25 Most Legendary Concerts of All Time, Ranked
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There are concerts and music performances you remember for the weekend or until the next music festival rolls around. And then there are the ones that you’ll remember your entire life, sharing memories of the experience with your children and even grandchildren. Woodstock, anyone?
We compiled a list of the most legendary concerts — from contemporary artists like Daft Punk and Beyonce to the musicians we remember fondly like Prince and John Lennon — guaranteed to spark stories for generations to come.
25. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert
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Location: Madison Square Garden in New York
Date: Oct. 29-30, 2009
Attendance numbers: 19,500
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Held over two nights in New York City, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert was packed to the gills with celebrities — from U2 to Aretha Franklin — and offered up wild set designs that are still referenced to this day. “If this is just miniconcerts of greatest hits, I’m bored,” the event’s co-producer Robbie Robertson told Rolling Stone magazine in a statement.
Need we say more?
24. Daft Punk Alive Tour
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Location: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California
Date: April 29, 2006
Attendance numbers: 40,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Described by The Times as a “memorable sensory spectacle, both dazzling and deafening,” the Daft Punk Alive Tour was the first time the band hit the road since 1997.
It was supposed to be a one-off at Coachella, but the band ended up making its way across the U.S., Europe, Japan and Australia.
23. Tom Petty’s Final Show
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Location: Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California
Date: Sept. 25, 2017
Attendance numbers: 49,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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“I wanna thank you for 40 years of a really great time,” Tom Petty told the Los Angeles crowd after he and his band, the Heartbreakers, finished a three-night event at the Hollywood Bowl.
Little did the crowd know, just a week later, Petty would die of a heart attack.
22. Green Day at Woodstock ’94
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Location: Woodstock 25th Anniversary Concert in Saugerties, New York
Date: Aug. 14, 1994
Attendance numbers: Entire festival numbers were estimated to be 550,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Green Day played at Woodstock ’94, a three-day music festival to commemorate the original Woodstock music festival of 1969. Keep in mind this was a mere six months after releasing their debut album, but that’s not the entire reason the band’s performance was so memorable.
Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong convinced the crowd to start a mud fight during their set — and it made it all the way onto the stage, soaking both Billie Joe and bassist Mike Dirnt.
21. Leonard Cohen ‘Old Ideas’ World Tour
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Location: Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand
Date: Dec. 21, 2013
Attendance numbers: N/A
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Although Leonard Cohen’s “Old Ideas” World Tour spanned an impressive five years in total, it’s his final show in Auckland, New Zealand, that stands out for most fans. The Dec. 21, 2013, event was the artist and poet’s last live show before he passed away, which he ended by doffing his hat, taking a deep bow.
“I want to thank you,” he told the crowd.. “Not just for tonight but for all the years you’ve paid attention to my songs.”
20. Janet Jackson’s “Janet” World Tour
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Location: Madison Square Garden in New York
Date: Dec. 31, 1993
Attendance numbers: 15,472
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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What better way to ring in the new year than by attending a Janet Jackson show at Madison Square Garden?
The 1993 production was unforgettable, boasting quintessential 1990s outfits and so many fireworks and other eye-popping surprises on set that the show was banned from multiple venues around the world.
19. Prince at Coachella
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Location: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California
Date: April 26, 2008
Attendance numbers: 151,666
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Prince’s legendary live performance at Coachella in 2008 will be remembered by all in attendance — and all who saw clips of the event — for its set list that spanned from his own personal recording catalogue to touching tributes to friends and artists he admired.
The unexpected comeback gave way to a whole new breed of Prince fans.
18. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and 2Pac’s Hologram at Coachella
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Location: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California
Date: April 15, 2012
Attendance numbers: About 80,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre graced the stage with some of their best-loved contemporaries, including Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Eminem in order to pay tribute to the anniversary of their first collaboration — but it was the unexpected appearance of the late 2Pac that made this performance stick in everyone’s minds.
A hologram of the late rapper graced the stage for just four songs — but the strikingly life-like performance was unforgettable.
17. Beyonce and Jay Z ‘On the Run’ Tour
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Location: M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland
Date: July 7, 2014
Attendance numbers: 51,212
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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This co-headlining stadium tour by husband and wife duo Beyonce and Jay Z came as a pleasant surprise to many fans of the respective artists — and they did not disappoint.
The “On the Run Tour” was the fastest-selling concert ever at the M&T Bank Stadium due to the sheer star power of Beyonce and Jay Z as a unit.
16. Madonna ‘Blond Ambition’ World Tour
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Location: Skydome in Toronto, Ontario
Date: May 27, 1990
Attendance numbers: 80,251
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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The “Blond Ambition” World Tour was conceptualized to shake up how society views pop music — and let’s just say that Madonna succeeded in her mission.
The pop star was nearly arrested during her performance in Toronto due to her performance of “Like a Virgin” — where she simulated masturbation on stage between two men wearing fake breasts. Now, that’s a story to save for the older kids!
15. Nirvana at Reading Festival
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Location: Reading Festival in Reading, England
Date: Aug. 30, 1992
Attendance numbers: 50,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Nirvana live at the Reading Festival in England is considered by many to be one of the most noteworthy contemporary music performances to date.
Kurt Cobain was rumored to have been hospitalized for a drug overdose — which he immediately called out by coming on stage in a wheelchair, faking a collapse and then giving the audience what will be remembered as his — and the band’s — best performance ever.
14. Bob Marley at the Lyceum Theatre
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Location: Lyceum Theatre in London, England
Date: July 18, 1975
Attendance numbers: 2,100
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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No, you didn’t read that wrong. The Lyceum Theatre in London really does barely hold 2,000 — which drove fans mad trying to snag a ticket to the incredibly intimate Bob Marley performance.
“Lyceum was magic,” Marley’s friend Neville Garrick, the Wailers’ lighting designer and art director, told Rolling Stone magazine. “It was an old theater, so the acoustics were proper ... They took out all the seats, and people were going from the very first song.”
13. Bob Dylan ‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ North American Tour
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Location: Boston Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts
Date: Nov. 21, 1975
Attendance numbers: 2,585
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” North American Tour should have been a stadium tour — the singer-songwriter was incredibly well-known by the late 70s — but instead, he toured in tiny venues and charged just $9 a ticket.
Worse still, Dylan only announced his show dates a couple days in advance.
12. The Clash North American Tour
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Location: Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California
Date: Feb. 7, 1979
Attendance numbers: 3,500
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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The Clash might have become well-acquainted with the United States — but it didn’t always start that way. The British rock band played an unforgettable and unbelievably intimate show at the Berkeley Community Theatre in California, but the band didn’t have the same reception as the audience.
Joe Strummer was shocked and embarrassed that they made their American debut in a college theater. “We shouldn’t have played here,” Strummer told Time. “It’s a university town. They’re boring snobs.”
11. Pink Floyd ‘The Wall’ Tour
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Location: Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, England
Date: June 17, 1981
Attendance numbers: 100,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” tour featured, quite literally, a massive wall of bricks that was constructed across the stage. The set was so dangerous that the band only hit 31 venues before the wall started crumbling.
“The first couple of bricks would terrify people in the front rows,” guitarist David Gilmour explained in a statement. “The audience would think they were going to be killed.”
10. Elton John at the Troubadour
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Location: Troubadour in Los Angeles, California
Date: Aug. 25, 1970
Attendance numbers: 300
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Can you imagine Elton John playing to a crowd of just 300 people? Well, that’s exactly what happened during his six-date stint at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
The 23-year-old baby face certainly made a strong first impression. After the end of his stint, critics were starting to swarm around, and his “Your Song” hit No. 8 on the charts just five months later.
9. B.B. King Live in the Cook County Jail
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Location: Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois
Date: Sept. 10, 1970
Attendance numbers: 2,117
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Jail warden Winston Moore took a moonshot asking B.B. King to perform at the Cook County Jail in Chicago — but the musician accepted and his band performed a set list of slow blues songs in the jail yard to 2,000 young prisoners.
King was marked by the performance and continued to perform free concerts at prisons throughout his life. He even co-established the Foundation for the Advancement of Inmate Rehabilitation and Recreation.
8. The Rolling Stones 1st American Tour 1965
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Location: Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, Quebec
Date: April 23, 1965
Attendance numbers: 4,750
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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The Rolling Stones first-ever stop in North America was on April 23, 1965 in Montreal.
The show took place at the intimate Maurice Richard Arena, holding just under 5,000, and the rest is history.
7. David Bowie ‘Ziggy Stardust’ World Tour
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Location: Hammersmith Odeon in London, England
Date: July 3, 1973
Attendance numbers: About 3,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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There’s no world tour that has remained in modern zeitgeist in the same way that David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” world tour did — even after Bowie hung up his alter ego for good, the world continued to fawn over the theatrical red-haired character. “I wanted the music to look like it sounded,” David Bowie said of the colorful world tour.
Bowie traveled the U.S., Japan and the U.K. before the final show in London, where he shocked fans with the announcement that he was retiring the Ziggy Stardust persona.
6. Johnny Cash at San Quentin Prison
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Location: San Quentin Prison
Date: February 24, 1969
Attendance numbers: N/A
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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Johnny Cash was known for giving regular performances at prisons around the United States — but his performance at San Quentin Prison is one of the most memorable.
The singer-songwriter was caught giving the finger to a camera, which was later revealed to be because his crew was preoccupied with getting the right shot, and all he wanted to do was connect with his audience.
5. U2 on an L.A. Liquor Store's Rooftop
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Location: The Corner of 7th Street and S. Main Street in Los Angeles, California
Date: March 27, 1987
Attendance numbers: 1,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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The video for U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” has single handedly coincided with one of the most legendary concerts of all time.
Directed by Meiert Avis, the video required the band to climb onto the top of a liquor store in Los Angeles and perform live — which ended up drawing a crowd of about 1,000 people despite the short eight-song set list.
4. Elvis ’68 Comeback Special
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Location: Los Angeles, California
Date: June 27, 1968
Attendance numbers: N/A
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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The Elvis ’68 Comeback Special aired on NBC after having been pre-recorded to a live audience a couple months earlier. Not only did it receive astounding positive reviews, it single-handedly launched Presley’s career after a decade-long hiatus.
“Performing with Elvis was amazing,” Darlene Love, who sang backup for Presley explained in a statement, “because we didn’t really know what to expect from him.”
3. The Who at Woodstock
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Location: Woodstock Rock Festival in Bethel, New York
Date: Aug. 17, 1969
Attendance numbers: Entire festival numbers were estimated to be about 400,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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We considered Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to represent Woodstock’s most memorable moment, but we decided The Who’s 5 a.m. early morning set to be the most legendary.
After all, the band had just released their “Tommy” album only a month earlier. They played the entire album during the set, which, of course, included “My Generation.” What better way to represent this new era of rock?
2. The Beatles at Shea Stadium
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Location: Shea Stadium in New York
Date: Aug. 15, 1965
Attendance numbers: 55,600
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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The Beatles attendance-record-breaking performance at Shea Stadium in New York continues to be one of the most talked about live shows of all time.
Although it was The Beatles’ biggest show to date, the band ended up retiring from performing live shows just a year later.
1. Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival
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Location: Monterey, California
Date: June 18, 1967
Attendance numbers: 200,000
Why the Concert Was So Legendary
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience was starting to gain some momentum by the time they took the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
But it was the final act that made the performance particularly unforgettable: Jimi Hendrix dry humping his guitar, setting it on fire, and smashing it on stage.