. . . And Rollin’ With Michael : Tour: Despite his problems with the British press and talk of diminishing popularity, London fans adored Michael Jackson’s glittery ‘Dangerous’ show.

An operatic score helped build the tension as the sell-out crowd of 72,000 at Wembley Stadium stared intently at the darkened stage.

Suddenly--whammo!--an explosion of gold glitter and Michael Jackson materialized like a sparkly jack-in-the-box, springing up through a trap door. He posed motionless, legs astride, as the audience cheered wildly.

From that moment until he closed the show with a dramatic rendition of “Man in the Mirror” two hours later, Jackson kept his fans enthralled with an extravaganza that included everything but his pet chimp, Bubbles. If Jackson’s bubble is deflating, as some critics suggest, no one has told the tens of thousands of adoring fans who jammed into Wembley on Thursday to catch the enigmatic singer’s “Dangerous” European tour. Jackson will play 39 dates across 15 countries before concluding this leg of his world jaunt in mid-autumn. A U.S. tour is said to be in the works.

In a summer that has seen an unusually large number of major rock and pop acts come through Britain, Jackson appears to have held his own handily, selling out five nights at the massive Wembley plus three other stadium dates elsewhere around the country.

Perceptions about Jackson have changed somewhat since his “Bad” tour at the end of the ‘80s, however.

For one thing, his evolving facial features generally overshadow all other public discussion about him. The situation intensified this week when Jackson filed a libel suit against a British tabloid, the Daily Mirror, accusing the paper of falsely claiming his face has been disfigured by plastic surgery.

There also is talk that, despite sell-out concerts and multiplatinum record sales, Jackson is not as big a star as he once was.

“There was more of a buzz with his last tour,” said Alex Kadis, features editor at the popular British teen magazine, Smash Hits. “But he’s still massively popular with our readers. They look at him as a bit of a hero. He represents somebody who does his own thing. And they really admire the way he dances.”

Whatever pressures or sagging fortunes Jackson might be under these days did not affect the grandiosity of the moment as he took the stage on his first night in London.

Opening his show with “Jam” from the “Dangerous” album, Jackson worked through a set that mixed a few new numbers with a heavy dose of back-catalogue classics, including a Jackson 5 medley.

Nearly every song was encased in an elaborate production that utilized most of the basic Jackson elements. There was no shortage of pyrotechnics, lasers, moonwalking, crotch-grabbing, ensemble dancing, costume changes or special effects.

“Thriller” featured dancing skeletons and zombies. “Man in the Mirror” concluded with what appeared to be Jackson (but was more likely a stunt double) flying off the stage with one of those rocket back-packs attached to his space suit.

Even the unmitigated schmaltz of “Heal the World” proved to be a crowd-pleaser. As Jackson sang, a giant, inflatable globe appeared on center stage. It was quickly encircled by a troupe of children dressed in costumes from around the world, forming a scene straight out of the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland.

The crowd, composed largely of teensomethings or parents with preteen kids, reacted by swaying their arms slowly over their heads.

A touching, and certainly unusual, moment came while Jackson sang “She’s Out of My Life.” Pausing to look at the fans squooshed near the edge of the stage, he said, “Can I come down there?”

A staircase appeared.

Was he really going to go down into that mass of adolescence? Well, no, as it turned out.

Instead, a girl clambered up and hugged Jackson as he continued singing the ballad. It was a compelling sight, if only because Jackson usually isn’t seen that close to anyone who isn’t Elizabeth Taylor or Minnie Mouse.

Missing her cue to disappear, the girl received an ovation as she was led back down the stairs by a security guard.

Jackson also moved his fans to near ecstasy with such hits as “Black or White,” “Billie Jean,” “Human Nature” and a version of “Beat It” that, much to the crowd’s delight, re-created the choreography of the video.

If audience satisfaction was the test, then Jackson’s “Dangerous” show amounted to an overwhelming success. Outside the stadium after the concert, no one could be found who didn’t think it was the greatest thing they’d ever seen.

“It was the best thing on Earth--no one can touch him,” said Angela Clarke of Croyden, who came with her husband and young daughter.

“This was a lot better than (the “Bad” tour) four years ago,” said 19-year-old Matthew Ambler of St. Albans. “He gave two hours of total dedication.”

“He’s gorgeous,” sighed Shelly Reeve Smith, 15, of Hatfield. “I love him.”