Michael Jackson was sitting in the audience when Diana Ross suddenly called his name.
It was February 5, 1981, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Diana was performing her huge hit “Upside Down” when she decided she wanted someone to dance with her.
Then she called for Michael.
The 22-year-old Jackson walked from the audience onto the stage, joined Diana and immediately changed the energy inside the arena.
He danced beside her, grabbed the microphone and sang part of “Upside Down” as the audience erupted. The appearance lasted only a short time, but it became one of the most memorable pieces of footage from their long friendship.
The timing makes the clip even more fascinating.
Michael had already broken away from simply being known as the little boy from the Jackson 5.
His 1979 album Off the Wall had turned him into a major solo star, producing hits including “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You.”
But Thriller was still nearly two years away.
Fans watching that night were seeing Michael in the brief period between those two eras, already commanding a room but not yet the global phenomenon he would soon become.
Diana Ross Calls Michael Jackson Onstage for “Upside Down”
The footage shows Diana asking Michael to join her before he steps onto the stage and dances through the closing section of “Upside Down.”
The moment was later included in Diana’s television special Diana!
Directed by Steve Binder, the program combined footage from her Forum concert with specially filmed studio performances. CBS broadcast the special on March 2, 1981, with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and other guests appearing alongside Diana.
Michael received much more than a quick concert cameo.
In a studio sequence, Diana introduced him warmly before Michael performed “Rock With You” in a white suit. The pair also revisited their connection from The Wiz with “Ease on Down the Road,” accompanied by Quincy Jones.
Video 2 Link: Michael Jackson Performs “Rock With You” on Diana!
Their relationship went back to Michael’s earliest Motown years.
In a 1980 interview, Michael described Diana as someone who had supported the Jackson 5 from the beginning and said she remained “very” special to him.
That history is what makes the 1981 footage so enjoyable.
Diana was once the established Motown superstar welcoming a young Michael Jackson into show business.
By 1981, she could call him from the audience and suddenly find herself sharing the stage with one of music’s fastest-rising solo stars.
And within another two years, Michael Jackson would become something even Diana could not have predicted.
For a few seconds during “Upside Down,” you can almost see that transformation happening in real time.