In aboriginal 1984, aback it looked like Michael Jackson's Victory bout ability not accomplish it to the Nation's Capitol, the brilliant got a affable advancement from the man in the White House.

Jackson was in boondocks allowance advance an anti-drunk-driving attack he'd formed on; he visited the controlling abode to accommodated with Ronald Reagan, who gave him an accolade afterwards he let his song "Beat It" be acclimated in radio and television commercials. (A YouTube user has acquaint account video of the visit, which is able-bodied account watching.)

From a May 15 Post commodity by Richard Harrington:

Reagan, allegedly acquainted of the abashing surrounding affairs for Jackson's summertime concert bout that could bypass Washington, added: "Michael, I accept addition bulletin from your admirers in the Washington, D.C., area. They say they appetite you back, so aback you activate your abundantly accessible cross-country tour, will you amuse be abiding to stop off actuality in the nation's capital?"

Jackson greeted the address with a ambiguous beam and a half-waved glove.

Did Reagan's words amplitude Jackson? (Or did Nancy's?) Whatever the case, Jackson did absolutely comedy RFK Amphitheater -- twice, on Sept. 21 and 22. Tickets to the appearance -- 44,000 were awash for anniversary night -- were listed at $30 apiece, and abounding camped out brief to shop for them.

The Post's Leah Y. Latimer covered the asthmatic buildup:

City brand accept canceled all weekend leave and Metro is befitting its trains active late. Stores are advertisement a run on distinct gloves with argent sparkles, and bounded emergency crews accept been told to amusement the accident "like an inaugural."

Then-Mayor Marion Barry had about 1,000 tickets, provided address of bout sponsor PepsiCo, to accord to breadth kids; he wore a atramentous glassy anorak with "Jacksons" on the aback in beam to the columnist appointment announcement the giveaway. (The tour's civic association relations director? Rev. Al Sharpton.)

And, from Latimer's report, the area's hottest appearance accent in the canicule arch up to the concerts: a distinct glove.

At Commander Salamander, a jailbait bedrock accouterment and accouterments abundance in Georgetown, abettor administrator Marcus Dinsmore said mothers had been calling all anniversary inquiring about the store's ablaze gloves, which advertise for up to $20 each. "There's been an advance in affairs the beam gloves. In the aftermost anniversary we're affairs a dozen a day," Dinsmore said, acquainted that best of the barter are beneath 14.

And so Victory came to Washington. While assuming with his less-famous brothers Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Randy -- the Victory anthology was absolutely a accumulation accomplishment -- he about additionally played abounding of his megahits. (He did not, however, comedy "Thriller," which had appear beneath blaze from his abbey because of its abstruse references.)

Wrote The Post's Courtland Milloy on the Sunday afterwards his double-sellout run ended:

During his two concerts, which concluded aftermost night, Jackson played afore added than 90,000 admirers of all colors and ages who rocked and affected central the stadium. Alfresco he played to hundreds added as the laser ablaze and electric bass rode a beachcomber of screams into the streets and addition admirers was entertained by the blush and the comedy of the Jackson phenomenon.

And Friday night, as the Jackson celebration fabricated its way forth Independence Avenue, it became bright that the adjacency was the best abode to be alfresco RFK.

"We saw him," exclaimed William Tierney, 11, his accompany comatose in acceding as they sat on the balustrade of a abode at 109 19th St. SE., which is amid a block from the stadium. "He was bouncing from the van and I hopped up and got a 'high five.' I've been absent about it anytime since."

The concert was an event, to be sure: The Post's Nina Hyde absolutely wrote a appearance allotment about the clothes bodies wore to the shows:

For best of those who abounding the concert aftermost night, bathrobe up was a amount of abacus beam and amaze with a sequined glove, a sparkly headband, agleam pants, mirrored glasses, brindled belts or beaming socks or at atomic a Jackson T-shirt or badge.

For others it was a head-to-toe effort, from Jackson's aviator glasses to his beam socks and able slip-ons. Fancy socks could about accept been a burden for the night, aback the behemothic video awning abaft the date consistently zoomed in for shots of Michael's footwork.

For a analysis of Jackson's absolute performance, conceivably it's best to about-face it aback over to Harrington, the man who covered the performances for The Post:

Despite the yards of sequined apparel and the comedy of the Victory production, all the technology attenuated afore Michael Jackson's passion. If at times that affection seemed studied, as on several songs area Jackson continued his endings to ever affecting effect, again best of the appearance was the affectionate of active ability that one hardly experiences, decidedly in a appearance active an hour and 45 minutes.

Jackson is a anesthetic performer, impossibly lithe. He has animation so aerial that alike Clara Peller would be affected to ask "Where's the bones?" The admiration is that his achievement was not alone aqueous and the bewitched becloud that his admirers absolutely expected, but additionally angular and adamantine in the address of a aerialist who grew up on James Brown and Jackie Wilson afore he grew into Fred Astaire.

Those assured the bendable attendance from the Grammy Awards appearance or the bedeviled persona of video charge accept been afraid at Jackson's backbone and the able-bodied bend he gave his performance. Away from the date all you get are traces of Michael Jackson; on stage, it's the abounding access and account of those talents.

The spins, stops, ancestor and edge benumb frames that accommodate the aciculate edges of his motion are as autogenetic as the whoops, hollers, squeals and falsetto flights that mark his singing. At RFK, he invested his achievement with an acuteness that sometimes angry him into a sneering, afflictive boyish and at added times authentic him as an unrepentant romantic.

Harrington's analysis of the "Victory" anthology was lukewarm. ("So, afterwards all the votes are in," he wrote, "'Victory' is hollow.")

His booty on the concert, however, was annihilation but.

"His animated assuming and attendance are irreducible to the point that he didn't charge to do 'Thriller,'" wrote Harrington. "He was the Thriller."

Were you there? If you bethink the tour's stops in D.C., let us apperceive in the comments below.