Jackson on stage. Photo: SCMP
Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3036659/when-janet-jackson-was-found-guilty-helping Short Reads
When Janet Jackson was ‘found guilty of helping Hongkong discover what a good time is’
The youngest of the Jackson clan gave power-packed performances for three nights at the Hong Kong Coliseum in 1990 as part of her Rhythm Nation tour
Janet Jackson, performing at the Hong Kong Coliseum in November 1990. Photo: SCMP
“Jackson pencils in HK concert dates,” ran a South China Morning Post headline on September 30, 1990. The Jackson in question was Janet, “who looks set to perform three concerts at the Coliseum in early November”.
An October 14 profile detailed how the youngest of the Jackson clan had “moved from a short-lived acting career to an even shorter marriage”.
“Always struggling to remain independent of her family, she used stage-stealing techniques from her brother Michael to attract attention to herself,” the article stated, later conceding that after several successful releases, “Jackson has made her own success apart from her family.”
The concerts would be part of Jackson’s Rhythm Nation tour, which boasted a crew of more than 80. “We don’t expect to make money on this,” Florence Chan, managing director of promoters Artist World Enterprise told the Post on October 15. Not only was she bringing an enormous entourage, but “Hongkong audiences have spent the last few years shunning the majority of Western artists treading the boards here”, according to the newspaper.
In an interview with the Post from October 20, Jackson said, “In the beginning I didn’t even want to use my last name or have any of my brothers producing or writing any of the songs. I’ve finally got the respect I wanted with this latest album, Rhythm Nation, but earlier it was always ‘And here’s Michael Jackson’s kid sister, Janet.’ The fact is that it’s real hard being a woman in this business.”
On November 10, the Post reported: “It may have taken Janet Jackson more than an hour to get the Hongkong Coliseum crowd on its feet last night, but that was more to do with local custom than any failing on her part. The 24-year-old superstar and her band turned in a power-packed 90 minutes on the first of their three nights in Hongkong.”
“There is no doubt what the verdict will be based on her premiere performance at the Hongkong Coliseum,” ran another review from November 11. “She will be found guilty of helping Hongkong discover what a good time is really all about.”