In 1996, the Sultan of Brunei was the richest man on earth. He was turning 50, and he wanted Michael Jackson at the party. What happened next is the strangest major concert of Jackson’s career: a show he was paid a reported $17 million for, performed to 60,000 people who got in completely free, in a venue that did not exist until somebody decided to build it for him. And the man who paid for the whole thing did not attend.
Start with the venue, because it tells you everything about the money involved. The Jerudong Park Amphitheater in Bandar Seri Begawan was constructed specifically for this concert and not booked. Built. A 60,000-capacity open-air amphitheater with two private executive suites, sitting next to what was then the largest and most expensive amusement park in Southeast Asia. It still stands today and hosts weddings and fundraisers.
Royal Brunei Concert. July 16, 1996. Jerudong Park, Bandar Seri Begawan. Michael Jackson.
The fee has been reported to be somewhere between $15 million and $20 million, with most sources settling on around $17 million — roughly $35 million in today’s money — for one night’s work. And the audience paid nothing. It was a gift from the Sultan to the people of Brunei.
The date was 16 July 1996, and the timing was awkward for Jackson. He was in the middle of rehearsing for the HIStory World Tour, which would not start until September. So he did something clever: rather than preview the new tour, he performed a Dangerous Tour show instead — same stage, same costumes, same setlist — deliberately keeping the HIStory production a secret. He even wore the black-and-gold military jacket from Dangerous’ opening night.
Michael Jackson – Earth Song – Live Brunei 1996 – HD
This makes this concert genuinely important for fans because of what was performed. It contains the live debut of “You Are Not Alone” and “Earth Song” — two songs that would go on to define his later career. And it contains the final live performances of several others, including “Jam,” “Human Nature,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” and “She’s Out of My Life.” He never sang them properly on a stage again. He was still rehearsing three of them at the very end of his life, for shows he did not live to play.
Then there is the punchline. The Sultan did not go. He had built the amphitheater, paid the fee, and thrown the party — and on the night he was at a private dinner with Prince Charles, who had flown in from England. A banquet for around 3,000 people was held at the palace afterward, and Jackson attended that. The Sultan did eventually see him perform there, five months later, when Jackson returned to the same venue on New Year’s Eve 1996 as part of the HIStory tour.
Jackson’s usual concert crew professionally filmed the whole thing. But it was never released commercially. Instead, the Sultan had a small run of laser discs, CDs, and videotapes produced and handed them out to only a handful of guests.
One of the great Michael Jackson concerts, given away for free, in a building made for the occasion — and almost nobody has ever been allowed to buy a copy.