this is it tour list

Final Concert Tour: ‘This Is It’

January 17, 2023

Kenny has announced his final concert tour.  The “This Is It” tour will kick off on March 10 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, FL, and will include stops in New Orleans, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas among many others throughout 2023.

“It’s been an amazing journey since starting with Jimmy Messina in 1971, and I’m fortunate to have had such a long touring career,”  Loggins says. “I don’t see this as the end of my professional career, but certainly a halt to the grind of major touring.”

He stresses that there was no overarching reason to say farewell to touring, other than “after spending a lifetime on the road, I want to have more time at home.”

On the “This Is It” tour, he’ll trace his remarkable musical history with a brand-new, career-spanning stage show sure to thrill his loyal legion of fans.

“I’ll be playing songs that I feel sum up the emotional story of my music,”   Loggins says. “This will include 90 percent of the hits and 10 or so percent of the deeper cuts.”

KL Connection (Fan Club) members and the public will have an opportunity to also purchase one of two VIP packages being offered specially for this final tour:  the Footloose VIP package , which comes with a premium seat and exclusively designed merch offering; or the “This Is It” package which offers purchasers an inside look into Kenny’s world on the road with a guided backstage tour, access to soundcheck, group photo with Kenny, and special autographed items.

Public on sale is Friday, January 20, 2023.  Please check Kenny’s Tour Page for exact details as on sales may vary per date.

Confirmed dates are as follows :

March 10 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall – Sarasota, FL March 12 – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL March 26 – Good Life Festival – Queen Creek, AZ^ April 28 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX* April 30 – New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival – New Orleans, LA^ June 15 – Wolf Trap – Vienna, VA* June 17 – Virginia Arts Festival – Williamsburg, VA^* August 17 – Family Arena – St. Charles, MO* August 19 – Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, IL^* October 14 – The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA October 27 – YouTube Theater – Inglewood, CA*

* Yacht Rock Revue is support          ^ Festival

More dates will be announced soon!

• Edit source
• View history

This list includes the setlist for the concerts in different early versions.

• 1 The songs fans would vote for
• 2 Early March proposed setlist
• 3 Work In Progress Setlist briefly shown in the movie
• 4 Early May 22nd setlist Draft
• 5 Early June Setlist
• 6 June 25th Draft
• 8 References

The songs fans would vote for [ ]

• Billie Jean
• Smooth Criminal
• Man In The Mirror
• Dirty Diana
• Black Or White
• The Way You Make Me Feel
• Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
• Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
• You Rock My World
• Rock With You
• Remember The Time
• You Are Not Alone
• I Just Can't Stop Loving You
• They Don't Care About Us
• Heal The World
• Human Nature
• Give Into Me
• P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
• Another Part Of Me
• Stranger In Moscow
• Liberian Girl
• Off The Wall
• Leave Me Alone
• Will You Be There
• In The Closet
• She’s Out Of My Life
• The Girl Is Mine
• Blood On The Dance Floor
• Come Together
• Unbreakable
• Keep The Faith
• Whatever Happens
• Butterflies
• Workin’ Day and Night
• Break Of Dawn
• Speed Demon
• The Lady In My Life
• Why You Wanna Trip on Me
• Baby Be Mine
• Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
• Tabloid Junkie
• Gone Too Soon
• Heartbreaker
• Little Susie
• Get On The Floor
• Just Good Friends
• Don't Walk Away
• Heaven Can Wait
• You Are My Life
• The Lost Children
• She Drives Me Wild
• Burn This Disco Out
• It’s The Falling In Love
• On The Line
• I Can't Help It
• Can’t Let Her Get Away
• This Time Around
• We Are Here To Change The World
• Someone Put Your Hand Out
• Beautiful Girl
• Someone In The Dark
• Monkey Business
• You Can't Win
• Scared Of The Moon

Early March proposed setlist [ ]

The following setlist was leaked in March 12th 2009. [1]

• Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin
• Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
• I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
• One Day In Your Life

Despite appearing in this proposed setlist, it was later confirmed that "Girlfriend", "One Day in Your Life", and "Remember the Time" was never actually rehearsed.

Work In Progress Setlist briefly shown in the movie [ ]

The following setlist was briefly shown in the movie in the background. [2]

This setlist appeared in 13:59 of the movie from the Center Staging rehearsals in Burbank in May.

• Wanna Be Startin' Somethin
• Off the Wall Medley
• Drill / They Don't Care About Us
• Stranger in Moscow
• J5 Medley: I Want You Back / The Love You Save / I'll Be There
• We Are the World / Heal the World
• Black or White
• Man in the Mirror
• Human Nature (additional material)
• State of Shock(additional material)

Early May 22nd setlist Draft [ ]

• Glimpses & Flashes
• Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
• MJ Anthology Video
• The Jackson 5 Medley: I Want You Back / The Love You Save / I'll Be There
• Off the Wall Medley: Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough / Rock with You
• Cleaning Lady Transition
• Thriller 3D video
• Earth Song 3D Video
• Global Medley: We Are the World / Heal the World
• Will You Be There (Encore)
• Man In The Mirror(Encore)

Early June Setlist [ ]

The following is how far the setlist for the concerts was developed before Michael's passing. The final setlist would have most likely cut a few songs for time constraints and to not put too much pressure on Michael.

• Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (with acapella snippet of Speechless)
• Jam (with excerpts of Another Part of Me)
• The Drill (with excerpts of Bad, Dangerous, and Mind is the Magic)
• They Don't Care About Us (with excerpts of HIStory, She Drives Me Wild, and Why You Wanna Trip on Me)
• Human Nature (In some Nights Replace for Stranger In Moscow)
• Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) Band Interlude
• Dangerous (with excerpts of Morphine, 2000 Watts, This Place Hotel, Stranger in Moscow, Psycho theme, Smooth Criminal, You Want This, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly theme, and Let's Dance)
• Thriller (with excerpts from Ghosts - Underscore and Threatened)
• Man in the Mirror (Encore)

June 25th Draft [ ]

In 2018, Michael Prince, MJ's Studio engineer, shared the presumed setlist that was drafted in the early June 25th morning.

• Off The Wall Medley (Don't Stop Till You Get Enough/Rock Whit You)
• The Drill/They Don't Care About Us
• Thriller/Threatened
• We Are The World / Heal The World

In this setlist, Will You Be There and You Are Not Alone was removed, probably because the show was too long for Michael to handle, but there's no information as to why Jam was removed.

• Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and Smooth Criminal were the first songs Michael chose for the setlist.
• "Meet the Vocalists", a special feature on the This Is It film's Blu-Ray release implies that Who Is It was rehearsed as an interlude segment.
• Bad was also rumored to be performed on selected dates and You Rock My World would replace The Way You Make Me Feel. However, all these rumors have never been confirmed as true.
• Heal The World was rehearsed but in the movie was played, during the end credits.
• This Is It was a song played in the end credits, but it was never meant to be performed during the shows, since the song was recorded as a demo track in 1983 with Paul Anka and is known as "I Never Heard". The song was rediscovered following Michael's death, retitled "This Is It" to coincide with the film, and The Jacksons added background vocals as a tribute to their late brother.
• Rumors spread that Best of Joy, a song from the 2010 posthumous album, Michael, would have been performed on the last night.
• in 2018, Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett, Michael's longtime drummer, began releasing band rehearsals of the songs rehearsed for This Is It on his YouTube channel. I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Dangerous, We Are the World, and Black or White were never shared as band rehearsals by the drummer. In 2023 the Band Rehearsals have been privated, although they are still available through YouTube reuploads.
• On a setlist draft from May, State of Shock was listed as "additional material".
• It's rumored each night would have different setlists.
• Janet Jackson was meant to perform with Michael on select dates, which may mean that Scream was supposed to be performed on some nights.
• Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie were meant to appear during "We Are The World" on select dates.
• The Jacksons were meant to perform with Michael during the Jackson 5 Medley on select dates.
• It is rumored that Michael Jackson rehearsed the whole setlist on June 23rd.

References [ ]

• ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/michael-jackson-278-1316577
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlrneNZyEyM
• 3 Backdrops

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Kenny Loggins announces This Is It farewell tour: 'It's been an amazing journey'

The 75-year-old singer-songwriter will head into the danger zone one last time this year.

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at  Entertainment Weekly  with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News,  Teen Vogue , Bustle, BuzzFeed,  Paper Magazine , Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022.

Kenny Loggins will ride into the danger zone one last time.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is clear for takeoff for his 2023 This is It farewell tour.

After kicking off at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Fla., the 11-stop concert series will rock across the country to Fort Worth, Tex.; Williamsburg, Va.; and Inglewood, Calif., over the next seven months.

"It's been an amazing journey since starting with Jimmy Messina in 1971, and I'm fortunate to have had such a long touring career," Loggins said in a statement on his website . "I don't see this as the end of my professional career, but certainly a halt to the grind of major touring."

But don't fret! Loggins added that the reason he has decided to put touring behind him is simple: "After spending a lifetime on the road, I want to have more time at home," he said.

For his celebratory send-off, the 75-year-old musician will return to the stage to perform a variety of hits from his 45-plus-year career. "I'll be playing songs that I feel sum up the emotional story of my music," Loggins explained. "This will include 90 percent of the hits, and 10 or so percent of the deeper cuts."

We can only hope one of those hits will be the fabled "5.0 version" of his 1986 single "Danger Zone," which Loggins previously told EW he rerecorded for last year's blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick but that it was not featured in the final cut of the movie.

"I did rerecord 'Danger Zone' to make a 5.0 version that would wrap around the audience," he said at the time. "But Tom Cruise really wanted to conjure up the original version, the original feeling. So in the long run, it turned out to be the old track coming back."

Loggins recalled meeting Cruise while visiting Jimmy Kimmel Live . During his encounter with the Top Gun star, he asked if the film's unofficial anthem would be making a return in its follow-up.

"I said, 'So, tell me, is "Danger Zone" in or out?' And he said, 'It wouldn't be Top Gun without "Danger Zone,"'" Loggins said. "When we first talked about it, they were thinking it might go in a scene in the middle of the movie or somewhere near the end where he comes to the rescue. Instead, Tom opted to use it at the beginning of the movie so that it really conjures up the energy and excitement of the original Top Gun ."

Check out Loggins' upcoming tour dates below:

March 10 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall – Sarasota, Fla. March 12 – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, Fla. March 26 – Good Life Festival – Queen Creek, Ariz. April 28 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Tex. April 30 – New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival – New Orleans June 15 – Wolf Trap – Vienna, Va. June 17 – Virginia Arts Festival – Williamsburg, Va. Aug. 17 – Family Arena – St. Charles, Mo. Aug. 19 – Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, Ill. Oct. 14 – The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, Calif. Oct. 27 – YouTube Theater – Inglewood, Calif.

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Related content:

• Kenny Loggins recorded a new version of 'Danger Zone' that wasn't used in Top Gun: Maverick
• Playing House finale: Kenny Loggins meets Maggie and Emma in exclusive clip
• Kenny Loggins performs spoof songs for Transformers and The Help

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Michael Jackson Wiki

Welcome to the Michael Jackson Wiki , the encyclopedia intending to honor the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson . Here, you can discover or even share your knowledge about the star. Before doing so however, please make sure to check our rules and guidelines .

• Cancelled concerts
• This Is It Tour
• View history

You are currently reading the article dedicated to the tour. You may have been looking for the song .

This Is It was a series of concerts created by Michael Jackson and Kenny Ortega , which was scheduled to be held at The O2 Arena in London, England from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010 and go worldwide afterwards. [1] It was promoted by AEG Presents (at the time AEG Live). This Is It was going to serve as Jackson's comeback, as well as his fourth and final tour until its cancellation following Michael's passing on June 25, 2009 .

• 1 Background
• 2.1 Early set list
• 2.2 June 25 set list
• 4.1 Musicians
• 4.2 Dancers
• 4.3 Production
• 5.1 Promotional
• 5.2 Rehearsals
• 7 References

Background [ ]

Michael Jackson announcing This Is It (March 5, 2009)

The idea for the concert residency came to Jackson's mind in 2008 due to his financial struggles and debt. Thus, talks with AEG, a music entertainment presenter, eventually began. According to Michael Prince , Michael was surprisingly very excited for the tour, despite of the artist stating the opposite in years prior. [2]

Originally, there were going to be only ten dates, but then the number was changed to fifty. Additionally, as the U.K. gigs would finish, shows for Australia, Japan and North America would be announced as well. [3]

On March 5, 2009, a conference would be held at the O2 Arena in London, where Michael would announce This Is It.

In a matter of four hours, 750,000 tickets were sold. During the process, two sites with pre-sale tickets crashed.

Initial preparations would start in April, with rehearsals beginning in June. Throughout them, Jackson's mental and physical health had been at its lowest, having the singer miss multiple rehearsals in the middle of the month.

Unfortunately, due to Michael Jackson's death, the preparations would never conclude and This Is It had to be cancelled on June 25, only two weeks prior to its launch. After the tragic event had took place, AEG confirmed 100 hours of footage from the rehearsals was recorded. Originally, it was meant to be used only for a fifteen-minute feature on a planned concert movie Blu-ray, but it was eventually decided it'd be edited into the Michael Jackson's This Is It movie. [2] [5]

Set list [ ]

Early set list [ ].

Early setlist

In the Michael Jackson's This Is It movie, at one point (timestamp: 13:59) an early version of the setlist would appear.

June 25 set list [ ]

Michael Prince confirmed that on June 25, the day of Michael's death, a new version was created. [2]

Concert dates on michaeljackson.com

At first, the tour was going to be 10 shows only.

Later on, some shows were rescheduled and a ton more dates got added, having the tour last 50 shows.

Personnel [ ]

Musicians [ ].

• Michael Jackson – vocals, show direction, choreography
• Orianthi Panagaris – lead guitar
• Tommy Organ – rhythm guitar
• Alex Al – bass
• Jonathan Moffett – drums, percussion
• Michael Bearden – keyboards, musical direction
• Morris Pleasure – keyboards
• Bashiri Johnson – percussion
• Dorian Holley – vocals, vocal direction
• Judith Hill – vocals
• Darryl Phinnessee – vocals
• Ken Stacey – vocals

Dancers [ ]

• Michael Jackson
• Nicholas Basir
• Daniel Celebre (a.k.a. Da FunkyMystic)
• Kriyss Grant
• Misha Gabriel
• Shannon Holtzapffel
• Devin Jamieson
• Charles Klapow
• Danielle Rueda Watts
• Tyne Stecklein
• Timor Dance

Production [ ]

• Kenny Ortega – show direction
• Alif Sankey – associate production
• Michael Cotten – production design
• Michael Curry – production design
• Michael Jackson & Travis Payne – choreography
• Stacy Walker – choreography assistance
• Tony Testa – choreography assistance
• Patrick Woodroffe – lighting design
• Hakeem Khaaliq - graphic design, mobile technology integration
• David Elsewhere – dance coaching
• Shahzad Perez – Specialty Act
• Gregg Smith – casting direction
• Karen Faye Heinze – hair and makeup
• Zaldy Goco – chief of costume design
• Michael Bush – costume design
• Dennis Thompkins – costume design
• AEG Live – promotion
• Dave Polich – synth programming

Gallery [ ]

Promotional [ ].

Rehearsals [ ]

Michael Jackson with a brown necklace he recieved from a fan

• If it happened, This Is It could've earned Michael Jackson even $1.5 billion. [7]
• The tour was going to feature multiple a-list guest stars, this includes Lady Gaga and Britney Spears , who were artists Jackson was eager the most to have on stage alongside him. [8] [9]
• In early 2009, Michael received a brown necklace as a gift from a fan. He seems to have loved it so much, that he wore it throughout the entirety of This Is It press and rehearsals. [10]
• Some fans got to sneak into the arena and record 30 minutes of amateur audio from the This Is It rehearsals. This included "Dangerous", "Dirty Diana", "Heal the World" (playback), "Will You Be There" (playback) and "We Are the World". [11]
• A split second video of Michael rehearsing "Dangerous" along with pictures from such also found their way online in 2020. [12]
• A five second video of Michael rehearsing "Dirty Diana" was featured in the Michael Jackson's This Is It Blu-ray extras. [13]
• The last song Jackson rehearsed was “Earth Song” on June 24, 2009. It was the last time Michael sang during his lifetime.
• Michael's final rehearsal lasted 'til around midnight, June 25, 2009. According to Sugarfoot , at this exact time, he was told by Michael that he'll "see him tomorrow". [14]
• As of June 25, 2009 when working at This Is It at the Staples Center, Kenny Ortega had the behind-the-scenes team holding hands and saying prayers, as Jackson's hospitalization was announced. For the next half an hour, everyone went back to work, when suddenly Ortega called the team to gather again, as to confirm, that Michael had passed away. [2]
• Michael's make up artist, Karen Faye stated she overheard an AEG executive, saying Michael "should" rehearse despite of his supposed declining health. [15]
• Faye also revealed Michael was frustrated and after a costume fitting (which took place days before his passing) repeatedly asked the make up artist "Why can't I choose?". Randy Phillips, co-CEO of AEG Live told her to ignore Jackson's requests. [15]
• Matt Fiddes, one of Jackson's bodyguards, stated Michael wanted to wear a bulletproof vest during the tour, as the artist was afraid there would be an attempt to assasinate him on stage. [16]
• It is rumored, that during the final show on March 6, 2010, Michael would perform “ Best of Joy ”, although this isn't confirmed.

References [ ]

• ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/michael-jacksons-this-is-it-tour-would-have-gone-global-court-told-2347771/
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://www.themjcast.com/episode-052-michael-prince-special/
• ↑ https://www.amazon.pl/You-Are-Not-Alone-Brothers/dp/1451651562
• ↑ https://youtu.be/1XPyoq9s-kA?si=blGevfFLQFiEM_KN
• ↑ https://www.today.com/popculture/judge-oks-jackson-performance-film-deal-wbna32360110
• ↑ https://www.ebay.com/itm/123371931912
• ↑ https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2013-jul-15-la-me-jackson-money-20130716-story.html
• ↑ https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/secrets-michael-jacksons-doomed-tour-27788862
• ↑ https://www.mtv.com/news/ot6i5w/michael-jackson-wanted-to-collaborate-with-lady-gaga
• ↑ https://x.com/MJJSpotify2015/status/1734476144617947234?s=20
• ↑ https://youtu.be/kFpeV7LAdB4
• ↑ https://youtu.be/F8bh0S0x8yM?si=weDJlNutxgn-cPzp
• ↑ https://youtu.be/dq8JbI5K84Y?si=qJBcl49PSq7gcPR4
• ↑ https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-jacksons-drummer-confirms-haunting-17247355
• ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://www.mjworld.net/news/2013/05/09/karen-faye-testimony/
• ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/michael-jackson-178-1273373
• 1 Bigi Jackson
• 2 List of unreleased songs
• 3 Get Your Weight Off of Me

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Kenny Loggins Adds to Final Tour, ‘This Is It’

From the original Jan. 17 press announcement: Loggins first burst on the music scene as half of the hit duo Loggins & Messina and continued with his own successful solo career, during which time he racked up a series of gold and platinum-selling albums and singles. The two-time Grammy winner has earned the nickname of “The Soundtrack King” thanks to his indelible contributions to films such as Caddyshack , Footloose and Top Gun (and now the 2022 blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick ).

“It’s been an amazing journey since starting with Jimmy Messina in 1971, and I’m fortunate to have had such a long touring career,” Loggins says. “I don’t see this as the end of my professional career, but certainly a halt to the grind of major touring.” He stresses that there was no overarching reason to say farewell to touring, other than “after spending a lifetime on the road, I want to have more time at home.”

Loggins, who turned 75 on Jan. 7, has sold over 25 million albums worldwide thanks to such as big hits as “I’m Alright,” “Footloose,” “Danger Zone,” and, of course, “This Is It,” among many others.

Loggins collaboration with Jim Messina includes “Danny’s Song,” “House at Pooh Corner,” “Love Song” and “Your Mama Don’t Dance” – as well as his smash duet with Stevie Nicks, “Whenever I Call You Friend” and the rock radio favorite, “Don’t Fight It,” on which he teamed up with Steve Perry.

“I’ll be playing songs that I feel sum up the emotional story of my music,” Loggins says about the upcoming stage show. “This will include 90 percent of the hits and 10 or so percent of the deeper cuts.”

Watch Loggins perform the tour’s namesake

As for possible guests on the “This Is It” tour, Loggins hints that fans can expect some surprises. “We’ve been talking about it,” he says. “We’re hoping to have some of my longtime friends sit in whenever possible.”

Related:   Loggins and Messina reunited for two concerts in 2022

Loggins published his memoir,  Still Alright , in 2022

Kenny Loggins “This Is It” 2023 Tour (Tickets for many of the shows are available here )

May 11 – FirstBank Amphitheater – Franklin, TN* May 13 – Ameris Bank Amphitheater – Alpharetta, GA* May 15 – Peace Center – Greenville, SC Jun 14 – Wolf Trap – Vienna, VA* Jun 15 – Wolf Trap – Vienna, VA* Jun 17 – Virginia Arts Festival – Williamsburg, VA^* Aug 03 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Center* Aug 05 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater* Aug 17 – Family Arena – St. Charles, MO* Aug 19 – Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, IL^* Aug 31 – Bronze Buffalo Sporting Club at Teton Springs – Victor, ID Sep 02 – Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater – Park City, UT Sep 08 – Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON Sep 12 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre Sep 14 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena* Sep 16 – Clearwater, FL – Coachman Park Oct 06 – Las Vegas, NV – Pearl Theater Oct 13 – The Venue at Thunder Valley Casino Resort – Lincoln, CA** Oct 14 – The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA Oct 20 – The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA Oct 27 – YouTube Theater – Inglewood, CA* Oct 29 – Yaamava Theater – Highland, CA Nov 04 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA*

*Yacht Rock Revue is support **Richard Marx is support ^Festival

Related:   Listings for 100s of classic rock tours

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2 Comments so far

I believe Kenny opened for Fleetwood Mac on a tour in the late 70s. His was definitely the better show, at least the night I saw them in the fall of 1977.

Kenny, Loved seeing you a few years ago at Villa Montalvo in Saratoga… I hope to see you in October at Saratoga Mountain Winery… Earlier on I saw you at “Day on the Green” in Oakland when teaming with Messina… ALWAYS A FAN!!!

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Here's what Michael Jackson planned for final 'This Is It' tour that never happened

"He wanted to make sure that there were really important moments."

Before Michael Jackson suddenly passed away back in 2009, he was due to play a massive string of shows in London as part of his This Is It tour.

While we never got to see how the shows turned out – except in rehearsal form as part of the Michael Jackson's This Is It documentary – the tour's choreographer has opened up about what plans they did have.

"From the very, very start, when Michael called me, he said to me, 'Kenny, this is it'. He said 'this is it' so many times that I went back to him and said, 'Why don't we just call the tour This Is It?'

"But he had given me reasons, and he really wanted to do a tour so that his children could have an opportunity to see him in action, and to see him doing what he's loved all his life.

Ortega also revealed that Jackson wanted to do the tour for his "loyal" fans, as well as using the stage as a "platform to remind the world" of the "vulnerability of the planet".

"So Michael really had a vision for this tour, and every part of it played into those three reasons," Ortega continued.

"He wanted a likefulness to it, and he wanted to make sure that there were really important moments that were reminding his audiences to step out there and to take a responsibility, to do their part to make sure that we have a world that we recognise in the future."

Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009, and his daughter Paris recently shared a poignant tribute on what would have been her dad's 59th birthday.

"You are always with me and I am always with you," she wrote. "Though I am not you, and you are not me, I know with all of my being that we are one. And our souls will never change in that way. Thank you for the magic, forever and always."

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What was the CONFIRMED final set list for This Is It?

• Thread starter KingofPop125
• Start date Nov 28, 2021

KingofPop125

Proud member.

• Nov 28, 2021
• Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
• They Don’t Care About Us
• Human Nature
• Stranger in Moscow
• Smooth Criminal
• The Way You Make Me Feel
• You Are Not Alone
• The Jackson 5 Medley: I Want You Back / The Love You Save / I’ll Be There
• Off the Wall Medley: Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough / Rock with You
• I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
• Dirty Diana
• Black or White
• Heal the World
• Billie Jean
• Will You Be There
• Man in the Mirror
• Bad (rumored)

This was the final known running order. Startin’ Something Don’t stop ‘til you get enough Rock with you Drill Don’t care about us Human nature Stranger in Moscow Smooth criminal The way you make me feel I just can’t stop loving you Dangerous Dirty Diana Beat it Thriller Earth song We are the world Heal the world Black or white Billie Jean Man in the mirror But that is not to say it’s what it would have been on opening night as it changed multiple times. Also this does not have the Jackson 5 medley that I am certain would have been included for the show. this was from an episode of the MJ Cast podcast. I will find the episode and let you know it.  

Where "Stranger In Moscow" comes from? Who confirmed it was suppose to be in? I mean not just band rehearsals of various MJ songs but MJ's performance, rehearsals, vocals, costume?  

Galactus123

madmijack said: Where "Stranger In Moscow" comes from? Who confirmed it was suppose to be in? I mean not just band rehearsals of various MJ songs but MJ's performance, rehearsals, vocals, costume? Click to expand...

• Nov 29, 2021

The last confirmed set list can be heard on episode 52 of the MJCast podcast interview with Michael Prince. It starts at 2 hr 6 mins.  

filmandmusic

• Nov 30, 2021

Very underwhelming setlist. Just another greatest hits lip synch celebration.  

filmandmusic said: Very underwhelming setlist. Just another greatest hits lip synch celebration. Click to expand...

@dethorro I don’t know how to post quotes so I will answer like this. That is exactly what I expect from a comeback show yes. Focus on the music. If he was vocally up to point then it would have made waves, the critics would have eaten it up. Rave reviews and a renewed interest. When it comes to live shows Michael was one of the least imaginative artists of all time Imo. I can perfectly imagine what the concert reviews would have looked like if he hadn’t passed away. The words washed up, same old routines, weak voice ( if not lip synched) would have tarnished his legacy immensely. Do something different, reinvent yourself, get back at those critics that massacred your latest albums in their reviews, show them what you can do as an artist on stage. Use what made you great, namely his voice. If he wants to dance fine, dancing is Michael but do different routines. I once heard the story that he didn’t want to perform “speed demon” because he didn’t have a dance routine for it. This blows my mind, just go out and perform the damn song! It is your song, your music, it don’t need to be flashy. Less is more. Believe it or not but the cancelling of the this is it concerts were a bullet dodged. We all know he would have lip synched, his MSG performances 8 years earlier were weak. He was 50 years old in 2009, time to move on and do something different. PS the amount of dates were gruesome, there is no way that he would have performed it at an adequate level for 50 dates, impossible… I don’t believe for one second his head was fully in favour of this project.  

SmoothCriminal1995

I would have loved Mike to perform both Human Nature and Stranger In Moscow, I love both and I could choose between them if he rotated between them  

dethorro said: With regards to the lip-synching: he actually expressed that he wanted to sing live more for This Is It. And whilst we can’t know for sure if he really meant it or not and if he was actually going to do it, it’s important to point out that he at least thought about it. Click to expand...

filmandmusic said: PS the amount of dates were gruesome, there is no way that he would have performed it at an adequate level for 50 dates, impossible… Click to expand...

SeriousEffect.

Premium member.

filmandmusic said: @dethorro I don’t know how to post quotes so I will answer like this. That is exactly what I expect from a comeback show yes. Focus on the music. If he was vocally up to point then it would have made waves, the critics would have eaten it up. Rave reviews and a renewed interest. When it comes to live shows Michael was one of the least imaginative artists of all time Imo. I can perfectly imagine what the concert reviews would have looked like if he hadn’t passed away. The words washed up, same old routines, weak voice ( if not lip synched) would have tarnished his legacy immensely. Do something different, reinvent yourself, get back at those critics that massacred your latest albums in their reviews, show them what you can do as an artist on stage. Use what made you great, namely his voice. If he wants to dance fine, dancing is Michael but do different routines. I once heard the story that he didn’t want to perform “speed demon” because he didn’t have a dance routine for it. This blows my mind, just go out and perform the damn song! It is your song, your music, it don’t need to be flashy. Less is more. Believe it or not but the cancelling of the this is it concerts were a bullet dodged. We all know he would have lip synched, his MSG performances 8 years earlier were weak. He was 50 years old in 2009, time to move on and do something different. PS the amount of dates were gruesome, there is no way that he would have performed it at an adequate level for 50 dates, impossible… I don’t believe for one second his head was fully in favour of this project. Click to expand...

@analogue good points especially about the jetlags etc but still, I’m not a singer, are 2 to 3 days enough to recover? Provided he wanted to sing live. @SeriousEffect. Maybe he was aware maybe he wasn’t, in the end he died so it already took a huge toll on him and the shows had ‘t even started yet. I think he was pressurized too much. It started with 10 shows but then the dollars streamed in and it became 50. The shows were done for the money not for the artistry. @dethorro You say it was a comeback, implying it has to be a celebration of past successes with great bombast and spectacle. This could be true for many many artists but I am fairly certain that is not what Michael needed. We are talking about Michael Jackson, the biggest artist of all time, anything he would have done would have generated so much attention. A small venue with a setlist of only James Brown songs ( just saying something) would have made an equal impact. Either way these are the points I wanted to make regarding this subject, obviously you all may think differently about it in the end it doesn’t matter.  

This Is It setlist was very disappointing. While I understand that Michael had to perform his greatest hits on his comeback tour, he surely could have performed songs that he had never done live before. Songs such as PYT, Who Is It, Liberian Girl etc. Also he could have done a couple of songs from Invincible such as You Rock My World and Unbreakable.  

@Nite Line Exactly. He had so many hits to choose from but he picked the usual suspects. I highly doubt there was a clause in that contract that said he had to perform wanna be starting something. Billie jean and thriller yes I believe those are signature tracks that sell tickets but not songs like WBSS. He could have easily opted for a versatile setlist, ending each show with 5 or 6 big hits and fill in the rest with new first time performances, new tracks or hell even covers of his heroes Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Stevie Wonder etc. Literally endless possibilities…  

The Queen HBIC

I swear I read from someone who worked on TII that he was planning to do You Rock My World in place of TWYMMF on certain nights of the show,just like how Stranger In Moscow was supposed to be performed in place of Human Nature on certain nights. Then of course the alleged rumor of him performing Best Of Joy during the final shows and Bad as well. So many things and what if's of this show. Still bittersweet to discuss honestly.  

• Dec 1, 2021

I still wish every day circumstances were different and Michael could give the world the show he was preparing. It would've forever been the benchmark yet again.  

• Dec 3, 2021

It's sad how later in his career Off The Wall songs started being performed as medley or not performed at all. I'd rather Don't Stop Til You Get Enough and/or Rock With You performed in full than to have them be put together as part of a medley.  

analogue said: It's sad how later in his career Off The Wall songs started being performed as medley or not performed at all. I'd rather Don't Stop Til You Get Enough and/or Rock With You performed in full than to have them be put together as part of a medley. Click to expand...

• Dec 4, 2021

“Working day and night“ is probably his most performed song that was never released as a single. Followed by “dangerous” and I can’t think of any other song that he performed on tour that wasn’t a single at one point. There are others if you go back to jackson(s)5 concerts though like “ things I do for you”. working day and night was by far the best at the triumph tour when it wasn’t yet ridiculously stop/start extended.  

Stefano MJS

• Dec 5, 2021

filmandmusic said: Do something different, reinvent yourself, get back at those critics that massacred your latest albums in their reviews, show them what you can do as an artist on stage. Use what made you great, namely his voice. If he wants to dance fine, dancing is Michael but do different routines. I once heard the story that he didn’t want to perform “speed demon” because he didn’t have a dance routine for it. This blows my mind, just go out and perform the damn song! It is your song, your music, it don’t need to be flashy. Less is more. Click to expand...

• Dec 6, 2021

mj_frenzy said: Michael Jackson appeared to be reluctant to do something different and to reinvent himself (for the 'This Is It' shows) for fear of letting his fans down. Remember for example what he stated during the TV Guide Interview in 1999 (that the audience wants a certain thing from him, like expecting from him to perform 'Billie Jean' in the exact same way each time). Also, the 'This Is It' shows would have had less live singing compared to the Dangerous Tour. Michael Jackson in 2009 had a lung condition (widespread respiratory Bronchiolitis). A very common symptom of Bronchiolitis is having difficulty in breathing, which would have meant less live singing from him during those shows. There were also reports at that time that AEG Live prepared that set list (comprised of his greatest hits) and they forced him to agree with it. Click to expand...

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Michael Jackson's This Is It

2009, Documentary, 1h 51m

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While it may not be the definitive concert film (or the insightful backstage look) some will hope for, Michael Jackson's This Is It packs more than enough entertainment value to live up to its ambitious title. Read critic reviews

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Prior to his untimely death, Jackson was in the midst of preparing for a series of sold-out concerts that were scheduled to take place in London during the summer of 2009. Behind-the-scenes footage, filmed between March and June of 2009, captures the pop superstar in intimate detail as he developed and rehearsed for the "This Is It" tour.

Rating: PG (Suggestive Choreography|Scary Images)

Genre: Documentary

Original Language: English

Director: Kenny Ortega

Producer: Kenny Ortega , Randy Phillips , Paul Gongaware

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 28, 2009  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012

Box Office (Gross USA): $71.8M

Runtime: 1h 51m

Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Production Co: Columbia Pictures

Cast & Crew

Michael Jackson

Darryl Phinnessee

Timor Steffens

Dreya Weber

Kenny Ortega

Misha Gabriel Hamilton

Randy Phillips

Paul Gongaware

John Branca

Executive Producer

John McClain

Film Editing

Brandon Key

Tim Patterson

Kevin Stitt

Michael Cotten

Production Design

Cinematographer

Sandrine Orabona

Original Songs

Michael Bearden

Original Music

News & Interviews for Michael Jackson's This Is It

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: This Is It and Whip It

Box Office Guru Wrapup: This Is It Tops Box Office Worldwide

Critics Consensus: This Is It Is Certified Fresh

Critic Reviews for Michael Jackson's This Is It

Audience reviews for michael jackson's this is it.

I honestly felt that had Jackson lived, he would have shown the world the best concert performance in recent years. It is a sheer joy to see him at work. Jackson is an auteur of dance, never a tyrant, always respecting the art, his crew and his pleasant affection.

The greatest music documentary of all time, this film gave me the chills he was so good. This movie wasn't a ploy, it was a tremendous sendoff the greatest Pop singer ever.

this is it is the amazing, spectacular, dazziling concert movie event that will amaze everyone worldwide! filled with electrifying dance moves, memorable songs, and the king of pop himself, tis is an entertaining experience of a lifetime! this is pure real movie magic! this is the best film of 2009 and the best documantery ever made! and to micheal jackson, this is it! A+

I was never much of a fan of the "King of Pop" in any way shape or form, even going back to the Jackson 5 days, but this documentary has given me new respect for the musician, the entertainer, and the person. Shot during the final rehearsals before his aborted last tour, this film should be a must for anyone who appreciates music, dance, and all that goes into either form. On display are all the hits, but with subtle musical twists - many of which are choreographed not only with dance but also with film and pyrotechnics. This would have been quite a show, and at the center of it, Michael Jackson was fully in command; knowing the tunes inside out - every little stop and accent and every bit of the production: Michael knew what he wanted and his ideas and concepts were always spot on, knowing from the stage what would make the most impact out in the audience. Supported by a first rate band (that I can testify to) and wonderful dancers (I wouldn't know Barishnikov from Bozo the clown, so don't take my word for it), this documentary gives you just enough background on how such a production comes into being without getting in the way of the music and the performances. The sound is first rate - the music has never sounded fuller, but what impressed me the most about this film was the professionalism and humanity of the man himself. For all the tabloids and goofy stuff, here is a gentle soul who seemingly lived and breathed his art. I'm told that he revolutionized dance, and certainly he was the pioneer of the BIG production; where a concert became an event, combining music and dance onstage. I feel truly sad that I shortchanged the guy - he really was a marvel, and I can now understand the crazed fans - I'm sure that his shows must have raised the roof, and this film is an apt testimony and requiem for a humble, gentle being who was born into the music business, which certainly warped him in some ways - but from watching this film I believe that the tabloids were making money at his expense and am convinced that here was a man who couldn't have hurt a fly - living only to give of his art and himself ... which are synonymous in this case.

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"This Is it," Michael Jackson told his fans in London, announcing his forthcoming concert tour. "This is the final curtain call." The curtain fell sooner than expected. What is left is this extraordinary documentary, nothing at all like what I was expecting to see. Here is not a sick and drugged man forcing himself through grueling rehearsals, but a spirit embodied by music. Michael Jackson was something else.

The film has been assembled from rehearsals from April through June 2009 for a concert tour scheduled for this summer. The footage was "captured by a few cameras," an opening screen tells us, but they were professional high-def cameras and the sound track is full-range stereo. The result is one of the most revealing music documentaries I've seen.

And it's more than that. It's a portrait of Michael Jackson that belies all the rumors that he would have been too weak to tour. That shows not the slightest trace of a spoiled prima donna. That benefits from the limited number of cameras by allowing us to experience his work in something closer to realistic time, instead of fracturing it into quick cuts. That provides both a good idea of what the final concert would have looked like, and a portrait of the artist at work.

Never raising his voice, never showing anger, always soft-spoken and courteous to his cast and crew, Michael with his director, Kenny Ortega , micro-manages the production. He corrects timing, refines cues, talks about details of music and dance. Seeing him always from a distance, I thought of him as the instrument of his producing operation. Here we see that he was the auteur of his shows.

We know now that Michael was subjected to a cocktail of drugs in the time leading up to his fatal overdose, including the last straw, a drug so dangerous it should only be administered by an anesthesiologist in an operating room. That knowledge makes it hard to understand how he appears to be in superb physical condition. His choreography, built from such precise, abrupt and perfectly-timed movements, is exhausting, but he never shows a sign of tiring. His movements are so well synchronized with the other dancers on stage, who are much younger and highly-trained, that he seems one with them. This is a man in such command of his physical instrument that he makes spinning in place seem as natural as blinking his eye.

He has always been a dancer first, and then a singer. He doesn't specialize in solos. With the exception of a sweet love ballad, his songs all incorporate four backup singers and probably supplementary tracks prerecorded by himself. It is the whole effect he has in mind.

It might have been a hell of a show. Ortega and special effects wizards coordinate pre-filmed sequences with the stage work. There's a horror-movie sequence with ghouls rising from a cemetery (and ghosts that were planned to fly above the audience). Michael is inserted into scenes from Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart movies, and through clever f/x even has a machine-gun battle with Bogie. His environmental pitch is backed by rain forest footage. He rides a cherry-picker high above the audience.

His audience in this case consists entirely of stagehands, gaffers, technicians, and so on. These are working people who have seen it all. They love him. They're not pretending. They love him for his music, and perhaps even more for his attitude. Big stars in rehearsal are not infrequently pains in the ass. Michael plunges in with the spirit of a co-worker, prepared to do the job and go the distance.

How was that possible? Even if he had the body for it, which he obviously did, how did he muster the mental strength? When you have a doctor on duty around the clock to administer the prescription medications you desire, when your idea of a good sleep is reportedly to be unconscious for 24 hours, how do you wake up into such a state of keen alertness? Uppers? I don't think it quite works that way. I was watching like a hawk for any hint of the effects of drug abuse, but couldn't see any. Perhaps it's significant that of all the people in the rehearsal space, he is the only one whose arms are covered at all times by long sleeves.

Well, we don't know how he did it. "This Is It" is proof that he did do it. He didn't let down his investors and colleagues. He was fully prepared for his opening night. He and Kenny Ortega, who also directed this film, were at the top of their game. There's a moving scene on the last day of rehearsal when Jackson and Ortega join hands in a circle with all the others, and thank them. But the concert they worked so hard on was never to be.

This is it.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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This Is It (2009)

Rated PG for some suggestive choreography and scary horror film images

111 minutes

Directed by

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Get Loose in Los Angeles

• By Ethan Millman

Ethan Millman

Three hours into Bruce Springsteen ‘s epic return to Los Angeles on Thursday night with the E Street Band, he stared down the sold-out crowd at the Forum. “Do you have anything left?” he shouted, midway through “Twist and Shout,” the second-to-last song of his first L.A. show in eight years. Five decades in, the magic of a Springsteen show remains: He always seems to have a little bit left in the tank. 

The 2024 version of the tour has been looser than last year’s, which stuck fairly close to a single set list, and Thursday was no exception. Springsteen kicked off with a true rarity, a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” (most frequently played on the Tunnel of Love Express Tour back in 1988), before jumping into “Lonesome Day” (rarely played last year, but now a staple in the set) and “Prove It All Night,” then his live -favorite arena-rock reworking of Jimmy Cliff’s “Trapped.”

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Six dates into their return to the road, Springsteen and the E Street Band sounded like they had never been interrupted. “Are you having fun yet? Because we haven’t had fun yet,” Springsteen told the crowd just over an hour into his show. “This is our pre-fun. We’re here to wake you up, shake you up, and take you to higher ground. The E Street Band is here to bring the joyous power of rock & roll into your life. But we need your help. We plan on sending you home with your feet hurting, your hands hurting, your ass in paralysis, and your sexual organs stimulated.”

Springsteen maintains a remarkably simple setup and show presentation compared to the other blockbuster live shows currently on the road. The visuals are limited to video screens and elegant stage lights, keeping the focus on the 17 musicians onstage with him. He doesn’t really need much else. 

Bruce Springsteen Jokes About His Postponed Tour on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

Don omar cements his legacy with 'back to reggaeton' show in l.a., bruce springsteen joins zach bryan onstage at triumphant brooklyn show, the far right is crawling with eclipse conspiracy theories, ted cruz is getting nervous he’s going to lose his senate seat, willie nelson thinks queer message in orville peck video is 'more important than ever', jojo siwa is all grown up on new single 'karma'.

From there, the show was all joy and catharsis, with an unbroken string of hits and live favorites, beginning with Nils Lofgren’s jaw-dropping guitar virtuosity on “Because the Night,” and inevitably reaching “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run.” As he has throughout the tour, Springsteen finished the show alone with his meditation on life after death, “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” 

Springsteen and the E Street Band will play another Forum show on Sunday.

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Charging elephant kills an American woman on 'bucket list trip' in Zambia

An American woman who was on what she had called her "last big trip" was killed when a charging elephant flipped over the car she was traveling in at a national park in Zambia .

The “aggressive” creature buffeted the vehicle carrying six tourists and a guide, tour operator Wilderness said in a statement Tuesday. It said the 79-year-old victim died after Saturday's incident on a game drive at the Kafue National Park in western Zambia.

The company did not name the victim but Rona Wells, her daughter, identified her as Gail Mattson in a post on Facebook. She said her mother died in a “tragic accident while on her dream adventure.”

A video circulating on social media apparently showing the incident shows a large elephant running toward a car, which slows down as the animal approaches its left side. The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.

NBC News does not know the condition or identity of the person who filmed the video.

Photos shared online of the car, which is emblazoned with the logo of the tour operator, show it tipped onto its side after the incident, with a deep dent in two of its side doors.

Wilderness, which describes itself as a “leading conservation and hospitality company” operating in eight African countries, including Zambia, did not respond to NBC News when asked to confirm the authenticity of the video and the photos.

But the tour operator’s CEO, Keith Vincent, said in the statement that the company’s “guides are all extremely well trained and experienced.”

"Sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” he added.

Another woman was also injured in the incident and taken to a medical facility in South Africa, the Wilderness statement said, adding that four others were treated for minor injuries.

“It’s extremely rare to see an elephant that irate,” Marlon du Toit, a wildlife photographer and safari guide, told the “TODAY” show Thursday. “Across Africa, there are thousands and thousands of guests on safari on a daily basis with no negative consequences.”

The exact cause of Mattson’s death was unclear, but the company said her body would be repatriated to her family in the United States with the support of local Zambian authorities and the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Lusaka.

“This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died,” the statement added.

NBC News has reached out to Mattson's family for further comment.

Kafue National Park is Zambia’s largest and oldest national park, according to its website, and spans an area of more than 8,000 square miles. Vast regions of the park remain unexplored and the website says it is home to a variety of untamed wildlife.

A 'bucket list trip'

Mattson spent her winters in Sun City West, Arizona, playing bridge and cards, but during the rest of the year, she "travels all over the world," her friend Brenda Biggs told NBC News. Biggs and her husband, John Longabauth, became friends with Mattson when they moved to the area 6 ½ years ago.

Longabauth said Mattson spoke to the couple about her upcoming safari trip about two weeks ago, and called it "one of her bucket list trips." He said she was very excited for the adventure.

Before she left, she gave the couple concert tickets for a show that would happen while she was traveling, telling them to enjoy the concert and "I'll see you when I get back," Longabauth recalled of the conversation.

Biggs said Mattson, who was almost 80 years old, told her that the African safari was her "my last big trip." She said Mattson was "super excited because it was like the culmination of all the trips that she had gone on."

An avid traveler, Mattson took to trips to Europe and Asia, Longabauth recalled, noting that she might have been to South America, too.

Biggs called her friend "flamboyant," "friendly" and "fabulous" and said she loved bright colors. Mattson had taken over Biggs’ job as the event planner for their 200-member bridge club, she said.

"Gail was one of the more up people you'd ever want to meet," Longabauth said. "She was always up. She was always optimistic. She was always seeing the good side of everybody."

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

The Masters 2024: Who is in the field and how did they qualify? 

The field for the 2024 Masters Tournament , the first of this year's four men's major championships, is almost complete.

As of April 1, 88 players who have either qualified or received a special invitation are listed as expected to play in the tournament, held at Augusta National Golf Club from April 11-14.

With no event on the DP World Tour this week, the one remaining avenue for the field size to grow lies stateside on the PGA TOUR at the Valero Texas Open.

Should the winner in San Antonio not already be in the field for the Masters, they will earn their playing rights for the 88th playing in Georgia.

Jon Rahm is the defending champion, having won his second Major title 12 months ago.

Field for the 2024 Masters Tournament

Listed in alphabetical order, with the numbers for their routes of qualification after their name.

# Ludvig Åberg (Sweden) (17,19,20)

Byeong Hun An (South Korea) (20)

Keegan Bradley (USA) (17,18,19,20)

Sam Burns (USA) (18,19,20)

Patrick Cantlay (USA) (18,19,20)

Wyndham Clark (USA) (2,17,18,19,20)

# Eric Cole (USA) (19,20)

Corey Conners (Canada) (18,19,20)

Fred Couples (USA) (1)

Cameron Davis (Australia) (16,19)

Jason Day (Australia) (15,17,18,19,20)

# Santiago de la Fuente (a) (Mexico) (10)

Bryson DeChambeau (USA) (2,16)

# Nick Dunlap (USA) (17)

# Austin Eckroat (USA) (17,20)

Harris English (USA) (19,20)

Tony Finau (USA) (17,18,19,20)

Matt Fitzpatrick (England) (2,13,17,18,19,20)

Tommy Fleetwood (England) (18,19,20)

Rickie Fowler (USA) (17,18,19,20)

Ryan Fox (New Zealand) (19,20)

Sergio Garcia (Spain) (1)

Lucas Glover (USA) (17,18,19,20)

Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) (17,18,19,20)

Adam Hadwin (Canada) (19,20)

Stewart Hagestad (a) (USA) (11)

Brian Harman (USA) (3,18,19,20)

Tyrrell Hatton (England) (18,19,20)

Russell Henley (USA) (13,18,19,20)

# ^ Ryo Hisatsune (Japan)

# Lee Hodges (USA) (17)

# Nicolai Højgaard (Denmark) (19,20)

Max Homa (USA) (18,19,20)

Viktor Hovland (Norway) (13,16,17,18,19,20)

Sungjae Im (South Korea) (18,19,20)

# Stephan Jaeger (Germany) (17,20)

Dustin Johnson (USA) (1)

Zach Johnson (USA) (1)

Si Woo Kim (South Korea) (18,19,20)

Tom Kim (South Korea) (15,17,18,19,20)

Chris Kirk (USA) (17,20)

Kurt Kitayama (USA) (16,19,20)

# Jake Knapp (USA) (17,20)

Brooks Koepka (USA) (4,13,19,20)

# Christo Lamprecht (a) (South Africa) (8)

Min Woo Lee (Australia) (19,20)

Luke List (USA) (17)

Shane Lowry (Ireland) (3,19,20)

# Peter Malnati (USA) (17)

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) (1,17,19,20)

# Denny McCarthy (USA) (19)

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) (14,17,18,19,20)

Adrian Meronk (Poland) (19)

Phil Mickelson (USA) (1,4,13)

Taylor Moore (USA) (18)

Collin Morikawa (USA) (3,4,13,17,18,19,20)

# Grayson Murray (USA) (17)

^ Joaquin Niemann (Chile)

Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) (1)

^ Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark)

# Matthieu Pavon (France) (17,20)

J.T. Poston (USA) (19,20)

Jon Rahm (Spain) (1,2,15,18,19,20)

Patrick Reed (USA) (1,13)

Justin Rose (England) (19)

Xander Schauffele (USA) (13,18,19,20)

Scottie Scheffler (USA) (1,5,13,14,16,17,18,19,20)

# Adam Schenk (USA) (18,19)

Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) (1)

Adam Scott (Australia) (1,19)

# Neal Shipley (a) (USA) (7-B)

Vijay Singh (Fiji) (1)

Cameron Smith (Australia) (3,5,14,19)

Jordan Spieth (USA) (1,13,18,19,20)

Sepp Straka (Austria) (15,17,18,19,20)

# Jasper Stubbs (a) (Australia) (9)

Nick Taylor (Canada) (17,18,20)

Sahith Theegala (USA) (13,17,19,20)

Justin Thomas (USA) (4,19,20)

Erik van Rooyen (South Africa) (17)

Camilo Villegas (Colombia) (17)

Bubba Watson (USA) (1)

Mike Weir (Canada) (1)

Danny Willett (England) (1)

Gary Woodland (USA) (2)

Tiger Woods (USA) (1)

Cameron Young (USA) (13,19,20)

Will Zalatoris (USA) (19,20)

(a) = Amateur

# = Masters debut

^ = Special invite

Past champions not playing

Tommy Aaron

Angel Cabrera

Charles Coody

Ben Crenshaw

Sir Nick Faldo

Raymond Floyd

Trevor Immelman

Bernhard Langer

Jack Nicklaus

Mark O'Meara

Gary Player

Craig Stadler

Ian Woosnam

Fuzzy Zoeller

Masters Tournament qualifying criteria

• Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
• US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
• The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
• PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
• Winners of The Players Championship (Three years)
• Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One Year)
• Current US Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the Runner-up (7-B) to the current US Amateur Champion
• Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
• Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
• Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
• Current US Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
• Current NCAA Division I Men's Individual Champion (One year)
• The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year's Masters Tournament
• The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's US Open
• The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's The Open Championship
• The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's PGA Championship
• Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, from previous Masters to current Masters
• Those qualifying for the previous year's season-ending Tour Championship
• The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
• The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament

The Masters: Ken Brown Q&A - send in your questions

With just over a week to go until the 88th edition of the Masters Tournament, golf commentator Ken Brown will be answering your questions, giving his insight and opinion ahead of the first men's Major Championship of the season.

DP World Tour Partners

Will Beyoncé announce the Cowboy Carter' tour? Fans think she may be hitting the road again soon.

• Beyoncé released her new album "Cowboy Carter" on Friday.
• Some fans think she's gearing up to tour again, though many say they don't have the funds to attend.
• The Renaissance World Tour wrapped last October in Kansas City. It was hailed as a must-see event.

Less than a year after the Renaissance World Tour wrapped, it might already be time for the Beyhive to dust off their boots and head back out to see Beyoncé live again.

The Renaissance World Tour was hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime event , a bona fide status symbol , and a blockbuster concert movie that awed audiences while near-singlehandedly boosting AMC's revenue . The 56-show run wrapped on October 1, 2023, in Kansas City.

On its heels, Beyoncé has released her new album " Cowboy Carter ." The triumphant country-inspired project is billed as "Act II" in a three-part "Renaissance" series.

So it would stand to reason — financially and thematically — that Beyoncé would plan another tour leg for "Cowboy Carter."

Her team seemed to hint that something is coming by launching a new website, " Been Country ." The landing page shows a photo of young Beyoncé performing at the Texas Sweetheart Pageant, as well as a childhood photo of her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson , and an image of a banjo.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Slayonce Avenue (@slayonce_avenue2)

A fan account on Instagram shared a rumor that the tour announcement is scheduled for Friday, exactly one week after the album's arrival. Knowles-Lawson liked the post, adding more fuel to the rumor's flame.

Beyoncé's longtime collaborator The-Dream, who produced 10 of the new album's 27 tracks, also alluded to a forthcoming tour. He celebrated the release of "Cowboy Carter" on X, writing, "This tour bout to B' Incredible!"

Related stories

Fans grabbed screenshots of The-Dream's post, though it has since been deleted.

'The-Dream' via Twitter: “This tour bout to B’ incredible!” The singer-songwriter is Beyoncé’s longtime friend, and worked on 10 songs on her new album #CowboyCarter . pic.twitter.com/KNHQOuqFI9 — COWBOY CARTER TOUR (@CowboyCarterWT) March 31, 2024

However, the six-month turnaround since Beyoncé's last concert does cast suspicion on these theories. Thanks to "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," we know the Renaissance World Tour took four years to ideate and execute.

It's unclear if plans for a "Cowboy Carter" show were also in the works during that time, but if not, fans may have to wait a bit longer to watch Beyoncé perform. As she's already made clear, " A queen moves at her own pace ."

Even so, a delay may come as welcome news, even for dedicated members of the Beyhive.

Many fans have been posting about their lack of ticket funds on X, playfully begging Beyoncé to put off touring until next year.

- I don’t want https://t.co/QqyQduNfkr to be a tour because we https://t.co/icyUqbLR1L . pic.twitter.com/XZ5WHMUqyL — Rob Milton (@therobmilton) April 3, 2024

She can announce it for 2025 but in 2024 we are at capacity https://t.co/Gtg7f2jvSG — Antoinette “Asst (To The) Regional Manager” Childs (@TheFancyFriend) March 31, 2024

. @Beyonce keep the tour announcement for next year…I have trips planned for this summer pic.twitter.com/GPhRrW1GiF — Nicolas is happy (@niggaolas) April 3, 2024

what i’m eating if beyoncé announce this tour https://t.co/CfI1Vm3XuG — 𐚁 onii 𐚁 (@__Onixivy_) April 4, 2024

i'm begging beyoncé to tour in 2025 and not this summer pic.twitter.com/Nqw68434Bu — zae (@itszaeok) March 27, 2024

the whole fandom begging beyoncé not to announce a tour is HILARIOUS! we are BROKE DOWN pic.twitter.com/YXDFHuzELM — j. (@virgosgrooviest) March 27, 2024

Representatives for Beyoncé did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Watch: The Taylor Swift effect: How a pop star created her own economy

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Marielle heller’s horror comedy ‘nightbitch’ starring amy adams sets december launch with searchlight, jlo rebrands her ‘this is me…now’ into a greatest hits tour.

By Bruce Haring

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Apparently, fans don’t want JLo now. So her tour producers are hoping they’ll want JLo then.

The struggling North American “This Is Me…Now” tour – Jennifer Lopez ‘s first in five years — is transforming into “This Is Me…Live/The Greatest Hits.” It’s apparently hoped that the promise of familiar material will goose ticket sales, which already saw seven tour dates canceled.

It has been 10 years since Lopez’s last studio LP, 2014’s A.K.A. , and 22 years since 2002’s This Is Me … Then gave her two of her biggest hits in  “Jenny From the Block”  and “All I Have.” 

The two films are This Is Me…Now: A Love Story, and a documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. ”

The projects were part of a self-financed, $20 million multimedia project that includes the tour and the two films.

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Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Is Here, and It’s Much More Than Country

The superstar’s new LP is a 27-track tour of popular music with a Beatles cover, cameos by Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, and features from Miley Cyrus and Post Malone.

• Share full article

By Ben Sisario

Beyoncé has gone country, sure … but it turns out that’s only the half of it.

For months, the superstar, who made her name in R&B and pop, has been telegraphing her version of country music and style. There was the “disco” cowboy hat at her Renaissance World Tour last year, and her “ western ” look at the Grammys in February, complete with a white Stetson and black studded jacket. Then, on the night of the Super Bowl, she released two new songs, and sent one of them, “Texas Hold ’Em” — with plucked banjos and lines about Texas and hoedowns — to country radio stations, sparking an industrywide debate about the defensive moat that has long surrounded Nashville’s musical institutions.

At midnight on Friday, Beyoncé finally released her new album, “Cowboy Carter,” and the country bona fides were certainly there. Dolly Parton provides a cameo introduction to Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene,” Parton’s 1972 classic about a woman confronting a romantic rival. Willie Nelson pops in twice as a grizzled D.J., who says he “turns you on to some real good [expletive],” including snippets of Chuck Berry, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the blues singer Son House.

Yet “Cowboy Carter” is far broader than simply a country album. Beyoncé does a version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” and, on the track “Ya Ya,” draws from Nancy Sinatra and the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” “Desert Eagle” is glistening funk, and the upbeat “Bodyguard” would not be out of place on a modern rock radio station. The album’s range suggests a broad essay on contemporary pop music, and on the nature of genre itself.

That theory is made clear on the partly spoken track “Spaghettii,” featuring the pioneering but long absent Black country singer Linda Martell , who in 1970 released an album called “Color Me Country.”

“Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? Yes, they are,” Martell, 82, says. “In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined.”

Of course, Beyoncé herself indicated this a week ago when she posted a note on Instagram saying: “This ain’t a country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”

Still, the theme of simultaneously celebrating and transforming country music extends to the album’s cover art, featuring Beyoncé seated sideways on a white horse, dressed in red-white-and-blue rodeo gear and hoisting an American flag.

Guests on the album include Miley Cyrus on the song “II Most Wanted,” and Post Malone on “Levii’s Jeans.” (The extra I’s underscore that “Cowboy Carter” is officially “Act II” of what Beyoncé has said will be a three-album cycle, which began with “Renaissance” in 2022. That motif repeats throughout the album’s 27-song track list. The Beatles cover — where she is joined by a quartet of young Black female country singers — Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy — is rendered as “Blackbiird.”) Midway through the track “Daughter,” Beyoncé even flexes some opera skills, singing a bit of “Caro Mio Ben,” a popular 18th-century Italian aria. ( More on that here .)

In a statement, Beyoncé described the sonic texture of the album, differentiating it from the synthesized process behind most contemporary pop albums (including her own).

“With artificial intelligence and digital filters and programming, I wanted to go back to real instruments, and I used very old ones,” she said. “I didn’t want some layers of instruments like strings, especially guitars, and organs perfectly in tune. I kept some songs raw and leaned into folk.”

As with “Renaissance,” the audio for “Cowboy Carter” was leaked online shortly before its planned release, with some fans urging others not to listen early.

Back when Beyoncé released her self-titled “visual album” without warning in 2013, establishing the “surprise drop” as an industry trope, it was partly meant to protect the album from leaks, which had become a threat to first-week sales numbers. For these last two albums, Beyoncé has embraced a more conventional marketing plan, announcing her album weeks ahead of time and preparing deluxe physical editions. (There are many for “Cowboy Carter,” including LPs in, yes, red, white and blue vinyl.)

In the end, the leaks meant little to “Renaissance,” which went straight to No. 1 . And, regardless of the new album’s fate at country radio — where “Texas Hold ’Em” has so far made it only as high as No. 33 — the commercial potential for “Cowboy Carter” seems vast, given Beyoncé’s recent success.

Last year, she won her 32nd Grammy Award , more than any artist in history. Her Renaissance tour sold $580 million in tickets, second only to Taylor Swift. A related concert film, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” offered a rare look behind the scenes of her creative process and was a hit in cinemas.

Last week, as the release of “Cowboy Carter” neared, Beyoncé wrote on Instagram that the album was “over five years in the making,” and that “it was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed … and it was very clear that I wasn’t.” Fans zeroed in on her appearance at the Country Music Association Awards in 2016, where she performed her song “Daddy Lessons” with the Chicks, and drew backlash online .

“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” Beyoncé said. The new album, she added, “is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”

An earlier version of this article misstated the name of an earlier Beyoncé song. It is “Daddy Lessons,” not “Daddy Issues.”

How we handle corrections

Ben Sisario covers the music industry. He has been writing for The Times since 1998. More about Ben Sisario