Music has become an afterthought at modern concerts. After navigating Ticketmaster and Live Nation's mountain of fees, concertgoers are tasked with finding a clear yet stylish bag, looking over a sea of recording cell phones to catch the act, and, if they're lucky, finding a way to sneak in a water bottle so they don't have to fork over $5-10 at the concession stand. But long before Coachella, Stagecoach, and Lollapalooza, the concert experience was a whole lot different — and way cooler.
From Jimi Hendrix closing out Woodstock on a high note to Beatlemania in action, here are 23 incredibly cool photos of concerts from the '60s, '70s, and '80s.
1
“… Freddie Mercury punched a hole in the sky at Live Aid.”
2
“A fan holding the Beatles concert program during their performance at Shea Stadium, 1965”
3
“[Possibly] Rowan Atkinson at a punk concert in the 70s?”
4
“Bob Marley performing at the Smile Jamaica Concert just 2 days after being shot and wounded.”
5
“Fans at an Alice Cooper concert at the Boston Garden, March 26, 1973.”
6
“Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin holds a pigeon that flew into his hand while on stage, 1973.”
8
“Judy Garland, age 38, performing live in concert at Carnegie Hall, (April 23, 1961).”
9
“Faces of Woodstock [1969].”
10
“Queen's last concert with Freddie Mercury, Knebworth Park, 9th August 1986.”
11
“Debbie Harry of Blondie on stage 1970’s.”
12
“Shea stadium concert with Brian Epstein.”
13
“Happy fans at a Rolling Stones concert, Philadelphia, 1978. (Photo by Joseph Szabo).”
14
“Grand Funk Railroad performing at the Atlanta Pop Festival, 1969.”
15
“Jimi Hendrix filming Janis Joplin backstage at Winterland, 1968. Photo by Jim Marshall.”
16
“Aerial view of over 400,000 people at the Woodstock Music Festival, New York, 1969.”
17
“Jimi Hendrix, the last performer at Woodstock takes the stage at 8:30am.”
18
“The Runaways in concert at Sheffield University, 1976. Photo by Howard Barlow.”
19
“Found this picture of my dad at a concert in the 70s. He is the one in the middle with the headband and ‘cigarette.’”
21
“ZZ Top performing in Pensacola, Florida, 1970.”
22
“Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney attend George Harrison's concert in disguise, circa 1974.”
23
“Helen Mirren, in the 70s, crashing the stage at a concert.”
