Pick a Day

Music History Events: Memorable Concerts

August 18, 1962 The Beatles perform at the 17th annual fete for the Birkenhead, England, Horticultural Society at the local Hulme Hall, a gig notable as the first time Ringo Starr will play onstage with the band. Ringo had prepared for two hours with the group beforehand.

June 9, 1962 Tony Bennett plays Carnegie Hall in New York for the first time.

March 24, 1962 Mick Jagger and Keith Richards perform their first paid gig when they appear as Little Boy Blue & the Blue Boys at a club in Ealing, England.

November 24, 1961 In yet another important development for British blues-rock, Chicago blues legend Howlin' Wolf makes his first appearance in the UK for his first European tour, touring behind his latest single, "Little Baby."

November 11, 1961 Joan Baez plays her first major headlining concert, opening at New York's Town Hall in a sold-out, critically acclaimed show.

October 19, 1961 The Beatles join forces with Gerry and the Pacemakers for a show in Liverpool, where both bands combine to perform as "The Beatmakers."

June 12, 1961 Frankie Avalon begins a 12-day tour of South America, one of the first rock tours to play on the continent.

April 25, 1961 Performing at Bloch Arena in Hawaii, Elvis Presley makes his last stage appearance for nearly eight years.

April 11, 1961 Bob Dylan plays for the first time at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, opening for John Lee Hooker and performing a new song entitled "Blowin' In The Wind."

April 1, 1961 The Beatles begin a grueling gig at Hamburg's Top Ten Club - seven hours a day on weekdays (eight hours on weekends) for three months.

March 25, 1961 Elvis Presley plays a benefit for the USA Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which turns out to be his last concert for eight years as he shifts his focus to movies.

February 25, 1961 Elvis Presley plays the first of two charity shows in Memphis. It's his first concert since entering the army in 1958.

October 11, 1960 Aretha Franklin plays a selection of standards at the Village Vanguard in New York City. It is Aretha's first non-gospel performance.

August 17, 1960 The Beatles start their run at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany, honing their skills with four-hour sets where they play lots of R&B covers along with their original songs.

July 3, 1960 Muddy Waters brings the blues to a wider audience with a riveting performance at the Newport Jazz Festival punctuated by his rendition of "Got My Mojo Working."

June 2, 1960 Bobby Darin plays the Copacabana in New York for the first time.

May 19, 1960 Annette Funicello performs at Radio City Music Hall in New York, missing her high school graduation.

April 23, 1960 Paul McCartney and John Lennon perform as "the Nerk Twins" at the Fox and Hounds pub in Reading, England. The pub is owned by McCartney's cousin and her husband. The duo play another set the next day.

March 14, 1960 Sam Cooke begins an unprecedented tour of the West Indies with a concert in Jamaica's Montego Bay.

October 6, 1959 At 23 years old, Bobby Darin becomes the youngest ever headliner at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

September 18, 1959 The first "Dick Clark Caravan Of Stars" tour kicks off with Lloyd Price, Duane Eddy, Paul Anka, Bobby Rydell, The Coasters and more.

September 16, 1959 Dick Clark's first "Caravan of Stars" tour opens in New York, featuring The Coasters, The Drifters, Lloyd Price, LaVern Baker, Duane Eddy, Paul Anka and Annette Funicello.

June 29, 1959 Dick Clark announces his first series of four "Caravan of Stars" concerts over the course of the next year, with his first being headlined by The Skyliners of "Since I Don't Have You" fame.

May 29, 1959 Herndon Stadium in Atlanta holds one of the first outdoor rock concerts, featuring Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed, and B.B. King. Nine thousand people attend.

February 4, 1959 A day after the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, the Winter Dance Party tour continues in Sioux City, Iowa, with Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Jimmy Clanton as the new headliners and Waylon Jennings singing Holly's songs.

October 29, 1958 While still stationed in Germany with the US Army, Private First Class Elvis Presley takes in a Bill Haley show for the troops at Stuttgart.

October 5, 1958 Cliff Richard and The Shadows play their first ever gig, appearing on a bill with the Kalin Twins and Eddie Calvert at Victoria Hall in Hanley, England.

August 29, 1958 The first of Alan Freed's Big Beat revues is held at Brooklyn, New York's Fox Theatre, featuring Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and his Comets, Frankie Avalon, The Elegants, Bobby Freeman, and Jimmy Clanton.

March 15, 1958 Elvis Presley performs his last concert before leaving for the Army, a show at Memphis' Russwood Park. Aside from two benefit shows in 1961, it is the last Presley concert until 1969.

March 1, 1958 In what would prove to be a major influence on the burgeoning British rock scene, Buddy Holly and the Crickets begin their first and only UK tour at London's Trocadero Club, playing 25 dates of two sets a night.