Historic events from Pearl Jam, Queen, Aerosmith, The Cure, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and U2
APRIL 19, 2024: DARK MATTER BY PEARL JAM
Pearl Jam revitalized their sound on the stadium-ready Grammy-nominated Dark Matter, which was recorded with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt. The track “Waiting for Stevie” was developed during a jam session while waiting for the legendary Stevie Wonder to arrive for a guest appearance on Eddie Vedder‘s solo album, Earthling.
APRIL 20, 1992: QUEEN’S STAR-STUDDED TRIBUTE TO FREDDIE MERCURY
On Easter Sunday, 5 months after the passing of frontman Freddie Mercury, the members of Queen performed a star-studded out concert for AIDS awareness.
The incredible lineup of guests featured performances from Slash, Robert Plant, David Bowie, Axl Rose, George Michael, Elton John and many more.
APRIL 20, 1993: AEROSMITH’S GET A GRIP
With Get a Grip, Aerosmith had their first ever #1 album.
Boasting six Top 10 singles, with five in the Top 5, Get a Grip would sell 7 million copies within 2½ years of its release.
They took home the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in ’93 & ’94 for “Livin’ on the Edge” and “Crazy”, respectively.
APRIL 21, 1992: THE CURE’S WISH
The Cure reached a commercial peak with the release of Wish, an album that balanced melancholic shoegaze textures with some of the most infectious pop hooks of the nineties. The record’s breakout smash, “Friday I’m in Love,” became a global anthem and helped propel the band to the top of the UK charts and a career-high #2 on the Billboard 200.
APRIL 21, 2016: PRINCE RODGERS NELSON PASSES AWAY
The world lost a true visionary when Prince passed away at his legendary Paisley Park estate, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy as one of the most prolific multi-instrumentalists in history. On the night of his passing, thousands of mourning fans gathered in the streets of Minneapolis for an impromptu block party outside First Avenue, where the crowd tearfully sang along to “Purple Rain.”
APRIL 22, 1985: PRINCE RELEASES AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY
Prince famously followed the massive success of Purple Rain with the psychedelic and experimental sounds of Around the World in a Day. The music video for the hit single “Raspberry Beret” notably features a hand-picked appearance by a young Pat Smear, years before he would find fame as a member of Nirvana and Foo Fighters.
APRIL 23, 1971: THE ROLLING STONES RELEASE STICKY FINGERS
Sticky Fingers was the Rolling Stones’ first US #1 album since 1965’s Out Of Our Heads.
The album features “Brown Sugar”, “Wild Horses” and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”.
Sticky Fingers was the first of 8 straight US #1 albums for the band.
APRIL 29, 1989: TOM PETTY’S FIRST SOLO ALBUM
After 7 LPs with The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty decided it was time for a solo project.
Retaining Mike Campbell on lead guitar and enlisting Jeff Lynne as producer/co-writer, Full Moon Fever was arguably his best album since Hard Promises.
“Runnin’ Down a Dream”, “I Won’t Back Down” and “Free Fallin’” all went to #1.
APRIL 25, 1987: THE JOSHUA TREE IS #1
The Joshua Tree was U2’s first of eight straight #1 albums in the US.
On the strength of US #1 singles “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, The Joshua Tree spent nine-straight weeks at #1, on its way to eventually selling 25 million copies worldwide.
