Why October 2nd Matters In Rock History

DOVER, DE - JUNE 22:  Tom Petty performs onstage at the Firefly Music Festival at The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway on June 22, 2013 in Dover, Delaware.  (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly Music Festival)
DOVER, DE - JUNE 22: Tom Petty performs onstage at the Firefly Music Festival at The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway on June 22, 2013 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly Music Festival)

It’s October 2nd and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:

- In 2017, Tom Petty died in hospital, hours after an accidental overdose of prescription medications at his home in Malibu. He was a few weeks shy of his 67th birthday.

- In 1982, John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane” was the No. 1 song on the singles chart.

- In 1971, Yes began an English tour with Rick Wakeman behind the keyboards for the first time. 

- In 1982, at a benefit concert, Peter Gabriel performed with Genesis for the first time since leaving the group in 1975.

- In 1970, Pink Floyd released their fifth album, Atom Heart Mother.

- In 1995, Oasis released their second album, (What’s the Story), Morning Glory, which would go on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide.

- In 1971, Rod Stewart began a five-week run on top of the singles chart with “Maggie May/Reason to Believe.”

- And in 1996, a Pearl Jam show in Hartford, Connecticut ended in a riot when mass fighting broke out among the 30,000 concertgoers.

And that’s what happened today in rock history.

Original article by Dave Basner at iHeartRadio