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Today in rock history, on this date in 1969. In what has to be one of the rarest and certainly one of the loudest double bills in rock history, The Who and Led Zeppelin shared a bill at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Zeppelin, who were just emerging, served as the opening act for The Who. This marks the only time these two rock giants would ever share a stage. Many tickets were printed with the incorrect spelling of the opening band's name reading "Lead Zeppelin". Tickets to see this once in a lifetime giant double bill were priced at a whopping $5.75 per ticket!
\\<\/iframe\>Today in rock history, on this date in 1967. British band Procol Harum's classic single "A Whiter Shade of Pale" entered the UK singles chart for the first time where it would eventually reach the top spot. By the late 2000s, it had been determined that this was the most played song throughout the UK during the last 75 years.
\\<\/iframe\>Born on this date in 1958 in Woking, Surrey, England — the great Paul Weller. Born with a passion for music, Weller played in neighborhood rock bands from an early age. It wasn't long before he'd lead The Jam, one of the most important bands to emerge from the British punk rock scene of the late 70s and then front his follow up band, the more jazz and R&bBinspired Style Council in the mid-80s. Since then, Weller has embarked on a highly successful solo career releasing a string of strong albums and has toured the world often. Affectionately labeled "The Modfather" for the attention he drew to the revival of mod culture since his early days with The Jam, Weller is considered a musical hero for so many of his loyal followers.
\\<\/iframe\>Today in rock history, on this date in 1991. Chicago-based four piece band Smashing Pumpkins released their debut album, Gish. Despite not making much of an impact on sales charts initially, the independently-released album was well received by the press and was a mainstay on college radio playlists upon its release. The band slowly built a following with the release of this album which would dramatically expand in numbers. The band's follow up album, Siamese Dream, was a huge success but their debut paved the way for what was to come. Featuring standouts like "Siva" and "I Am One", this is where the story of the Smashing Pumpkins began. The album is often referred to as one of the strongest debut albums released in the 1990s.
