Today in Acoustic-Rock History

1971 – The Grateful Dead perform at Bill Graham’s venerable Fillmore West for the last time.

1976 – For the first time in 12 years, Brian Wilson joins the Beach Boys on stage. He’s mostly motionless at his piano but he does sing the lead vocal on “In My Room.”

1981 – Bruce Springsteen plays the first shows ever at the 21,000-seat Brendan Byrne Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey. The six shows sell out in an hour.

1982 – The Rolling Stones begin their summer tour of Europe in Rotterdam, Holland.

1987 – Sting chooses not to attend his mother’s funeral in order to stay in Monserrat where he is working on his “Nothing Like The Sun” album.

2001 – Yoko Ono visits the Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool, England, to attend a ceremony announcing the renaming of the Liverpool Airport as the Liverpool John Lennon Airport in honor of her late husband.

2005 – With Pink Floyd’s classic lineup intact for the first time in more than 20 years, the band plays in front of approximately 200,000 people at the London edition of Live 8. The group performs “Breathe,” “Money,” “Wish You Were Here” and “Comfortably Numb.”

BIRTHDAYS:

Roy Bittan (E Street Band) 1949