Why Michael Jackson Removed This Major Hit From His Biggest Tour Stop’s Setlist Before Realizing It Was A Mistake

Sixteen years after his tragic death, the impact of the multi-talented Michael Jackson continues to be felt through his music. Even after over a decade and a half of being gone, we continue to analyze Jackson’s variety of songs that are still relevant today, and how his first significant career controversy still led to the transformation of music videos forever.

The singing, songwriting, producing, and dancing of the King of Pop’s prime days were so iconic, in fact, that it’s still a shock to learn his second-best-selling album of all time (1987’s Bad) almost went winless at the 1988 Grammy Awards. This wasn’t the only interesting moment of significance that ultimately emerged around the release and reaction to Bad, however.

When Jackson embarked on the Bad World Tour in 1988, one of the biggest stops on the road occurred on July 16th, 1988, at London, England’s famed Wembley Stadium. On this night, Jackson chose to take his highly popular Bad single “Dirty Diana” out of the concert setlist, and for one, very specific reason.

Michael Jackson Removed “Dirty Diana” Out Of Respect For Princess Diana

The English Royal Was In The Wembley Audience That Night

“Dirty Diana” was a major hit for Jackson at the time, with overtly provocative lyrics based around the idea of groupies who hang around concerts and musicians. The hard rock exterior of “Dirty Diana” was reminiscent of Jackson’s song “Beat It” from his 1982 LP Thriller, and ultimately went to number one on the US charts (while also charting internationally).

Upon its released, despite the album Bad winning a Grammy, the award didn’t actually go to Michael Jackson. He didn’t win one until two years later.

When Jackson learned that British royals Princess Diana and her then-husband Prince Charles would be attending the 1988 show at Wembley that evening, he chose to remove “Dirty Diana” from the set out of his feelings of high regard for the Princess. However, when the King of Pop met Diana before the show, her response to Jackson’s choice was surprising.

Princess Diana Actually Wanted To Hear “Dirty Diana” Live

And Specifically Requested The Song

Jackson and Princess Diana had a lengthy friendship over the years before her death in 1997 (largely over the phone), but only met once in person during this show at Wembley Stadium. Diana was reportedly a huge fan of Jackson’s work, having allegedly played some of his songs on consistent repeat before the concert.

This wasn’t out of the ordinary for the Princess of Wales, who was considered to be quite the lover of popular music. During her life, it’s been said that she developed other close friendships with musical artists like Freddie Mercury, Elton John, and George Michael.

When Princess Diana and Jackson finally spoke in person before the massive stadium event, the singer said in an interview years later with journalist Barbara Walters that Diana pulled him aside to specifically ask if he’d be playing “Dirty Diana” that night. Jackson responded that he had decided to take the track out of the show due to her presence.

To Jackson’s surprise (and disbelief), Diana was completely fine with “Dirty Diana,” informing Jackson that it was actually her favorite song. Despite Princess Diana’s enthusiasm for the track (telling Jackson he should play it), he claimed he wasn’t able to put “Dirty Diana” back into the setlist that night simply because it was too close to showtime at that point.

Did Jackson End Up Performing The Song Anyway?

Information On The Subject Differs On The Setlist

While Jackson said he was unable to insert “Dirty Diana” back into that night’s setlist at Wembley and claimed he didn’t play it (despite Princess Diana’s insistence that he should), the truth of the matter might be different. While the topic is still debated, audio and video footage seems to show that he, in fact, perhaps did play “Dirty Diana.”

Given how long and strenuous touring cycles like the Bad World Tour were, this irregularity could easily be attributed to Jackson making an error simply because of how many shows and songs he played on the tour. Some have also alleged that because Jackson performed multiple nights at Wembley Stadium, the performance was from a different evening Diana didn’t attend.

Michael Jackson has one of the most successful and iconic discographies of all time. How does his collection of record-breaking studio albums compare?

Regardless of what ultimately occurred on the stage that night in 1988 at the massive stadium venue, it was this preshow moment between Michael Jackson and Princess Diana that provided the most noteworthy spark. Not only did it make for a classic anecdote in music history, it also showed that Diana had a sense of humor about her.

To further demonstrate that point, as the conversation went on between the two, Prince Charles approached to ask what they were talking about. Diana allegedly responded playfully by saying “Oh, nothing,” and walking away. Maybe that was all it took to set their future friendship fully in stone.