There’s no doubting that we all enjoyed some epic gigs this summer. Whether we paid a bomb to watch our favourite artist perform at a festival in the rain, or managed to catch a stellar performance at some secret, underground gig, it was probably a fantastic experience - but just how important was it? Sure, it may have been important to you, but will it go down in history? There are some gigs that will never be forgotten because of their significance to music or the impact they had on the industry - nay, the world! We’re listed a few of them below…
The Beatles, Shea Stadium, 15th August 1965
This was the gig that proved there was money to made from large music concerts - or at least promoter Sid Bernstein’s bank balance proved the point the next morning. It was also the gig that influenced the movement of gigs taking place in large stadiums and arenas, taking music to new levels and enabling it to reach wider audiences. Whilst the sound was awful, there were no lighting effects and no screens for those sat at the back of the stadium, this gig sold the more tickets than any other music act for a one off performance, filling the stadium with a crowd totalling 55k!
Oasis, Knebworth, 10th August 1996
Of course we must acknowledge the fact that for a time, Oasis were the biggest band in the world - since the Beatles - and it was this gig that really confirmed that. As Noel Gallagher took to the stage and announced “this is history” everybody in the audience understood that what they were witnessing was exactly that. They were the Kings of Rock and Roll at that time, with 250,000 people turning up to watch their heroes perform some of their greatest hits such as ‘Morning Glory’ and ‘Wonderwall’. Nobody doubted that Oasis represented everything that was great about Rock and Roll.
Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock Festival, 18th August 1969
Picture this: it’s the early hours of a Monday morning, it is raining, wet, everybody has enjoyed a weekend of love and music at what is now known as the greatest music festival of all time, 180,000 people are still standing, waiting to watch the final act... and then Jimi Hendrix walks on stage. He proceeded to play the longest set of his career, playing at such a pace his band the Gypsy Sun & Rainbows struggled to keep up. He rounded off his performance with ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, cementing his place in history for his incredible performance.
Johnny Cash, Folsom State Prison, 13th January 1968
This joins the list not only because it is were Cash recorded one of the most famous and best-selling albums of all time, but also because nobody had ever recorded any kind of music in a prison before. Cash actually performed twice, once in the morning and again in the afternoon to ensure he got the best recording possible, and some say it was his best performance to date. Cash had spent some time in prison himself and chose to perform at Folsom against the wishes of his producer. Needless to say, if the inmates weren’t big Cash fans before he came, they certainly were after.
Queen, Live Aid, Wembley Stadium, 13th July 1985
Live Aid absolutely needs a mention, it was one of the greatest gigs of all time, raising over £60m for charity, but it was specifically Queen’s performance that truly made it go down in history. When Freddy hit the high notes of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ the crowd went wild, and for good reason. We love Live Aid, but we loved Queen at Live Aid more...
