June 26, 2009|By Frank Roylance
* "There was a bit of a flamenco dance step, with the five heads snapping up on 'I Want You Back'; the hands went up over the heads and were clasped together as if in prayer on Jermaine's medley, which began with 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'; and on Sly Stone's 'Thank You,' one arm was flung out to the side, then the hands were brought together and down in a slashing motion diagonally across the chest." - James D. Dilts' Sun review of the Jackson Five's September 26, 1971, concert at the Baltimore Civic Center
* "Every floor was packed with [fans]. They were even in the kitchen." - Baltimore police Major James H. Watkins on the estimated 1,000 young fans who jammed the Hilton hotel [now the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel] after a 1972 Civic Center concert, to try to get a peek at the group
* "When my mother came home with the tickets, my sister and I were at the top of the stairs, and my sister rolled, and fell down the steps. And when she got to the bottom she continued to celebrate, as if she hadn't fallen. ... [In the stadium] there was an air of excitement, of peace almost. I remember, like, a lot of this energy and vivid colors. ... He was performing 'Thriller' and I remember them prancing around on stage in these little costumes. The only association I could make as a kid was the book, Where the Wild Things Are, in hues of blues and greens." - Jerryn McCray, 31, of Baltimore about the 1984 Victory Tour concert at RFK Stadium in Washington
* "I was so excited. I was a big fan in grade school. I remember being so overwhelmed. It was my first concert. I did hear the music, but I actually remember that less than I do the whole feeling of it." - Amy Norris, 37, of Baltimore about the 1984 Victory Tour concert at RFK Stadium
* "He's more electric than Mick Jagger, more energetic than Bruce Springsteen, more charismatic than David Bowie, smoother than Lionel Richie, funkier than Prince and a better dancer than any singer you could name. No matter what else was going on during the show, it was hard to keep your eyes anywhere but on Michael." - J.D. Considine's Sun review of the Jackson 5'sVictory Tour concert on Sept. 23, 1984, at RFK Stadium
* "I remember ... lights, sparkles, lots of smoke. ... There was so much screaming and crying at the notion that he was actually on the stage. And everyone was dressed like Michael Jackson. ... People were moon-walking in the aisles. It's my best memory ever. There's no other concert that even comes close to it. It was more than a concert. It was an experience. You were there with Michael Jackson, and that was the best thing of all." - Ericka Alston of Baltimore about the 1984 Victory Tour concert
* "You've got to hand it to him - when Michael Jackson puts on a show, he doesn't scrimp on the spectacle. Last night, in the first of four sold-out shows at the Capital Centre, the 30-year-old superstar drew on almost every trick in the book, filling his two-hour show with everything from lights and lasers to an honest-to-goodness disappearing act, in hopes of dazzling and delighting his fans. ...
Sure, it was entertaining - stunning, even, in its way - but it lacked any sense of the daring or adventure that once made Michael Jackson seem so magical. Watching him slide through the moonwalk routine in "Billie Jean," it was easy to be impressed by his ability but almost impossible to feel the same sense of amazement he once engendered. On the whole, he might just as well have been sleepwalking. - J.D. Considine's Sun review of Michael Jackson's concert on Oct. 14, 1988, at the Capital Centre in Landover
* "It was an older crowd. It was a reunion concert with his brothers. ... He sang all the old songs. He was an amazing performer." - Andrea Snyder, 33, of Baltimore, on the Sept. 10, 2001, concert at Madison Square Garden in New York
- Compiled by Frank Roylance
