The night 38 years ago that Marbella became the centre of the pop universe

Marbella once hosted the biggest star on the planet for a single evening and those who were lucky enough to be there still talk about it to this day 38 years on.

A King of Pop comes to the Costa del Sol

Thirty-eight years have now passed since Michael Jackson set foot on a Spanish stage for the very first time, choosing Marbella’s football stadium as the unlikely starting point for his run through the country. On August 5 1988, he came to Marbella during his record-breaking Bad World Tour, he arrived in Andalucia before heading on to Madrid and Barcelona days later.

Crowds estimated at between 27,000 and 30,000 packed into the modest football ground, according to contemporary reports from the EFE news agency. Many had paid the equivalent of around $1,000 for tickets, a huge sum at the time.

Fifteen songs, two hours and no encore

Doors opened an hour behind schedule, but once Jackson took to the stage at ten o’clock sharp, he delivered a tight, unique show lasting two hours without any repeat performances. His setlist included the huge classic hits we still sing today, Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, This Place Hotel, Another Part of Me, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, She’s Out of My Life, a Jackson 5 medley of I Want You Back, The Love You Save and I’ll Be There, Rock With You, Human Nature, Smooth Criminal, Dirty Diana, Thriller, Working Day and Night, Beat It, Billie Jean and Bad.

Four vocalists, four dancers and seven musicians backed him on a stage stretching almost thirty metres, powered by six hundred watts of sound and flanked by three giant video screens so those further back could follow every move.

The kiss that made headlines

Perhaps the most talked-about moment came when Jackson embraced and kissed Chabeli Iglesias, the daughter of Julio Iglesias and Isabel Preysler, dedicating his ballad She’s Out of My Life to her from the stage. That gesture became one of the most memorable images of his Spanish debut. Preparations behind the scenes were equally extraordinary. Changing rooms at the stadium were transformed into luxury dressing quarters, and Jackson reportedly occupied an entire floor of the exclusive Hotel Los Monteros during his stay on the coast, arriving and departing under tight security by helicopter and limousine.

One night still remembered today

This is the only concert Jackson ever gave in the province of Malaga, a genuinely one-off moment for the regions history. Some who were part of this bit of history still keep their original tickets and stubs. Interest shows no sign of fading. Fans Ana Aguilar and Juan Manuel Velasco recently released a documentary titled Shooting Star in Marbella, (Estrella Fugaz en Marbella), taking previously unseen photographs and video recordings from Jackson’s stay in the town, with testimonies from locals who witnessed it first-hand.