Pick a Day

Music History Events: Memorable Concerts

May 6, 2008 Cher begins her "Cher at the Colosseum" shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, planning to play 200 concerts over three years. The run ends in February, 2011 with 192 performances, since eight were canceled.

April 27, 2008 Prince makes the crowd go crazy by covering Radiohead during an epic headlining set after being a last-minute addition to the Coachella Festival.

March 18, 2008 Among other artists, Lou Reed, Damien Rice, and Moby take part in the Speak Up! concert (which benefits Iraq war veterans) held at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York.

March 13, 2008 South By Southwest features a rare performance from R.E.M. and scorching set from My Morning Jacket.

March 3, 2008 Arcade Fire rock for young Obama supporters at the Barack Obama benefit rally at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland.

February 4, 2008 Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Mickey Hart resurrect Grateful Dead for a benefit concert in support of presidential hopeful Barack Obama in San Francisco.

January 16, 2008 Radiohead is slated to perform a free gig at a small record store in London, but nearly 1,500 fans turn up, forcing the band to move the show to a nearby club.

September 28, 2007 It's the day of the 9th Annual "Standin' on the corner festival" in Winslow, Arizona, inspired by the lyrics to "Take It Easy."

March 25, 2007 Elton John sets the record for the most performances at New York's Madison Square Garden when he performs there for the 60th time – on his 60th birthday.

November 17, 2006 Icelandic rock act the Sugarcubes take the stage in Reykjavik for the first time in 14 years. The group, whose most famous alumnus is Björk, reassembles to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its debut single, "Birthday."

October 21, 2006 Bob Seger sings "America The Beautiful" before the World Series game between his beloved Detroit Tigers and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Unfortunately for Seger, the Tigers lose both the game and the series.

October 10, 2006 21-year-old Lily Allen, who has gained fame in her native England, plays for the first time in the United States, performing at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City.

September 30, 2006 Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young are joined by Dave Matthews (The Dave Matthews Band), Steel Pulse, Gov't Mule, Jerry Lee Lewis, Steve Earle and Allison Moorer for the organization's 21st anniversary concert at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey.

June 14, 2006 Rufus Wainwright, son of folk singer Loudon Wainwright III, recreates the whole of Judy Garland's legendary 1961 Carnegie Hall concert at the famous institution in order to mark the show's 35th anniversary.

April 30, 2006 Madonna plays a festival for the first time when she appears at Coachella.

April 8, 2006 The Rolling Stones play their first-ever concert in mainland China with a gig in Shanghai.

September 20, 2005 The benefit concert "From The Big Apple To The Big Easy" is held in New York's Madison Square Garden in order to raise funds for the Gulf Coast cities and towns devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Among others, Simon & Garfunkel, Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz and Elton John perform at this charity concert.

September 28, 2004 A Beverly Hills tribute concert in honor of Ray Charles, featuring Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, ]Patti Austin and James Ingram, raises $15 million for Atlanta's African-American institution, Morehouse College.

June 20, 2004 Paul McCartney performs his 3,000th live show, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

June 16, 2004 The three surviving original members of the New York Dolls perform together for the first time since 1975 at the first of two shows at London Royal Festival Hall. The concerts are spearheaded by The Smiths' frontman, Morrissey, who was once the president of the Dolls' UK fan club. The band continues to record and perform in various incarnations after the reunion.

April 13, 2004 Pixies return to the stage after 12 years with a 27-song set at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis.

October 12, 2003 The blind Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano performs the "The Star Spangled Banner" for the first time since his flavorful rendition at a Tigers/Cardinals World Series game in 1968. His performance in Miami at the Marlins/Cubs playoff goes off without incident.

October 3, 2003 The film of the benefit concert The Concert For George, an all-star tribute to the recently deceased ex-Beatle George Harrison, opens in US theaters.

May 24, 2003 Paul McCartney sits down for tea with Russian premier Vladimir Putin, then heads to Red Square for his very first performance behind the Iron Curtain, for an audience of 20,000.

April 4, 2003 The Rolling Stones make their stage debut in India, performing at Bangalore Palace in the middle of a monsoon!

November 26, 2002 After nearly 40 years, The Statler Brothers play their last concert ever at the Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.

October 1, 2002 The White Stripes play a free show in New York's Union Square Park, treating a large lunchtime crowd to a set full of covers and nuggets from the group's three albums.

September 18, 2002 Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson perform at the Adopt-A-Minefield Benefit Gala in Los Angeles. They do separate sets but share the stage for "God Only Knows," a song McCartney once called "the greatest song ever written."

June 3, 2002 Paul McCartney and Aretha Franklin are the performers at Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrating the 50th year of her reign.

February 26, 2002 John Fogerty, Elton John, Eagles, Stevie Nicks, and Billy Joel perform at the multi-venue Los Angeles charity benefit Four Concerts for Artists' Rights, proceeds of which benefit a labor-friendly musicians' organization called the Recording Artists Coalition.