On This Day:
In 1973 Brian Eno left Roxy Music.
In 1980 Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart and manager Danny Rifken were arrested for suspicion of inciting a riot at the San Diego Sports Arena. They reportedly tried to interfere in a drug-related arrest.
In 1981 Bruce Springsteen played the first shows ever at the 21-thousand-seat Brendan Byrne Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey. Tickets for the six-show run had sold out in an hour. Springsteen said he and his band mates felt like The Beatles, because they couldn’t hear themselves over the screams of the fans.
In 1991 A riot broke out at a Guns N’ Roses concert in suburban St. Louis after lead singer Axl Rose allegedly attacked a fan taking photographs. The band then walked off the stage and fans went on a rampage. The destruction of the band’s equipment forced the cancellation of its next two tour stops.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released “Into The Great Wide Open.”
In 1995 Around 35-hundred Grateful Dead fans rioted outside a Noblesville, Indiana venue, tearing down gates and throwing rocks. Police arrested 17 people in the melee.
In 2002 The album “Party at the Palace,” featuring Eric Clapton, Ozzy Osbourne, and Queen, was released. The live material was recorded a month earlier at the concert commemorating England’s Queen Elizabeth the Second’s Jubilee.
In 2004 David Crosby entered a guilty plea in a New York court to a charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon. The case related to his arrest three months earlier in which a maid at a Times Square hotel found a gun, knife, and marijuana in luggage he left behind after checking out. Authorities dropped the marijuana possession charge since Crosby pled guilty to the weapons violation.
In 2005 Live 8 took place across the world to promote international aid for developing African nations. Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof was behind the event, which featured 10 concerts in the G-8 nations in conjunction with the world leaders’ annual summit. Paul McCartney, U2, Elton John, Coldplay, Stevie Wonder, Green Day, and Linkin Park were among the numerous stars who participated in the global event.
Roger Waters, Rick Wright, David Gilmour, and Nick Mason performed together for the first time in nearly 25 years at London Live 8.
The Peter Gabriel-organized Africa Calling concert, featuring a variety of African performers, was staged in conjunction with Live 8.
In 2006 The Who was the headliner on the second night of the Calling Festival in London. The event served as the launch of the Hard Rock Cafe’s 35th anniversary Ambassadors of Rock Tour. The Who offered a webcast of the show, charging 99-cents per download and donating the money raised to charity.
In 2007 The White Stripes gave an impromptu concert on a city bus rolling along the streets of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Their set included “Hotel Yorba” and a cover of the children’s tune “Wheels On The Bus.”
In 2012 Bon Jovi’s Jon Bon Jovi was named the spokesman for Avon’s his-and-hers fragrance Unplugged.
In 2015 Buddy Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, announced that she had entrusted the publishing rights to her late husband’s influential catalog to the artist’s performance rights group, BMG.
In 2018 Alan Longmuir from Scottish pop band Bay City Rollers died at the age of 70 after contracting an illness while on vacation in Mexico.
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