Michael Jackson — 30th Anniversary Celebration, Madison Square Garden, 2001

This live concert captures Michael Jackson’s “30th Anniversary Celebration” at Madison Square Garden in New York, in September 2001. Two galas were held, on 7 and 10 September 2001, marking thirty years of the artist’s solo career since his days as a child star. The full concert gathers a host of guests: Usher, Mýa, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, Liza Minnelli, Ray Charles, Marc Anthony, Shaggy, Slash and Britney Spears, alongside introductions from Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Tucker. The highlight of the filmed event is the onstage reunion of The Jacksons, running through a medley of their Motown classics (“ABC”, “I Want You Back”, “I’ll Be There”). Michael Jackson performs his own hits, from “The Way You Make Me Feel” to “Billie Jean”, “Black or White”, “Beat It” and the then-new “You Rock My World”. The evening, musically directed by Greg Phillinganes, was later broadcast as an edited special by CBS in November 2001, offering a rare late-career live performance from the singer before a New York audience.