OCTOBER 20 | TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY: Led Zeppelin, The Police, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same Premieres
On November 1, 1976, Led Zeppelin’s concert film The Song Remains the Same had its theatrical premiere. The film was built around footage recorded over three nights at Madison Square Garden in July 1973, during the band’s massive U.S. tour, capturing Led Zeppelin at the height of its power as a live act.
The concert footage showcases the band’s enormous stage presence, with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham stretching songs far beyond their studio versions. Page’s extended guitar work, Bonham’s thunderous drumming and Plant’s commanding vocals demonstrated why the band had become one of the most formidable concert attractions of the era. The film also includes elaborate fantasy sequences centered on the individual members, giving the project a surreal quality that goes well beyond a conventional concert documentary.
The Song Remains the Same became a cult favorite despite the limitations of its production and the mixed reaction it initially received. For generations of fans, however, its value lies in the opportunity to see Led Zeppelin performing at the peak of their career, when extended improvisation, sheer volume and four musicians operating at extraordinary levels could turn a concert into something much larger than a collection of songs.
The Police Begin Their First North American Tour
On November 1, 1978, The Police kicked off their first North American tour at New York City’s legendary CBGB’s. The band was still largely unknown in the United States, playing the small clubs that formed the backbone of the city’s emerging punk and new-wave scene. Their unusual combination of punk energy, reggae rhythms and rock musicianship would soon take them far beyond those cramped rooms.
The tour included stops at venues such as The Rat in Boston and the Last Chance Saloon in Poughkeepsie, where the Police sometimes performed for remarkably small crowds. Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland were still developing the sound that would make them international stars, and the contrast between these early club shows and the massive arenas they would soon headline is striking.
The timing proved crucial. The Police were beginning to attract attention in Britain, and songs such as “Roxanne” were establishing the band as something different from the straightforward punk acts surrounding them. Their first North American tour captured the group just before that breakthrough, when they were still close enough to the underground to play legendary clubs to handfuls of people and far enough ahead of the curve to suggest that something much bigger was coming.
Tragedy Strikes Lynyrd Skynyrd
On October 20, 1977, tragedy struck the world of rock and roll when a plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed near Gillsburg, Mississippi, while the band was traveling from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The aircraft ran out of fuel and went down in a heavily wooded area, killing six people, including lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
The crash came as Lynyrd Skynyrd was at the height of its success. The band had released Street Survivors only three days earlier and was beginning what was expected to be a major tour. The loss of Van Zant, Gaines and Cassie Gaines, along with road manager Dean Kilpatrick and the two pilots, devastated the band and its fans and abruptly ended one of the most important chapters in Southern rock.
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music would outlive the tragedy. Songs including “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” became permanent parts of the rock canon, while the surviving members eventually continued their musical careers. For generations of listeners, the 1977 crash has remained inseparable from the band’s story, but so has the remarkable music Lynyrd Skynyrd created before that devastating moment.
OCTOBER 20TH IN ROCK HISTORY
- 1977: Meat Loaf released his breakthrough album, ‘Bat Out of Hell,’ which went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time, featuring hits like “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.”
- 1992: R.E.M. released their eighth studio album, ‘Automatic for the People,’ which included iconic tracks like “Everybody Hurts” and “Man on the Moon.” The album received critical acclaim and became one of the band’s defining records.
- 2004: U2 released “Vertigo,” the lead single from their album ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.’ The song became a worldwide hit, further solidifying U2’s place as one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
Three Weird October 20 Rock Factoids
David Bowie Was Rejected by Decca
On October 20, 1966, David Bowie was among the young British artists trying to find a record deal while developing the strange blend of pop, R&B and theatricality that would eventually define his career. Bowie’s early attempts at breaking into the music business were repeatedly met with indifference, making his eventual transformation into one of rock’s most celebrated innovators even more improbable. His first major breakthrough was still several years away.
The Who’s Equipment Once Nearly Started a Riot
On October 20, 1967, The Who were performing at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco during a period when the band’s destructive stage act was becoming legendary. Their habit of smashing guitars and equipment was no longer simply a gimmick, and the escalating spectacle reflected how radically rock performance was changing in the late 1960s. Pete Townshend’s guitar destruction would soon become one of the most recognizable—and expensive—rituals in rock.
Keith Moon Once Blew Up a Hotel Toilet
On October 20, 1967, Keith Moon was already developing the outrageous reputation that would eventually make him one of rock’s great characters. The Who drummer became notorious for hotel-room destruction and explosive pranks, including the infamous use of explosives to destroy toilets. Moon’s behavior became so legendary that stories of his hotel escapades often sounded exaggerated—even though many of them were based on events that actually happened.
Final Thoughts
The loss of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and the others aboard the plane remains one of the darkest moments in rock history. Lynyrd Skynyrd had reached a creative and commercial peak, making the tragedy even more devastating for a band that appeared to have so much more music ahead of it.
Yet Lynyrd Skynyrd’s story ultimately extends far beyond the crash. The songs created by Van Zant, Gaines and their bandmates became part of the permanent American rock landscape, carrying their voices and musicianship to generations who never had the chance to see the original lineup perform. Their legacy survives every time “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama” or another Lynyrd Skynyrd classic comes through the speakers.
