Pick a Day

Music History Events: Memorable Concerts

October 28, 2001 The Beastie Boys play their first show in more than two-and-a-half years at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, at the first of two New Yorkers Against Violence benefits, which the rap trio organized.

October 26, 2001 Courtney Love plays her first-ever solo show at the Ventura Theatre in Ventura, California.

October 23, 2001 R.E.M. plays a surprise show at Seattle's Crocodile Cafe, which guitarist Peter Buck co-owns with his wife, Stephanie Dorgan.

September 28, 2001 Celine Dion and Peter Gabriel perform at an American Red Cross benefit concert at Montreal's Molson Centre for victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

September 15, 2001 Incubus play the first of two shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, becoming the first major act to perform in New York City following the September 11 attacks.

September 7, 2001 Michael Jackson plays the first of two concerts at Madison Square Garden as part of his 30th anniversary tribute. Performers honoring Jackson include Slash, 'N Sync and Britney Spears. The concerts are edited and aired as a special on CBS.

February 17, 2001 Brad Paisley joins the cast of the Grand Ole Opry.

January 28, 2001 Ray Charles sings "America The Beautiful" at Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa. The Backstreet Boys sing the US national anthem, and halftime performers include Aerosmith, 'N Sync and Britney Spears.

November 23, 2000 Twelve-year-old Billy Gilman sings "One Voice" during festivities at the Dallas Cowboys-Minnesota Vikings football game. Gilman is joined by Jessica Simpson for the halftime show.

November 20, 2000 Aretha Franklin, Snoop Dogg, and Brian McKnight are among the performers who take part in the third annual "Soul Train" Christmas Starfest at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The show features top R&B artists performing holiday favorites.

November 11, 2000 The original Meters reunite for one - and only one - gig in San Francisco, their first since 1977.

October 22, 2000 R.E.M. returns to their hometown of Athens, Georgia, where they play three songs on the courthouse steps as part of a local festival called Land Aid, which is an effort to better the community.

October 7, 2000 Following the last stop on their 2000 tour, a show in Mountain View, California, Phish go on hiatus, which lasts 815 days. They finally return on New Year's Eve 2002 with a show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

September 21, 2000 Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks re-form as Genesis for a one-off performance at the London Hilton during the British Music Roll of Honour gala, organized by the Music Managers Forum. The act's manager, Tony Smith receives the Peter Grant Award for outstanding achievement at the event.

September 15, 2000 For the first time since learning he has Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), country singer Chris LeDoux returns to the stage while he awaits the necessary liver transplant.

September 14, 2000 Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the Eagles' Don Henley and Glenn Frey perform at the joint VH1/Rolling Stone fundraiser for Al Gore.

June 1, 2000 Dixie Chicks play the first night of their 85-date "Fly" North American tour at Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

April 7, 2000 At The Roxy in Los Angeles, Brian Wilson covers the Barenaked Ladies' tribute song "Brian Wilson" for the first time ("If you want to find me, I'll be out in the sandbox..."). The concert is later released as Live at the Roxy Theatre, his first live album.

November 25, 1999 Clint Black is on hand to help the Salvation Army launch its annual holiday fundraising drive. Black entertains during the third annual "National Kettle Kick-off," a half-time event at the Dallas Cowboys' football game.

November 19, 1999 Pop singer Jewel pulls the plug on her anticipated New Year's Eve concert in Anchorage, Alaska, citing, among other things, worries over possible Y2K problems. But many Alaskans say the real problem is jacked-up ticket prices. At the time of the cancellation, only 1,000 of 8,000 available tickets ($65-$99) have been sold.

October 31, 1999 Bryan White sings the US national anthem at the Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville prior to the match-up between the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. Following the game, White gives his second annual Howl-O-Ween concert at the north end of the coliseum.

October 11, 1999 The City of Miami, under threat of legal action from the American Civil Liberties Union and Havana Caliente Records, allows Cuban dance band Los Van Van to perform at the James L. Knight Center.

October 9, 1999 David Bowie, Sheryl Crow and George Michael are among the performers at NetAid, a set of three simultaneous concerts streamed live to harness the internet as a hub for activism. The shows, which are also broadcast on TV and radio, take place at Wembley Stadium, Giants Stadium and the Palais des Nations in Geneva. They go well but draw surprisingly little interest in activism, as folks would rather use their time online to find photos of Britney Spears than help eradicate third-world debt.

September 24, 1999 Hank Williams is the subject of the first-ever country music symposium at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. "A Tribute To Hank Williams" begins with Lucinda Williams, Kim Richey, Kathy Mattea, and Steve Earle performing the works of the late country music godfather.

April 10, 1999 The all-star tribute concert Here There and Everywhere: A Concert For Linda is held at London's Royal Albert Hall, where Paul McCartney, George Michael, Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders), Elvis Costello and Sinead O'Connor raise money for animal charities while remembering Paul's wife Linda, who has recently succumbed to breast cancer.

January 30, 1999 In Deerfield Beach, Florida, Cake play the Bar Mitzvah of superfan Mitchell Schop, who wrote them a letter with the request. The next day they start their world tour with a show in Orlando, supporting their album Prolonging The Magic and the hit single "Never There."

October 25, 1998 R.E.M. play an exclusive concert for BBC Radio 1 at the Radio Theater at Broadcasting House in London for an audience primarily consisting of fan club members and contest winners.

October 17, 1998 The Wilkinsons make their first official appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. They had made an informal appearance on the Opry once before, when they joined Vince Gill onstage before they had a record deal.

October 15, 1998 Puff Daddy plays his first-ever UK show at the official opening of the new London venue Sound Republic in Leicester Square. The invitation-only event is broadcast live by MTV UK.

September 23, 1998 The first ever Lilith Fair concert outside North America takes place at London's Royal Albert Hall. Before the sold-out show, Lilith founder Sarah McLahlan tells a press conference that plans are underway to bring the Fair to Europe as a touring package the following year.