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Timeline of Concert History by Alex Cosper 1954 - Newport Jazz Festival begins, launched by Elaine Lorillard 1959 - Newport Folk Festival, as offshoot of the Newport Jazz Festival, begins July 11 1961 - National Jazz Festival begins in England 1964 - Sunset Strip Whisky A Go Go opens Jan 16, becoming center of LA music scene 1964 - Beatles' first tour in America 1965 - Bob Dylan is booed at the Newport Folk Festival Jul 25 for shifting to an electric rock sound 1966 - Concert promoter Bill Graham begins booking shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco 1966 - Beatles perform at Shea Stadium in NY on Aug 23 1966 - Beatles perform final paid concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on Aug 29 1967 - Monterey Pop Festival for 3 days starting Jun 16, attracting average estimate of over 50,000 people 1968 - Miami Pop Festival draws estimated 25,000 people May 18-19 1968 - Isle of Wight Festival begins on Aug 31 for two days 1968 - Newport Pop Festival attracts over 100,000 Aug 3-4 1968 - Miami Pop Festival II, unrelated to first concert, draws over 100,000 Dec 28-30 1969 - Denver Pop Festival draws estimated 50,000 June 27-29 1969 - Atlanta International Pop Festival attracted over 100,000 July 4-5 1969 - Atlantic City Pop Festival draws over 100,000 Aug 1-3 1969 - Woodstock Festival held for 3 days in NY starting Aug 15, attracting over 400,000 1969 - Rolling Stones' free Altamont concert is ruined by fan death, killed by Hell's Angel on Dec 6 1969 - Jim Morrison of The Doors is accused of "indecent exposure" March 1 at Miami show in front of 12,000 1971 - George Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh is the first major charity rock festival fundraiser 1971 - Reading Festival begins in the UK 1972 - Newport Jazz Festival moves to NYC 1972 - Sunbury Pop Festival launched in Australia 1972 - Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival in Indiana attracts over 200,000 1972 - Concert 10/Mt. Pocono Rock Festival in Pennsylvania draws over 200,000 in the rain 1973 - Summer Jam at Watkins Glen in New York sets new concert attendance record of 600,000 1973 - Bill Graham's Day On The Green Festival in Oakland begins 1973 - Roxy Theatre in LA, owned by Lou Adler, opens Sep 23 1974 - California Jam in Ontario, CA draws 250,000 Apr 6, headlined by Emerson, Lake and Palmer 1976 - Ticketmaster founded by three entrepreneurs in Arizona 1978 - California Jam II in Ontario, CA draws 350,000 Mar 18, featuring Aerosmith and Van Halen 1979 - Monsters of Rock concerts emphasizing hard rock and metal begin in the UK 1979 - Eleven Who fans are killed in a stampede outside Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati on Dec 3 1981 - Pollstar Magazine launches, tracking concert industry ticket sales and venue listings 1985 - Live Aid concert help in London and Philadelphia July 13, with attendance of 100,000 1985 - The first Farm Aid concert is held Sep 22, promoted by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young 1986 - First Bridge School Benefit Show launched by Neil Young on Oct 13 1987 - Pink Floyd kicks off highest grossing tour of the 80s ($135M, 199 shows) 1991 - Lollapalooza Festival is launched by Perry Farrell 1991 - Bill Graham dies in a helicopter crash Oct 25 1994 - Woodstock '94 celebrates the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival 1994 - Rod Stewart sets largest concert attendance record in history (3.5M) in Rio de Janeiro 1994 - Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge Tour kicks off, becoming top grossing of the 90s ($320M, 124 shows) 1995 - Warped Tour concert series begins 1997 - Jean-Michel Jarre ties Rod Stewart's attendance record in Moscow (3.5M) 1999 - Woodstock 99 celebrates 30 year anniversary but is a "commercial and crowd control disaster" 2000 - SFX is acquired by Clear Channel Communications as a concert division (CC Entertainment) 2005 - Live Nation founded in Beverly Hills, CA as a spin-off of Clear Channel Communications 2005 - Rolling Stones 2 year tour earns $557M, highest concert revenue to date 2009 - U2 kicks off highest grossing concert tour in history, culminating in 2011 ($736M gross, 110 shows) 2010 - Live Nation Entertainment established following the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation  |
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