AMERICAN pop group The Jacksons is coming back to Manila after more than four decades. The concert is part of their 60th-anniversary celebrations and will be held on March 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Indiana-based group — originally known as the Jackson 5 — is currently composed of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon Jackson. The group, which was formed in 1965, served as the launchpad for Michael Jackson who performed with the group until 1982 when he went solo, released Thriller, and became a global superstar.

Considered one of the most successful musical groups in history, The Jacksons has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. In 1980, the brothers were given their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 1970s was when the group was at its height, a time that music historians call “The Jacksonmania.” The group’s first four singles reached the top of the Hot 100 — “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There” — in 1970. That was also the year they released three albums in one year: ABC, The Third Album, and Jackson 5 Christmas Album. Thanks to the releases, they replace the Supremes as Motown Record’s best-selling group.

The following year, they released the singles “Mama’s Pearl,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and “Sugar Daddy,” giving them a total of seven Top 10 singles within a two-year period.

In 1976, The Jacksons came to Manila to conclude the Jackson 5 Final Tour at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The group continued to perform after youngest brother Michael went solo. Then in 1989, the group released its last album before going on an extended hiatus: 2300 Jackson Street. The group reunited 17 years later, in 2001, to celebrate Michael Jackson’s 30th anniversary as a solo artist. In 2009, after Michael’s death, the group provided backing vocals for a previously unreleased Michael Jackson song “This Is It” (the main theme for the documentary film of the same name).

The group went on to do a Unity Tour in 2013, with performances in Canada and the US.

The group influenced succeeding boy bands including Menudo, Backstreet Boys, and New Kids on the Block, to name a few.

The Jacksons in Manila will be held on March 6, 8 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Tickets are now available at Ticketnet, with ticket ranging from P1,590 to P15,900. For more information and inquiries, visit Ticketnet Online (www.ticketnet.com.ph), https://www.smartaranetacoliseum.com/, or call (+632) 8911-5555. — ZBC

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