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===Tour announcement, preparations and set designs===
Following the huge success of the [[Bad World Tour]], Jackson's first solo world tour where he earned $125 million, the star claimed that he would not tour again, and would instead concentrate on making films and records. On February 14, 1992 in a [[Pepsi]] press conference, it was announced that Jackson would be touring again. The announcement coincided with a new deal between Jackson and Pepsi, with a reported $20 million deal to sponsor the tour.

{{cquote|The only reason I am going on tour is to raise funds for the newly-formed Heal the World Foundation, an international children's charity, that I am spearheading to assist children and the ecology. My goal is to gross $100 million by Christmas 1993. I urge every corporation and individual who cares about this planet and the future of the children to help raise money for the charity. The Heal the World Foundation will contribute funds to paediatric [[AIDS]] in honour of my friend, Ryan White. I am looking forward to this tour because it will allow me to devote time to visiting children all around the world, as well as spread the message of global love, in the hope that others will be moved to do their share to help heal the world.}}

The stage used for the tour required more time to set up than before. This was seen in the tour schedule where a considerable number of concerts were one-stop performances. Equipment, which in total weighed over 100 tons, required two [[Boeing 747]] jet aircraft and multiple lorries to transport to each venue. 

Before the tour began, Jackson and his band (which had changed little since the Bad Tour) rehearsed, where the footage has been leaked onto the Internet. However, the exact date and location of the performances is not clear. The rehearsals included performances of "[[Remember the Time]]" and "[[The Way You Make Me Feel]]". 

For the tour's design, Jackson was influenced by the uniform worn in the [[military]]. For "Jam", the first performance on the tour's set list, Jackson wore two variations of a faux-military uniform. Costumes worn for the performances of "Workin' Day and Night", "Bad", as well as his later [[HIStory World Tour]], were examples of this. During the first leg, the uniform included grey-green jacket with one bolted strap which both sparkled with multicolour. For the second leg, Jackson wore a black uniform with three gold bolted straps, one going from his collar to his waist in one direction and the other two in another, he also used this costume at the [[Super Bowl XXVII|Super Bowl XXVII halftime show]] in 1993.

The tour also incorporated several stage illusions. Each concert on the tour ended by a stuntman, Kinnie Gibson, who secretly switched with Jackson as he kneels down a trap hole in the stage, dressed in a full astronaut costume (therefore appearing as Jackson), flying out of the arena using a [[rocket belt]]. Each concert also began with a illusion-like stunt dubbed "the Toaster" in which following the ringing of bells and the roar of a panther, Jackson catapults on to the stage through a trap door in the front, sending off pyrotechnics and electrifying the crowd. A similar version of "the Toaster" stunt was used in the beginning of Michael's [[Super Bowl XXVII|Super Bowl XXVII Halftime Show]] performance in 1993. In the first leg, the transition from Thriller to Billie Jean was another stage trick. When Jackson walks into a small space between two set "buildings," he secretly switches with a werewolf-masked backup dancer while he changes for Billie Jean. The backup dancer posing as Jackson is placed into a coffin which disappears when dancers posing as skeletons and zombies drape a cloth over the coffin and pull it out. Jackson appears fully dressed for Billie Jean in the upper stage level as it lowers down. This stage illusion was removed in the second leg of the Dangerous Tour.