Back in September of 2001, Michael Jackson threw himself a party unlike any other. He had been a star for 30 years by then, ever since he was a little boy singing lead for his brothers, and he wanted to mark it with two big concerts in New York City.
The home for those shows was Madison Square Garden, the famous arena where the biggest acts in the world come to play. Fans everywhere wanted to be in that room.
And here is just how badly they wanted it. The first night sold so fast that a second one had to be added. Even then, both nights were gone in about two hours. If you blinked, you missed your shot.
Tickets to these concerts were some of the priciest ever sold for an event. The ordinary seats cost plenty on their own. But it was the very best seat, the top of the line, that still makes people’s jaws drop all these years later.
So what did the most expensive ticket actually get you?
Here is the part most fans never knew. The best VIP seats cost $10,000 each. That number alone was stunning back in 2001. But the money wasn’t really about where you sat. For that price, you got to have dinner with Michael himself. And you went home with a poster he had signed by hand.
Think about that for a second. Thousands of people packed that arena just hoping to spot Michael from way up in the seats, maybe catch a wave if they were lucky. A small handful of folks got to sit down and share a meal with him, up close, then walk out holding his signature. That is the kind of thing most fans could only dream about.
It says a lot about the man too. He didn’t have to offer anything more than the show. People would have paid top dollar just to be in the building. But the biggest ticket came with time at his table, which is the one thing money usually can’t put a price on.
The concerts gave the crowd a night to remember in every other way. His brothers joined him on stage, the actress Elizabeth Taylor stepped out to introduce the family, and CBS later aired the whole thing on television that November for around 45 million viewers at home.
The photos here show the Madison Square Garden marquee from that week and Michael with Elizabeth Taylor at the shows.