Janet Jackson is bringing her 40th anniversary celebration of “Control” to South Florida, with a December 12 concert at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise that will double as a filmed production for global release. Tickets start at $213 and are already on sale, with organizers warning that VIP packages are expected to sell out quickly.
The show, announced this week, marks four decades since Jackson released “Control” in February 1986, according to Miami Herald reporter Madeleine Marr. The album included the tracks “Control,” “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “Nasty” and “When I Think of You,” and it made Jackson the first female artist in Billboard Hot 100 history to produce five top-five singles from a single record, a milestone that also included “Let's Wait Awhile,” according to Parade. “When I Think of You” gave Jackson her first career number-one hit on the Hot 100 back in October 1986.
A Career Breakthrough Turns Platinum
“Control” was Jackson's commercial breakout, following her self-titled debut and “Dream Street,” and it was certified 5x Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in October 1989, having sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, per Parade. The album was co-created by producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who had previously worked with Prince's band the Time, per seed reporting from the Miami Herald. Jimmy Jam has explained the motivation behind the album's aggressive rock-meets-rap sound, which Jackson embraced as part of asserting her own creative independence from her family and management.
That independent streak has cemented the record's legacy well beyond its chart numbers. Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, and “Control” is recognized by the Rock Hall and the National Association of Recording Merchandisers as one of the 200 Definitive Albums of All Time, according to Rated R&B. Jackson herself marked the occasion by wishing “Control” a happy birthday on Instagram, per the Miami Herald's reporting.
A Full-Catalog Show, Not Just One Album
Despite the anniversary framing, the Sunrise performance is designed as a career-spanning retrospective rather than a single-album show. Beyond “Control” tracks, the setlist is expected to span decades of Jackson's catalog, including “Rhythm Nation,” “Love Will Never Do (Without You),” “If,” “Again,” “That's the Way Love Goes” and “Together Again,” according to a release covered by GlobeNewswire. The concert may also include “Miss You Much,” “Escapade” and “All for You,” per the Miami Herald. Jackson has racked up 10 Hot 100 number-one singles across her career, according to the same GlobeNewswire release.
The 60-year-old Jackson's performance will be filmed for a project titled “Janet Jackson: Control 40 — The Airtab Music Movie,” directed by Leslie Small, according to the Miami Herald. Small previously directed Kevin Hart's theatrical stand-up specials, including “Kevin Hart: What Now?” in 2016 and “Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain” in 2011, per his credits listed on Prime Video. The finished film is being positioned for an initial global theatrical release before wider distribution across major streaming platforms, per GlobeNewswire.
Jupiter Company Behind the Cameras
The film is being produced by Airtab Music, a technology and networking company based in Jupiter, Florida, that was established in 2019 to connect independent musicians with venues and fans, according to a PRWeb release from the company's launch. Airtab founder and CEO Dennis Cunningham said “few artists have changed the course of popular music the way Janet Jackson has,” and he described “Control” as a cultural turning point that empowered a generation and redefined global stardom, per the Miami Herald.
The concert will take place at Amerant Bank Arena, the Sunrise venue that opened in 1998 as home to the NHL's Florida Panthers and can hold up to 20,000 spectators for major events, according to a venue guide from SeatGeek. Originally known as the National Car Rental Center, the arena has previously hosted the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, per the same SeatGeek report. For the “Control 40” taping, organizers have built a custom arena floor experience with reserved premium seating, VIP tables, high-top seating and dedicated hospitality areas.
Limited Tickets, Growing Demand
Concert organizers describe the event as having limited capacity, and tickets are on sale now through SeatGeek starting at $213, per the Miami Herald's reporting. The show is set to start at 8 p.m. on December 12 at the arena, located at 1 Panther Pkwy. in Sunrise.
The Sunrise date is Jackson's latest South Florida arena stop following a run of North American tour dates in recent years. Hoodline previously covered Jackson's expanded arena tour dates as well as her Northern California stops on the “Together Again” tour, and her later headlining slot at a major Cincinnati music festival alongside Earth, Wind & Fire.
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