June 23, 1974 – The first World Series of Rock concert sponsored by WMMS in Cleveland takes place at Cleveland Stadium. The bill includes The Beach Boys, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm, Lynyrd Skynyrd and REO Speedwagon and attracts over 80,000 fans. The stadium is demolished in 1996, but not before fifteen more festivals occur.
June 23, 1975 – Alice Cooper plummets from the stage during his “Welcome To My Nightmare” tour in Vancouver, Canada. He breaks six ribs and suffers a concussion, but continues the show after getting bandaged up. Eventually, he is driven to the local hospital where he gets 15 stitches in his head.
June 23, 2005 – Four people are stabbed, one fatally, at a Corrosion Of Conformity show at the Masquerade club in Ybor City, FL. According to police, a fight between two women broke out in the mosh pit in front of the stage but spread to other members of the audience. Michael Pyne, a tattoo artist, later pleads guilty to the stabbings and is sentenced to 25 years in prison.
June 23, 2010 – Gregg Allman undergoes a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Allman acknowledges heavy drug use in the past, but says he suspects he may have contracted Hepatitis from a tattoo needle. “I changed my ways years ago, but we can’t turn back time. Every day is a gift.”
June 23, 2006 – Robert Plant headlines the “We’re Doing It For Love” fundraising benefit for Arthur Lee of Love, who is uninsured and suffering from acute myeloid leukemia. Plant performs 12 songs, including five Led Zeppelin songs and five recorded by Love in the 60’s. Sadly, Lee died later that year in August after putting up a courageous fight.
June 23, 2004 – The University of St. Andrews in Scotland gives Bob Dylan an honorary doctorate in music. University principal, Dr. Brian Lang, describes Dylan as an “iconic figure for the 20th Century,” adding, “His songs, and in particular his lyrics, are still part of our consciousness.”
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