This Day in History: 2024-12-02

DECEMBER 2^nd

Green Day’s single “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” is released. The acoustic ballad sells over 2-million copies. 1997

The Beatles’ “1” tops the Billboard 200 even though the 27 songs on this collection are over 30 years old. The Beatles once again demonstrate their lasting appeal. 2000

KISS close out their “End of the Road” farewell tour with the second of two shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. At the end of the concert, KISS introduces avatars “a combination of LED screen projection and lasers, as way the KISS brand will continue.  “The band will never stop,” says frontman Paul Stanley in a promo video. “We don’t own the band. The fans own the band. The world owns the band.”  2023

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Following their Montreal concert, The Who (and friends) are tossed into jail after doing $6,000 damage to a hotel. 1973

Linda Ronstadt graces the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. 1976

Muse bassist/singer Chris Wolstenholme is born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. 1978

Limp Bizkit cancels the Southeast Asian leg of their tour for safety reasons. The U.S. State Department had warned of “increased security risks” in the region. 2003

After much haggling Pearl Jam play the first of two shows at Pacaembu stadium in Sao Paulo. Mayor Jose Serra had suspended the shows after complaints from nearby wealthy residents about the noise and mess. He later reverses his decision when the group complies with some ground rules. The shows mark Pearl Jam’s Brazilian debut. 2005

Eric Woolfson, co-founder of the Alan Parsons Project, dies of cancer. He wrote all the band’s lyrics and contributed some lead vocals. He was 64. 2009

Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Cliff and Sheryl Crow appear at a benefit for the human rights organization WITNESS at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. WITNESS is a group that was co-founded by Gabriel and provides training for human rights activists worldwide. 2010

The three surviving members of Led Zeppelin— John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant— receive Kennedy Center Honors during a ceremony in Washington D.C. “We owe a large debt to the vitality and variety of the music of the American people,” Jones, Plant and Page offer in a statement. Blues guitarist Buddy Guy is also honored. 2012

British musician Kate Nash shares an open letter to President Barack Obama condemning the treatment of Standing Rock Sioux tribe members protesting the Dakota Access (oil) Pipeline.  Co-signers on the letter include Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien, Queen’s Brian May and Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs’ Karen O.  2016

Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) makes a surprise appearance at the NASCAR Sprint Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas to pay tribute to the recently retired driver Tony Stewart.  Also, the NASCAR community makes a donation of $1.8 million on behalf of Stewart to EB Research Partnership, Vedder’s non-profit organization which aims to cure Epidermolysis Bullosa, a devastating skin disorder that affects children.  2016

A re-formed Pantera plays its first live performance in over 20 years at Mexico’s Hell & Heaven Metal Fest. The band consists of surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals) along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) and drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax).  2022

In his post titled “How’s That Free Speech?” Jack White mocks Twitter owner Elon Musk’s ban of Ye (Kanye West) for antisemitic incitement to violence (in addition to praising Hitler). The ban comes on the heels of former President Trump’s return to the social media outlet. “So you’re learning that these folks (West, et al.) incite violence and hatred but trump…DOESN’T?” 2022