VIDEO: 30 years ago today Michael Jackson 'Thrilled' Tenerife

30 years ago today, on 26^th September 1993, Tenerife captured the world's attention with the arrival of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who came to the island to perform his only concert in Europe as part of his acclaimed, historic, and controversial 'Dangerous’ world tour.

Thousands of fans from all over Europe travelled to Tenerife to witness the performance on the port of Santa Cruz, which was the grand finale of the events marking the 500^th anniversary of the city's foundation.

As reported by Diario de Avisos, the American superstar touched down at Los Rodeos Airport at 4:25pm the previous day, arriving from Istanbul. He was welcomed by a thousand fans at the airport in La Laguna, where a girl and a boy, Claudia and José, dressed in traditional attire, greeted him at the foot of his plane's stairs. The Boeing 727 bore the symbol of his tour on its tail, and the children presented him with a bouquet of strelitzias.

Two Russian Antonov planes and half a dozen ships were required to transport all the equipment, including two giant Jumbotron screens and sound equipment with a total power of 240,000 watts. The entire ensemble of 120 musicians, dancers, singers, and technical staff had arrived at the South Airport 24 hours earlier.

During his 36-hour stay in Tenerife, Michael Jackson stayed at the Botánico Hotel in Puerto de la Cruz. He visited Loro Parque and Fresi Discos store on Paseo de San Telmo, where he purchased several collections of soundtracks worth 55,000 pesetas (330 euros). Manuel González, the minivan driver who took him from Los Rodeos to the hotel in Puerto, where 2,000 fans were waiting for him, recounted how the star was surprised by the decision to clear the traffic on the North Highway for his convoy.

The American artist sang throughout the journey and expressed his admiration when he saw the Orotava Valley, the driver revealed: "At that moment, he commented that he really liked the island." Jackson left his signature – the only autograph he granted – on the roof of the vehicle. He also left behind several t-shirts, caps, and towels he used to wipe away his sweat after the performance.

Michael Jackson on the balcony of his room at Hotel Botanico.(Image: Pinterest)

A total of 50,000 people attended the concert, which cost 300 million pesetas (1.8 million euros) to stage, equivalent to double that amount today. Tickets were priced at 5,000 pesetas (30 euros), with 1,500 VIP seats selling for double the price. In the days leading up to the event, the island's main radio stations had selected about twenty local children to perform the song "Heal the World" on stage, which became an environmental anthem.

At exactly 10:00pm on that hot Sunday night in September, as autumn began, the stage lights dimmed, and the notes of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" started playing amid the roar of the crowd. It was the beginning of the party, and of a day that will forever be etched in Tenerife’s history.