July 10: Cardiac arrest at The Hollywood Vampires concert
On this day in 2016, Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry suffers a cardiac arrest during a performance with his second band, The Hollywood Vampires. The supergroup, in which both Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp play as well, was performing in Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. The 65 year old immediately went to Coney Island hospital. There, doctors confirmed he was in stable condition.
July 11: “America nearly killed us”
In 1994 at the Kansas City stop of Lollapalooza, the only British act to perform were The Verve. On this day, during their performance, frontman Richard Ashcroft collapsed into convulsions. An ambulance immediately came and took him to the hospital. The reasons behind his sudden illness was that he got drunk with members of The Breeders and The Bad Seeds.
On the same night, Pete Salisbury, Verve drummer, is arrested for destroying his hotel room. Being the only foreign act, Ashcroft concluded the night by saying that “America nearly killed us.”
July 12: Opening for Janis Joplin teaches you how to connect with an audience – and probably gives you clear skin, too
In 1970 Janis Joplin was performing at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in California. The singer, at that point loved by millions and admired by both fans and colleagues musicians, was about to give one of her shockingly astonishing performances – as always. Opening her concert was a local band, Fritz. Singer and front woman of the band? Young Stevie Nicks starting her music career in her first band and learning how to transmit emotions to an audience during a live performance. According to the later Fleetwood Mac singer, the person who taught her how to get fans’ attention and final approval was Joplin and her incredible abilities with the public.
July 13: You Just Don’t Refuse to Perform at Live Aid
On this day in 1985, the allegedly most famous concert in the history of music took place. Movies were made referencing it, and to date it still represents one of the biggest charity events ever. On July 13, between Philadelphia and London the Live Aid Concert took place, welcoming an incredible amount of big names to perform on the stages of the two cities. From the iconic performances of Queen and U2, to the less memorable fiasco of the newly reunited Led Zeppelin, the event went down in history. Through controversies and admiration, Bob Geldof succeeded in raising money for Africa and its famine crisis.
One of the controversies involves Tears For Fears. The British group last minute decided not to take part to the event after two members of their band quit. The group decided to donate concert funds to the cause anyway. However, the disapproval was huge, both from the public and fans, but especially from organizer, Bob Geldof.
Tears For Fears’ Roland Orzabal said:
“He made us feel very guilty. All those millions of people dying, it was all our fault. I felt terrible. I tell you, I know how Hitler must have felt.”
July 14: Aretha Franklin opens the Democratic National Convention
On this day, the Queen of Soul opens the 1992 Democratic National Convention. The artist performed in New York starting the series of presidential nominating conventions of the United States Democratic Party, taking a political stand while mesmerizing with her beautiful voice on the notes of the UN national anthem.
July 15: The first ’90s video to pass a billion views on YouTube
Today it’s getting easier and easier to get millions of views on YouTube, but there are records that are still unmatched. One of them is the one achieved when a musician reaches a billion streams. Let alone if the video in question is from two decades ago. But there is a song that achieved this number, and you would never guess which song we’re talking about. Take your time to think about who they might be, we’ll wait.
With one of the biggest hits ever, and one of the most emotional and iconic videos of the decade, Guns N’ Roses are the first act to ever pass a billion views on YouTube with a song from the 90s. The song in question is nothing less than “November Rain,” and whether you guessed or not, it isn’t much of a surprise. In fact, even back then, the group immediately topped the charts with their release and its incredible solo. Second to “November Rain” only Cranberries’ “Zombie,” which currently have over 800 million views.
July 16: Have you ever been accused of implanting subliminal messages in your songs?
In 1990 on this day, a trial began for Judas Priest. The metal band was in fact accused of implanting subliminal messages in their song “Better By You, Better Than Me.” In fact, the song was accused to have a message that led two teenage boys to enter a suicide pact. This pact brought one of the two boys to kill himself instantly, while the other died three years later following complications connected to the attempt. The case was finally dismissed on August 24. The judge concluded that the subliminal message was an accidental recording oddity.
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