In December 2015, the Smithsonian called on rock and roll lovers around the world to collect photos and stories of their favorite moments in music. Fans dug through attics, basements, closets, shoeboxes, digital cameras, and photo albums to post great rock shots to rockandroll.si.edu. From Woodstock to the Whisky a Go Go, from Lollapalooza to the 9:30 Club, and all the rockin’ places in between, fans overwhelmingly responded with their favorite rock and roll moments.
The new rock & roll memoir, Smithsonian Rock & Roll: Live and Unseen, written by Warner Bros Vice President Bill Bently, showcases glimpses of the golden eras of music:
1984 Peter Gabriel sings “Lay Your Hands on Me” on the Plays Live tour at the Agora Ballroom, West Hartford, Connecticut
May 1974 Bonnie Raitt at the Harvard Square Theatre, Cambridge, Massachusetts
August 1969 B.B. King at the Atlantic City Pop Festival, Mays Landing, New Jersey
1987 James Brown at Ontario Place Forum, Toronto
Jan. 30, 2000 Men’s bathroom at CBGB, New York City
Feb. 11, 1974 Joni Mitchell at Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York.
1978 Johnny, Joey, and Dee Dee Ramone at Dooley’s, Tempe, Arizona
Oct. 13, 1968 Cream at the Chicago Coliseum
Oct. 28, 1973 Sly & The Family Stone at the San Diego Sports Arena
Images Via
This amazing collection of live concert photos is a piece of rock & roll history – the pictures and stories in this book are the stuff of legend. Definitely check this one out if you have the opportunity.
I can only hope the story of Santana on LSD at Woodstock is in there.
Karl Speck
November 25, 2023 at 5:50 pm
The Peter Gabriel picture at the Agora in West Hartford Conn. took place in 1983…. not 1984 ! I am 100 % sure of this since i’m a big fan of his earlier music. The Plays live tour in North America took place in the summer of 1983. Saw the show in Chicago.