2 JULY
Featured Events
2005 Pink Floyd perform "Comfortably Numb" at the Live 8 London concert, re-forming with band members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright for the first time since 1981, when Waters left the band. It's the last time the four play together, as Wright dies in 2008.
1991 At a Guns N' Roses show in St. Louis, Axl Rose grows irate when he sees someone in the crowd taking pictures, and he leaves the stage, announcing, "Thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home." A riot follows, and the band's equipment is destroyed.More
1990 Tesla records their album Five Man Acoustical Jam live at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia. Their cover of "Signs" becomes a surprise hit and catalyzes an acoustic rock trend, with MTV's Unplugged series delving into more rock acts soon after.
1988 Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" hits #1 on the Hot 100, making him the first artist to score five #1 singles from the same album (Bad).
1980 Sheena Easton is featured on the BBC show The Big Time, which follows regular people trying to achieve their dreams. With visions of stardom as a singer, she is seen auditioning for EMI, who are suitably impressed and sign her to a deal. Her single "9 To 5" becomes a UK hit two months later and conquers America a year later.
1966 "Strangers in the Night" goes to #1, giving Frank Sinatra his first #1 pop hit since "Learnin' The Blues" in 1955. The song appeared in the film A Man Could Get Killed, winning the Oscar for Best Song.
1962 Jimi Hendrix is honorably discharged from the Army after serving a little over a year of his 3-year commitment. The reason for his discharge is "unsuitability," as his superiors agree he will never be a good soldier, in part because he's more interested in his guitar than his rifle.More
2 JULY
In Music History
2015 For the first time ever, Rush make the cover of Rolling Stone. The magazine and their cohorts at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (which didn't induct the band until 2013), have given Rush short shrift throughout their career, but even diehard fans are pleased with the piece.
2014 On her website, Jewel announces she will be divorcing husband Ty Murray after almost six years of marriage.
2001 Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher welcomes his first child, Gene Gallagher, with girlfriend (and future wife) Nicole Appleton (of All Saints).
2001 Liverpool renames its airport the "Liverpool John Lennon Airport" after its famous native.
1994 Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong marries Adrienne Nesser. The next day, Adrienne discovers she is pregnant with their son, Joseph.
1992 Mick Jagger's daughter Jade makes him a grandfather when her daughter Assisi Lola Jackson is born.
1991 In his first acting role, Ice Cube stars alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the acclaimed drama Boyz N the Hood. Writer/director John Singleton wrote the role of troubled gangster Darrin "Doughboy" Baker specifically for the ex-N.W.A rapper.More
1986 The second Prince movie, Under the Cherry Moon, hits theaters. Unlike the first, Purple Rain, Prince directs it himself.More
1983 Michelle Branch is born in Sedona, Arizona.
1982 Harmonica player DeFord Bailey dies at age 82. A cast member at the Grand Ole Opry throughout the 1930s, he was the first African American inducted into the institution. In 2005, he entered the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1981 Bruce Springsteen plays the first of six sold-out shows at the new Byrne Arena in New Jersey. His average show lasts 28 songs.
1980 Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart and Bob Weir are arrested and charged with inciting a riot at San Diego Sports Arena to break up a drug bust.
1976 A battered Tina Turner leaves husband Ike in Dallas, Texas, after one final blowout. She files for divorce later in the month.
1973 Brian Eno quits Roxy Music over a spat with lead singer Bryan Ferry.
Band Pays $1 Million To Open For Mötley Crüe
2014In Grand Rapids, Michigan, a new group called The Raskins play their first show on the Mötley Crüe Final Tour, which also includes Alice Cooper. They later süe the Crüe, claiming they paid $1 million for the privilege, but received heaps of abuse in return.
With Cooper warming up the crowd with 50-minute sets, another opening act hardly seems necessary, but The Raskins are willing to pay big bucks for the exposure and are added to the bill. These pay-to-play gigs typically grant the opener a merchandise table, their name on the promotional materials, and about 15-20 minutes on stage. The Raskins, who are the twin brothers Roger and Logan Raskin, are a New York act that released their debut album in May. Tagging along with Cooper and Crüe for 66 shows seems like a great way to launch their career. "While Motley Crüe's Final Tour will see one of rock's most iconic groups gracefully bow out from the touring circuit, it will introduce one of the most promising rocks acts to a whole new audience from coast to coast," they post on their website. "We're honored to be included in this now '3 Ring Circus.'" It doesn't go as planned. According to a lawsuit filed by The Raskins, they get very little time to perform, and sometimes have to go on before the doors are even opened. They are denied dressing rooms and aren't allowed to sell merch. At a show in August at Darien Lake in New York, roadies for the headliners rush the stage wearing monkey masks and blast them with "water guns filled with urine." These indignities are detailed in the lawsuit, which seeks $30 million in damages.
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