Michael Jackson performs at Wembley stadium in 1997
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Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, but stories continue to be revealed surrounding his extraordinary life. Born in 1958, he was a performer from an incredibly young age, originally with his family’s band, The Jackson Five, his fame only skyrocketed when he went solo. One person that got to perform on stage alongside him was guitarist Jennifer Batten in the 1990s, through some of his toughest years.
Few can boast playing alongside Jackson, but for Batten, she worked with him for years. A highlight of her career, she joined him on three major tours including his iconic 1994 Super Bowl show.
But not every moment of her time with Jackson was stress-free. While she insisted the King of Pop was humble and respectful to everyone, one moment involved him holding on for dear life as he dangled from a malfunctioning machine.
Recalling the story on the Appetite for Distortion podcast where Batten said: “I remember we were at… the Dangerous tour rehearsals and they were working on something new. They call it the cherry picker where there was this big mechanical arm that would go out over the audience, and he’d be on top of them with this cape blowing in the wind.”
Batten continued: “[Michael] is out there with the arm and all of a sudden it throws him off. So, he’s hanging on to the bars and all the roadies are on their radios like ‘Oh, holy s**t, the boss is in trouble, bring the arm back in.'”
Thankfully, the star was brought down to safety and was completely unharmed – but the usually quiet and shy singer decided he had to say something to his crew.
Batten remembered: “Eventually, he comes back on the stage, and he gets on the mic. And he goes, ‘You know, I don’t mean to pull rank, but this needs to be fixed.'”
Batten noted: “You know, somebody that hadn’t been in show business since they were five years old might have just said, ‘You’re fired! Ah, this is wrong!’ Never saw him lose his s**t in 10 years. He just wanted to put on a good show. And he wanted people to have a good time.”
The guitarist emphasised Jackson’s humility in the face of stardom. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was “extremely respectful”. He never shouted at people and was completely different from many of his contemporaries, he just wanted everyone to enjoy themselves.
She explained: “A lot of times you hear stories about huge acts that are just a-holes to their band, you know. ‘You guys sleep on the bus and I get the five-star hotel.’ They’re yelling at people on stage.”
She even name-dropped one star who had acted this way in the past.
Batten said: “Or even Prince. When somebody made a mistake, he’d pull the James Brown thing, he would find you. You know, ‘You made a mistake on this song, so you owe me $500’ kind of thing. Michael wasn’t like that at all. That was not his upbringing. He was always very respectful to everyone and appreciated us. So, it was really wonderful.”
Batten, 64, has released three albums of her own, Above Below and Beyond in 1992, Jennifer Batten’s Tribal Rage: Momentum in 1997 and Whatever in 2008.
In more recent years, her career has become recognised for its importance, as she was given the She Rocks Icon Award in 2016 and featured on BBC Radio 4’s series Joan Armatrading’s More Guitar Favourites.
She has made guest appearances with Michael Sembello, Jeff Beck and Carl Anderson among many others.
Listen to the full interview here.
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