On This Day:
In 1966 Beatle John Lennon made another controversial statement in front of a microphone. In Toronto, he expresses his admiration for American draft dodgers. Earlier he had made a comment that The Beatles were more popular than Christ.
In 1969 Pete Townshend shoved Abbie Hoffman off the stage when Hoffman tried to make a political speech in the middle of The Who’s set on the third day of Woodstock.
The final day of the three-day Woodstock Festival took place at Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York. Acts who appeared included Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After, Joe Cocker, Country Joe and the Fish, The Band and Ten Years After. Over 186-thousand tickets had been sold, but on the first day the flimsy fences and ticket barriers had come down. Organizers announced the concert would be a free event, prompting thousands more to head for the concert.
In 1991 AC/DC, Metallica, Motley Crue and the Black Crowes were among the bands on the bill for the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in England.
Nirvana shot the music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The iconic shoot featured real Nirvana fans in the audience.
In 1995 Microsoft bought the rights to the Rolling Stones’ song “Start Me Up” to promote Windows95 software.
In 2004 The Metallica book “So What: The Good, The Mad, and The Ugly,” the first officially sanctioned collection of the band’s fan club magazine, hit stores. Metallica made an in-store appearance in support of the book in St. Paul, Minnesota at midnight.
In 2005 Former Guns N’ Roses members Slash and Duff, otherwise known as Saul Hudson and Michael McKagan, sued band leader Axl Rose for the second time in less than two years.
In 2007 Uncle Kracker was arrested at a Raleigh, North Carolina hotel and charged with second-degree forcible sex offense. He denied the allegation.
In 2008 Jackson Browne sued Arizona Senator John McCain for unauthorized use of “Running On Empty” during his presidential campaign.
In 2012 Three members of the Russian feminist punk rock group Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years imprisonment after they had staged a performance on the soleas of Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior in a protest directed at the Orthodox Church leader’s support for President Putin during his election campaign.
In 2013 Kansas played a special 40th anniversary “fan appreciation concert” in Pittsburgh. For the special show the group performed with a symphony, and they welcomed original band members Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope to take part in the event. Violinist Robby Steinhardt was also invited, but health problems prevented him from participating.
In 2023 Gary Young drummer of the band Pavement died at the age of 70.
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