The price for a concert ticket is not cheap, and certain places may charge you up to RM1,000+ for a VIP seat. To those who were born in the 70s and the 80s, do you recall late pop star Micheal Jackson coming to Malaysia for a concert in the 90s?
That’s right. In case you have forgotten or are not aware, the deceased pop star once graced the stage in Malaysia back in October 1996. According to the images shared by a reminiscing Malaysian, Ken, Michal Jackson had a show in Stadium Merdeka, KL on October 29, 1996.
The concert was known as Michael Jackson’s HIStory World Tour, and many Malaysians couldn’t miss the chance to witness the star on the stage for themselves. Now, let’s talk about the pricing.
According to Ken’s Facebook caption in the Facebook group 昔日岁月重温, the most expensive price for Michael Jackson’s HIStory World Tour was only RM350, a far cry from the price range today. Of course, RM350 back in 1995 was relatively huge and it could get us a lot.
“The cheapest ticket was only RM65,” Ken said.
The late pop singer was only in our country once, but a report from New Straits Times revealed that his 1 and only presence in Malaysia was enough to excite the fans and the tickets were sold out like hotcakes. You can see how Michael was surrounded by hundreds of fans at Concorde Hotel in Shah Alam.
You may also be aware that concerts in Malaysia nowadays tend to get a lot of backlash, but was it the same back then?
This may surprise you because according to a Twitter post, the Selangor government did not want the show to carry on because Michael’s tendency to ‘shake his buttocks’ on the stage may influence the younger generations. His 1st concert, initially scheduled to take place at Stadium Shah Alam was ultimately canceled, but his 2nd show in KL was not affected.
Masalah-masalah konsert yang pernah terjadi di Malaysia pic.twitter.com/XspwaSEy1O
— Zan Bukan OrangUtan (@zarn_G) June 27, 2021
“RM350 in 1996 = RM2,000 in 2023”
In the meantime, Ken’s post in the Facebook group has got many Malaysians taking a trip down memory lane and reminiscing on the olden days when prices were much, much cheaper.
“Do you know how big RM350 was in 1996? The houses back then were only around RM100K, and you could get a unit in the condo for around RM60K to RM80K.”
Another netizen pointed out that with only RM50, you could get a trolley full of grocery items.
“The Roti Kosong back then was only around 50/60 sen.”
“Back then, RM350 was super expensive. The chicken rice was only RM2.20, add on Char Siew and it was RM2.50. A kilogram of pork thigh was only RM4.50.”
“I miss this megastar.”
“RM350 in 1996 is equivalent to RM2K in 2023.”
“It might be cheap to some, but do you really think we can compare with the value back then? Even RM10 was huge back then.”
“Rm350 used to be the monthly wage for some workers.”
You can watch part of MJ’s HIStory World Tour in KL here.
Fellow Malaysians, are you old enough to reminisce about the hype for Micheal Jackson’s HIStory Tour? Regardless, do you miss those good old days when a small amount of money used to be a big deal?
Also read: 27 Years Ago, Stephen Hawking Made A ‘Secret Trip’ To Ipoh To Visit A M’sian Nurse
