April 20th
1993 Aerosmith release “Get A Grip.”
It sells 7-million copies in the U.S. and becomes their first #1 album.
The band’s eleventh studio album is their third consecutive album with U.S. sales of at least five- million.
2010 Green Day’s musical, “American Idiot,” opens on Broadway at the St. James Theatre.
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2023 Billboard publishes a list of the Top 10 Tours of All-Time.
U2’s “360⁰ World Tour” (’09-’11) garnering $736-million lands at #3. Elton John and Ed Sheeran are #1 and #2, respectively.
MORE TODAY IN ROCK…
1948 Organist Craig Frost is born in Flint, MI. A late arrival to Grand Funk Railroad (well after they were famous and basically added to augment their sound), Frost later joins Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band.
1967 Drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Winery Dogs, Flying Colors) is born in Long Beach, NY.
1976 The Rolling Stones release their “Black And Blue” album. The most interesting and controversial thing about the album is the cover that features a ‘battered and bruised’ model in bondage.
1968 Deep Purple play their first concert in Tastrump, Denmark. Deep Purple (Mark I) has Ian Paice (drums), John Lord (organ) and Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), along with Rod Evans (vocals) and Nicky Simper (bass).
1970 Neil Young & Crazy Horse release the riff-driven “Cinnamon Girl.” Though the song becomes a Rock radio staple it can’t get near the Top 40. Go figure.
1991 Small Faces and Humble Pie guitarist Steve Marriott dies in a house fire. He was 44.
1992 A Concert For Life, celebrating the life of Queen’s Freddie Mercury, is held in London. Metallica, Def Leppard, and Guns N’ Roses perform. Also, Queen’s surviving members back David Bowie, Robert Plant and Roger Daltrey for a set of Queen songs.
1993 Radiohead’s “Pablo Honey” is released in the U.S. The set contains “Creep” (the band’s most successful single) and goes platinum in a couple years.
2011 The Revolver Golden Gods Awards show is held at L.A.’s Club Nokia. Avenged Sevenfold take home the Album of the Year trophy (presented by Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez of Alice In Chains). The band’s M. Shadows earns the Best Vocalist Award. Alice Cooper picks up the Golden God honor.
2011 Judas Priest reveal that legendary guitarist K.K. Downing has left the band. They name 31-year-old Richie Faulkner as Downing’s replacement for their upcoming Epitaph tour.
2015 AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads guilty in New Zealand’s Tauranga District Court to drug charges and threatening to kill a former assistant.
2017 Rush — Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart — receive the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award at the annual Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards Gala Dinner. The honor is for the group’s achievements and longstanding career in the music industry, social activism and support of humanitarian causes.
2017 Prince’s complex-turned-museum Paisley Park in Chanhassen, MN marks the one-year anniversary of his death with the four-day “life and legacy” celebration.
2019 Three Days Grace extend its record for the most #1s on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart with “Right Left Wrong.” The group’s 15th chart topper is from “Outsider,” their sixth full-length album and fifth consecutive set to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard 200.
2020 Linkin Park’s “Somewhere I Belong” is certified silver in the U.K. for selling 200,000 units. The song appears on band’s ’03 “Meteora” album.
2022 Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF) reveals that late guitarist Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen) made at least a $1 million donation to the organization that helps kids get music education in schools throughout the U.S. Van Halen passed away in ’20.
2024 “Friendly Fire” is Linkin Park’s 10th #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The ballad was recorded during the sessions for “One More Light” but was not included on the ’17 album.
