Janet Jackson used the opening moments of her headlining set at Panorama Music Festival in New York City on Saturday night to share a strong political message.
According to TMZ, Jackson opened her set with an intro that featured audio of reporters telling stories about white supremacists and domestic terrorism. Large screens on stage then displayed the names of unarmed black men who have been killed by police. After the intro, Jackson began her set with "The Skin Game (Part 1)," a b-side to her 1990 single "Come Back to Me."
"'The Skin Game' is talking about racism," said in a video on Instagram earlier this month, explaining why she chose to open her State of the World Tour with the politically-charged song. "So it was written for that time back then, and it's still relevant today. That's why I pulled it out of the archives and it was important for me to open the show with a song that diehards for sure know. But I don't really think anybody's really paid attention to the lyrics. And when you go online, the lyrics are completely wrong, so it's important to see the lyrics in the show."
You can see footage of the intro at a recent tour stop in Louisiana below.
Jackson has made a habit of using her platform to share social and political messages. While accepting the ICON Award at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards in May, she told the audience, "I believe that for all the challenges—for all our challenges—we live at a glorious moment in history. It's a moment when at long last, women have made it clear that we will no longer be controlled, manipulated, or abused. I stand with those women and with those men equally outraged by discrimination, who support us in heart and mind."
