The December Era

From some reason this particular time of the year has had some significant moments that happened in music history. Unfortunately most of them don't coincide with the Christmas spirit but nevertheless they are major markers in music history - I have tried to include some brighter moments as well. This post will cover through Dec.10th with updates past this as necessary. All this information and more can be found at http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/


Dec. 3 1979 - The Who concert at The Riverfront Coliseum: 11 people were trampled to death and 26 injured when fans rushed the door as they thought the concert had started. There were only a few thousand reserved seats with the remainder being "festival seating" and when the crowd, who were waiting outside in frigid weather, heard The Who performing their sound check, they rushed the closed doors mistakenly thinking the show had started. For long after Cincinnati banned festival seating at concerts.

Dec. 4 1971 Smoke on the Water: At a Frank Zappa concert at Montreaux Casino in Switzerland an audience member shot off a flare gun and "burned the place to the ground". The incident was immortalized in song by Deep Purple.

Dec. 6 1969 Altamont: At a free festival in Altamont, CA a fan was stabbed by the Hell's Angels, who had been hired for security purposes, during the concert. There were several other deaths and two births as well and many other events surrounding this situation.  The show was headlined by the Stones and included Jefferson Airplane, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers and CSN&Y - The Grateful Dead were scheduled to play but after arriving were concerned about the mood and tension in the air and refused to play. Being held just a few months after Woodstock what had started as being another gathering of the flower power nation turned into just the opposite. You can read further details here and check out the Gimme Shelter documentary in which many of the events, including the stabbing, are depicted.

Dec 6 1949 - Leadbelly dies.
Dec 6 1998 - Roy Orbison dies of a heart attack at 52.

Dec. 8 - I consider this day the "other 27 Club" - interestingly of which none of the individuals below are a member of. 

• 1980 - John Lennon, while returning to his New York apartment, was shot 5 times by Mark David Chapman.
• 1982 - Marty Robbins dies from complications following cardiac surgery.
• 1984 - Nick Dingley aka Razzle from Hanoi Rocks was involved in a wreck as a passenger in a car driven by Vince Neil, eventually dying from his injuries. Neil was drunk at the time and hit an opposing car while speeding, seriously injuring these passengers as well. 
• 2004 - Dimebag Darrell and four other people were shot by Nathan Gale at a Damageplan show in Columbus, OH.
• IRONICALLY - Jim Morrison was born on this day in 1943 - who would eventually go on to become a member of the infamous 27 Club.

Dec. 10 1967 - Otis Redding killed in a plane crash - his biggest hit, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, had been recorded three days earlier and Otis never saw its release.
Dec. 10 1999 - Rick Danko dies in his sleep.

In brighter news for this era on the 10th of December in 1977 CBGB opened its doors and in 2007 the mighty Led Zeppelin performed at the O2 arena in their first concert in 19 years and the first full concert since John Bonham's death.