DEC 6-12: Historic events this week from John Lennon, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Ace Frehley
DECEMBER 8, 1980: JOHN LENNON IS MURDERED
Two months after turning 40, Lennon was shot and killed by one of his own fans.
John & Yoko’s Double Fantasy, released 3 weeks prior, went straight to #1 with a surge in record sales.
Double Fantasy would go on to win the 1981 Album of the Year Grammy.
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DECEMBER 8, 2013: METALLICA PLAYS ANTARCTICA
Metallica’s Freeze ‘Em All show in Antarctica made them the first band to play on seven continents.
The resulting live album contained the songs: “Sad But True”, “One”, “Enter Sandman”, “Nothing Else Matters” Master of Puppets” and more.
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DECEMBER 10, 2007: LED ZEPPELIN REUNION
After a handful of reunion shows over the years, Led Zeppelin’s most successful was a 2007 Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert.
The one-off reunion featured the late John Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, on drums.
The show was later released as a live album called Celebration Day, and won a Grammy for Best Rock Album.
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DECEMBER 12, 1976: ACE FREHLEY NEARLY ELECTROCUTED
During a KISS show in Florida, Frehley touched an ungrounded metal railing.
He received a shock that caused him to lose feeling in his hand for the rest of the show.
The experience resulted in the KISS classic, “Shock Me”.