Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s April 30th and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
Starting off on a sad note, as we lost rock music journalist Lester Bangs in 1982. Bangs, who worked for both Rolling Stone and Creem magazines, was considered a leading voice in rock music criticism. Not only was he mentioned in various songs by groups like R.E.M. and the Ramones, he was also a character in Cameron Crowe’s film Almost Famous, portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, as a mentor figure to the main character, William.
Moving onto releases, we have just one and that would be Billy Idol’s Charmed Life from 1990
It’s Wayne Cramer of MC5 and Sean Mackin of Yellowcard’s birthdays today.
In 1977, Led Zeppelin broke the world record for the number of people attending a rock concert. Previously held by The Who with 75,962, Zeppelin packed 76,229 concert goers into the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan, the same venue The Who garnered their record in.
And speaking of The Who, in 1976 drummer Keith Moon paid nine cab drivers to block-off the ends of a New York City street. Why? So he could trash his hotel room and throw it’s contents out the window. Classic Keith.
During the 2008 Coachella festival, Roger Waters performed. But during the show, Waters had a giant inflatable pig escape during the set. The pig would later deflate in the countryside.
In 1991, Nirvana signed with Geffen Records under the DGC Label. They received an advance of $290,000, which they used to finance their next album, Nevermind.
And finally in 1978, AC/DC recorded their live album If You Want Blood You’ve Got It at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. The concert was also filmed but it was never released in it’s entirety. Some clips were included in various DVD box sets released by the band. Here is one of those clips.
This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
