Pick a Day

Music History Events: Memorable Concerts

July 4, 1969 Grand Funk Railroad, which formed just a few months earlier, play to a huge crowd at the Atlanta Pop Festival. Lead singer Mark Farner sheds his shirt because of the heat and gets such a reaction from the crowd that he decides to play every show shirtless.

June 29, 1969 At the Denver Pop Festival, the Jimi Hendrix Experience play their last gig with their original lineup, as bass player Noel Redding leaves the band after the show over disagreements with Hendrix.

June 20, 1969 Jimi Hendrix headlines the Newport Pop Festival, which is marred by violence as police take action to stop the gate-crashers.

June 5, 1969 Donovan and Joan Baez perform at a rally for nuclear disarmament in London.

May 10, 1969 The Turtles and The Temptations perform at the White House for President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia. Things don't go so well for the Turtles' Mark Volman, who falls off the stage five times.

April 17, 1969 The first solo concert by The Band is held in San Francisco, California.

March 28, 1969 Joe Cocker plays his first live gig in the US.

February 24, 1969 Jimi Hendrix's Experience play their final UK concert, at London's Royal Albert Hall.

February 22, 1969 David Bowie begins a UK tour with T. Rex where he doesn't sing, but does a mime act.

January 24, 1969 Jethro Tull play their first American show, opening for Blood, Sweat & Tears at New York's Fillmore East.

November 25, 1968 Cream play their last concert (until their 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and 2005 reunion), taking the stage at Royal Albert Hall in London to a fanatic crowd of over 10,000 who chant "God save the Cream" as they leave the stage.

November 19, 1968 Onstage with The Supremes at the Royal Command Variety Performance in London, Diana Ross interrupts the show with a plea for greater interracial understanding. She receives a two-minute ovation from the audience, which includes members of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II herself stands after Ross' moving performance of West Side Story's "Somewhere."

November 4, 1968 Cream perform their last US concert (in Providence, Rhode Island) prior to their breakup.

October 4, 1968 Cream begins their announced farewell tour with a performance at Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.

August 16, 1968 The Jackson 5 play their first concert, opening for Diana Ross and the Supremes at the Forum in Los Angeles.

August 4, 1968 The Newport Pop Festival attracts 100,000 with Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and The Animals.

July 7, 1968 The Yardbirds perform their final gig in Luton, England.

May 3, 1968 The Beach Boys begin a United States tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who gives a lecture as the opening act. The tour is a flop, and some of the dates are canceled.

May 1, 1968 Paul McCartney and John Lennon watch Bill Haley play Royal Albert Hall in London.

April 12, 1968 The outspoken Frank Zappa performs at a dinner for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, who are the people who give us the Grammys. Zappa says the event is "a load of pompous hokum" and tells the audience, "All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you're gonna have to listen to it!"

February 12, 1968 Jimi Hendrix's tour stops in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, where he sees his family for the first time in seven years. His father, Al, meets him at the airport.

November 14, 1967 Pink Floyd begin their first UK tour at the Royal Albert Hall in London, playing on a package bill with The Move, The Nice, Amen Corner, and the headliner, Jimi Hendrix.

June 17, 1967 Barbra Streisand sings for an estimated 135,000 fans at a concert in New York's Central Park. The show later airs on CBS as a TV special with the soundtrack album A Happening In Central Park.

June 10, 1967 Outdoor rock: California's Magic Mountain Music Festival, considered the first rock music festival, features Jefferson Airplane, The Doors and The Byrds - the crowd of 15,000 is dwarfed by the 200,000 at the Monterey Pop Festival the following weekend.

May 12, 1967 At a concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Pink Floyd introduce an early version of quadraphonic sound, using a device to pan sound around the venue. There are also bubble machines, which get them banned from the hall for damaging the carpets.

May 7, 1967 Jimi Hendrix plays the Saville Theatre in London, with Brian Jones, Ringo Starr and members of The Moody Blues and The Beach Boys in attendance.

April 13, 1967 The Rolling Stones play a show in Warsaw, Poland, their first concert behind the Iron Curtain of Soviet countries.

March 25, 1967 The Who play their first live gig in the US at RKO 58th Street Theater in New York City.

December 12, 1966 Pink Floyd perform their first concert, for the Oxfam Benefit at London's Royal Albert Hall.

December 3, 1966 The Monkees, who are stars thanks to their TV show, play their first concert. About 8,000 screaming fans show up for the performance in Honolulu, confirming their status as real-life superstars.