Why October 18th Matters In Rock History

By iHeartRadio

Published: October 18, 2021 at 11:05 AM

British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Paul McCartney outside his home on Cavendish Avenue in St John's Wood, London, UK, 18th March 1969. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Paul McCartney, pictured in 1969. Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

It’s October 18th and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:

- In 1957, Paul McCartney made his live debut with the Quarrymen at New Clubmoor Hall Conservative Club in Liverpool.

- In 1989, during an LA gig opening for The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose announced it would be the band’s final show unless the band members “got their s**t together” and stopped using heroin. After the incident, his bandmates promised to clean up.

- In 1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first gig as a band when they supported French pop star Johnny Hallyday in Paris.

- In 1986, Huey Lewis and the News had the No. 1 album in the country with their fourth effort, Fore!, which featured the songs “Stuck with You” and “Jacob’s Ladder.”

- In 1998, Metallica performed at the Playboy Mansion to help promote Orgazmo, a movie by South Park creator Trey Parker.

- And in 2000, Rage Against the Machine singer Zack De La Rocha quit the band because, according to him, the group’s “decision-making process has completely failed.”