Scoop Time: Shea Stadium to Host Live Earth

Over the years Shea has hosted a number of rock concerts, including a 1983 Police show. As such, The Police are the only confirmed band that has played the stadium before. Perhaps history will be repeated.

The history of rock concerts at Shea Stadium:

  • August 15th, 1965: The Beatles
  • August 23rd, 1966: The Beatles
  • August 6th, 1970: The Summer Festival for Peace featuring Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix
  • July 23rd, 1976: Jethro Tull
  • October 12-13th, 1982: The Who
  • August 6th, 1983: Simon and Garfunkel
  • August 18th, 1983 : The Police
  • October 10-11, 25-26, 28-29th, 1989: The Rolling Stones
  • August 21st-22nd, 1992: Eric Clapton and Elton John
  • October 1st, 3rd-4th, 2003: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

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0 Responses

  1. i saw the clapton/elton concert there… not exactly the best place for a show..they covered the grass with a tarp. curtis stigers opened for them. if i remember right, the stage was right in centerfield where the apple in the hat is. clapton rocked..elton was pretty good too.

  2. Maybe he’s trying to get more buzz going with the shitty lineup.

    You know, anyone can get a great lineup for a great cause. But if you get a shitty lineup for a great cause, not only do you have buzz going about the great cause, but you have additional buzz going because people are also talking about how you managed to get a shitty lineup for that great cause.

    “This is so smart, it’s retarded.”

  3. REM opened for the Police at that Shea Stadium show in 83, right after releasing Murmur. epic.

  4. Ace, you know me better than I know myself. ‘Course, I stand by the sox not giving Pedro that 4th year.

  5. Hi there. Despite your math and your source, there’s one situational thing you didn’t take into account – the fact that the rear of Shea Stadium is now almost completely gone due to the construction of the new stadium. I don’t know how they’d get the trucks in to unload, I don’t know where the backstage would be (the picnic area is almost gone), and there is NO, repeat, NO parking left.

    I was out there last weekend getting some shots of the construction so you can see for yourself:
    http://flickr.com/photos/metsgrrl

    Particularly http://flickr.com/photos/metsgrrl/409563254/
    this is where field tickets entered the stadium when Springsteen played there. There used to be a huge area back there along with an enormous parking lot. Not any more.

    I know that Shea is easily accessible via public transportation but it was a clusterfuck last year during the playoffs and they’d barely fenced off any of the one parking lot.

    Plus it makes no sense that they’d allow the chance that the show could fuck up the turf in the middle of the season. Really, really illogical when Giants Stadium is freely available and has none of these logistical concerns.

  6. I saw that article, we’ll see what happens. I also read that Led Zep, Pink Floyd, and The Police will be headlining.

  7. Does anybody know, where the London concert will take place? Wembley or Hyde Park? Wembley or Hyde Park? In Some articles there is written that concert will take place in Wembley. So what is true?

  8. I attended the Festival for Peace concert (August 6, 1970) at Shea Stadium. What a great event. Janis, CCR, Paul Simon, The James Gang and many other groups. Concert began around 10 a.m. and ended around 11 pm.

    Is there anyone who can give me a complete list of artists who performed at the show?

    This upcoming Live Earth show reminds me of that concert.

    Many Thanks.

    Steve

  9. Steve B.
    It was my first concert, I remember CCR stopping so all in upper deck could be brought down due to sway at shea

  10. hello STEVEB (you were asking if anyone remembered who played
    shea stadium on august 6, 1970)i was 17 and stood on line from the night before with my then boyfriend (now husband)
    as there wasn’t assigned seating and we wanted good seats… we sat just over the mets’ dugout, they were some of the best seats on the house ….. the show was magical …. the variety
    of acts and music ….. bands just showing up and playing (like janis)….. all for the price of about $16.00 for 12 hours of music … peter yarrow opened the show and ccr closed the show …..i remember most of the performers (not in any particular order).. peter yarrow, pacific gas & electric, tom paxton,dionne warwick, johnny winter, the original cast of hair, ccr (i also remember the music stopping because the tiers were rocking up & down), paul simon, james gang, poco, 10 wheel drive, al kooper, richie havens, sha-na-na, miles davis, the young rascals, stepphenwolf,janis joplin (she was NOT a scheduled performer — she was a surprise guest — i remember her performance like i saw her yesterday ……she did “ball & chain”, “summertime”, “turtle blues” and “piece of my heart”, all while consuming a bottle of southern comfort) AND I DO NOT REMEMBER SEEING OR HEARING JIMI HENDRIX or otherwise (i would really like to know where it comes from that he was there)it is only recently that i have even heard any references to this show ….. for a long time only archivists and members of the audience had a vague memory of it….

    well steveb … i hope this helps you ……
    rock on

  11. I tried to explain this concert to my son after he watched the VMA and commented on the sad state of music right now.

    I was 15 years old, sitting in the nosebleed section so we could smoke it up! My first love, the vibe of the stadium, the fucking music, OOWWWW. Once in a lifetime, unexplainable, still brings me right back to that place in time.

    Hendrix was there. Didn’t he break a guitar???
    More, give me more….

  12. AGAIN!!!
    JIMI HENDRICKS DID NOT PLAY SHEA STADIUM ON AUGUST 6, 1970.. I WOULD REMEMBER IF HE WAS …… I WAS THERE !!!!!!!!
    SHOW ME WHERE THIS IS PUBLISHED THAT HE WAS THERE !!!!!!

  13. how come Grand Funk Railroad isn’t on your list of performers
    that played shea ?????? they played the stadium in July, 1971

  14. If Hendrix was there, he was in the seats – I think I would remember him. We spent a good part of the day trying to sneak into the stadium. Must have walked around it 20 times. On one of our turns, a limo pulled up and out popped Richie Havens. We went up to him and asked him to get us in and he said, “sorry man – I wiash I could, but I just can’t.” On our next trip around, a limo pulled up and out pops Janis. She was wearing the same outfit she had on for Cavett. We went up to her too and she said “Get the fuck away from me you lousy fuckin kids.” When we finally got inside, no one believed that she was there, but when she came out, she certainly rocked the place despite her tirade about turning the lights down. I found Steppenwolf’s “Monster” to be the hit of the concert. I was sitting on the steps and Shea was definitely swaying. Amazing how many people don’t believe me when I tell them about this concert. I guess it wasn’t marketed very well.

  15. Jimi Hendrix DID play the Shea gig in August 1970. I know, I was there, I remember it as one of the greatest days of my life. think of it Peter Paul and Mary, Tom Paxton, Paul Simon, Poco, Creedence, Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix all in one fantastic night.

    I collect rare recordings. If anyone knows where to get a recording of that concert I would be most appreciative if you’d send me an e-mail [email protected]

    Thanks!

    Peace, Love and Rock and Roll!!!

  16. Hendrix and joplin rocked the house that hot august night. I know because I was there with my stone head friends after returning from Nam. Total awesome and mind blowing experience.

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