September 13, 1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono make their live debut with the Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival. The lineup—assembled at the last minute and rehearsed on the flight over—features Eric Clapton on guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Alan White on drums.
1960 British radio attempted to ban the American hit "Tell Laura I Love Her" by Ray Peterson, claiming its tragic plot (a teenager dying in a stock car race) would inspire a teenage "glorious death cult". Taking advantage of the outrage, Welsh singer Ricky Valance releases a UK cover version, which rides the media controversy straight to #1 on the UK charts.
1980 Playing a massive, free concert in New York's Central Park in front of over 400,000 people, Elton John steps out for his final encore dressed in a heavy, full-body Donald Duck costume—waddling around stage and struggling to sit at the piano to sing "Your Song".
1991 Geffen Records throws a formal record release party for the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single at a club in Seattle. Bored and intoxicated, the band starts a massive food fight, pelting executive guests with dip and salad, and is promptly kicked out of their own album launch by security
September 13, 1972: Yes releases Close to the Edge
September 14, 1968: Roy Orbison’s house in Hendersonville, Tennessee burns down while he is on tour in England, tragically killing two of his young sons.
September 15, 1975: Pink Floyd releases their landmark ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here
September 16, 1977: Marc Bolan dies in a car crash in Barnes, London, at age 29.
September 17 1967 On the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, to finish their performance of "My Generation," Keith Moon bribes a stagehand to pack his drum kit with extra explosives. The resulting detonation was far stronger than planned: it knocked the show off the air briefly, singed guitarist Pete Townshend's hair (permanently damaging his hearing), and sent shrapnel into Moon's arm.
September 18, 1970: Jimi Hendrix dies in London at age 27
September 19, 1981: Simon & Garfunkel reunite for their free concert in Central Park, New York City, drawing an estimated 500,000 fans
September 19, 1973 Following the death Gram Parsons in Joshua Tree, his manager Phil Kaufman steals Parsons' coffin from Los Angeles International Airport in a borrowed hearse. Fulfilling a pact they made earlier that year, Kaufman drives the body back out to Joshua Tree, douses it in gasoline, and sets it ablaze in the desert.
