | |
| November 4, 1979 | Detroit | Cobo Arena | 1 | LTD | |
| November 5, 1979 | 1 | LTD | |||
| November 7, 1979 | Baltimore | Baltimore Civic Center | 1 | A Taste of Honey | |
| November 8, 1979 | Uniondale | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 1 | LTD | |
| November 9, 1979 | Richmond | Richmond Coliseum | 1 | LTD | |
| November 10, 1979 | Hampton | Hampton Coliseum | 1 | LTD | |
| November 11, 1979 | Roanoke | Roanoke Civic Center | 1 | LTD | |
| November 23, 1979 | Macon | Macon Coliseum | 1 | LTD | |
| November 24, 1979 | Nashville | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | 1 | LTD | |
| November 25, 1979 | Memphis | Mid-South Coliseum | 1 | - | |
| November 29, 1979 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | 1 | Kool & the Gang | |
| November 30, 1979 | Mobile | Mobile Municipal Auditorium | 1 | LTD | |
| December 6, 1979 | Houston | The Summit | 1 | LTD | |
| December 15, 1979 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | 1 | -[7] | |
| December 18, 1979 | Inglewood | The Forum | 1 | -[7] | |
| December 21, 1979 | Oakland | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 1 | -[7] | |
| December 2?, 1979[c 1][8] | Nassau | Bahamas | Queen Elizabeth Sports Arena | 1 | LTD |
| January 11, 1980 | Honolulu | United States | Neal S. Blaisdell Arena | 1 | Osorio & Borden |
| January 12, 1980 | 1 | Osorio & Borden | |||
| January 13, 1980 | 1 | Osorio & Borden |
Box Office Score Data[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boutwell Memorial Auditorium | Birmingham | 4,606 | $37,939 |
| Nashville Municipal Auditorium (1st concert) | Nashville | 9,700 | $77,953 |
| Mid-South Coliseum (1st concert) | Memphis | 11,789 | $96,464 |
| Fair Park Coliseum | Beaumont | 7,492 | $61,987 |
| Tarrant County Convention Center | Fort Worth | 11,287 | $90,204 |
| Hirsch Memorial Coliseum (1st concert) | Shreveport | 10,093 | $82,430 |
| Capital Centre | Landover | 20,476 | $154,782 |
| Municipal Auditorium | New Orleans | 16,588 | $140,998 |
| Riverside Centroplex Arena (2nd concert) | Baton Rouge | 13,676 | $116,633 |
| Von Braun Civic Center | Huntsville | 10,288 | $85,523 |
| Freedom Hall | Louisville | 10,256 | $83,088 |
| Spectrum | Philadelphia | 18,385 | $157,539 |
| Civic Arena | Pittsburgh | 8,200 | $71,238 |
| Market Square Arena | Indianapolis | 13,695 | $115,067 |
| Kiel Auditorium | St. Louis | 10,377 | $85,915 |
| University of Dayton Arena | Dayton | 12,500 | $103,019 |
| Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Buffalo | 15,611 | $127,162 |
| Springfield Civic Center | Springfield | 10,100 | $85,445 |
| Chicago Stadium | Chicago | 19,000 | $176,706 |
| Public Auditorium | Cleveland | 9,688 | $87,192 |
| Cobo Arena | Detroit | 24,000 | $242,489 |
| Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Uniondale | 16,732 | $164,273 |
| Omni Coliseum (2nd concert) | Atlanta | 15,127 | $132,687 |
| Mobile Municipal Auditorium | Mobile | 13,000 | $103,947 |
| Neal S. Blaisdell Arena | Honolulu | 25,500 | $223,339 |
Canceled dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue | No. of shows | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 20, 1979 | Leicester | England | De Monfort Hall | 1 | Michael's flu |
| February 21, 1979 | Cardiff | Wales | Sophia Gardens Pavilion | 1 | |
| February 27, 1979 | Avignon | France | Théâtre des Carmes | 2? | Food poisoning |
| February 28, 1979 | Paris | Le Palace | 2 | ||
| March 6, 1979 | Johannesburg | South Africa | Colosseum Theatre | 1 | N/A |
| March 7, 1979 | 2 | ||||
| March 8, 1979 | 1 | ||||
| March 9, 1979 | 2 | ||||
| March 10, 1979 | 1 | ||||
| March 12, 1979 | Durban | Playhouse Theatre | 2 | ||
| March 13, 1979 | 1 | ||||
| March 14, 1979 | 1 | ||||
| March 16, 1979 | Cape Town | 3 Arts Theatre | 2 | ||
| March 17, 1979 | 1 | ||||
| March 18, 1979 | 1 | ||||
| March 19, 1979 | Johannesburg | Colosseum Theatre | 2 | ||
| March 20, 1979 | 2 | ||||
| April 7, 1979 | Owings Mills | United States | Painters Mill Music Fair | 1 | N/A |
| April 8, 1979 | 2 | ||||
| April 11, 1979 | Springfield | Springfield Civic Center | 1 | ||
| April 12, 1979 | Cincinnati | Palace Theatre | 1 | ||
| April 13, 1979 | 1 | ||||
| May 24, 1979 | Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff Convention Center | 1 | Tour restructuring? | |
| May 27, 1979 | Oklahoma City | Jim Norrick Arena | 1 | ||
| October 4, 1979 | Dothan | Dothan Civic Center | 1 | Announced canceled on September 2, 1979. Was replaced by Shreveport. | |
| November 11, 1979 | Fayetteville | Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium | 1 | Tour restructuring | |
| November 14, 1979 | Norman | Lloyd Nobel Center | 1 | N/A | |
| November 15, 1979 | Fort Worth | Tarrant County Convention Center | 1 | Michael's kidney infection | |
| November 16, 1979 | Jackson | Mississippi Coliseum | 1 | ||
| November 17, 1979 | Lake Charles | Burton Coliseum | 1 | ||
| November 21, 1979 | Greenville | Greenville Memorial Auditorium | 1 | ||
| November 22, 1979 | Savannah | Savannah Civic Center | 1 | ||
| November 27, 1979 | Columbus | Columbus Memorial Auditorium | 1 | Initially canceled for kidney infection, canceled overall. | |
| November 29, 1979 | Albuquerque | University Arena (The Pit) | 1 | Tour restructuring | |
| November 30, 1979 | Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | 1 | ||
| December 6, 1979 | Portland | Memorial Coliseum | 1 | N/A | |
| December 8, 1979 | Seattle | Seattle Center Coliseum | 1 | Tour restructuring | |
| December 9, 1979 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | 1 | Michael's laryngitis |
| December 10, 1979 | Fort Worth | United States | Tarrant County Convention Center | 1 | |
| December 13, 1979 | San Bernardino | Swing Auditorium | 1 | Tour restructuring | |
| December 14, 1979 | Phoenix | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 1 | Travel schedules | |
| January 9, 1980 | San Antonio | San Antonio Convention Center Arena | 1 | N/A | |
| 1980[d 1] | N/A | Canada | N/A | N/A | Randy's injuries |
| England | |||||
| Sweden | |||||
| West Germany | |||||
| Saudi Arabia |
Personnel[]
- Michael Jackson - vocals
- Jackie Jackson - vocals
- Tito Jackson - guitar, vocals
- Marlon Jackson - vocals
- Randy Jackson - vocals, congas, percussion, piano, keyboards
Band Members[]
1st Leg[]
- Michael McKinney – bass
- Bud Rizzo - additional guitar
- James McField - keyboards
- Tony Lewis - drums
2nd leg and 3rd leg[]
- Jonathan Moffett - drums
- Bud Rizzo - additional guitar
- Michael McKinney - bass
- James McField - keyboards
- Wesley Phillips, Cloris Grimes, Alan "Funt" Prater, Roderick "Mac" McMorris – horns (East Coast Horns)
References[]
- ↑ Their last performance of "Goin' Places".
- ↑ Originally scheduled at Mobile Municipal Auditorium, however in September the venue was extensively damaged by hurricane Fredric causing all events at the venue to be canceled for 2 months while it was getting repaired.
- ↑ Originally schedule date is December 21, however due to the rescheduling of Oakland from December 16 to 21, as well due to lack of information it is not known yet what date it was performed or whether it was canceled. An Oakland concert review claims the Oakland concert was their last concert of the year, whether it was only accounting for domestically or including Bahamas is not known.
- ↑ About 30 concerts
- ↑ https://themichaeljacksonarchives.com/magazines-19761980/p9458tby5xk574qiip4xrm0921r2ih
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=7aAwKkz7FPgC&pg=PA57&dq=%22randy+jackson%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjun9iLvpmNAxVyAxAIHWPyOFQQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=%22randy%20jackson%22&f=false
- ↑ https://youtu.be/0G-EwG9NmCk?si=MIf9yeux1AJvmY7j
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvZaWqgWimw
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWfcttha45o
- ↑ https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-singers-laughs-with-tragic-star-922923
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/RW-1979-12-22.pdf
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/736324656/
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-06-02.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-06-09.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-06-23.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-10-20.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-10-27.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-11-03.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-11-10.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-11-17.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-12-01.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-12-15.pdf
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1980/BB-1980-01-26.pdf