21 Epic ’70s Concert Photos That’ll Make You Wish You Were There
The ’70s were the golden age of live music, a time when bands and soloists delivered performances so electrifying, they became the stuff of legend. From Led Zeppelin blowing the roof off Madison Square Garden to David Bowie’s otherworldly farewell as Ziggy Stardust, it’s no wonder boomers still won’t stop yapping about the “life-changing” concerts that defined a generation.
While we only get to live vicariously through them via grainy footage and secondhand stories, here are 21 photos of iconic concerts that you had to experience live.
1. Led Zeppelin Performing ‘One of the Best Live Concerts Ever’ at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, 1970
2. John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr of the Beatles Reunite on Stage at Madison Square Garden, 1973
3. What We Wouldn’t Give to Turn Back Time and Snag a Ticket to Woodstock. Here’s Jimi Hendrix Setting the Stage on Fire, 1969
4. One of Black Sabbath’s Most Famous and Iconic Concerts: The California Jam Festival, 1974
5. ‘Fans at a KISS Concert, 1977’
6. Davie Bowie Bids the Crowd Farewell as Alter Ego Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon in England, 1973
7. Pink Floyd Plays a Concert Without an Audience at the Amphitheater in Pompeii, Italy, 1971 — the First Performance There Since the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD
8. Fans Waiting for Led Zeppelin at the Kingdome Stage in Seattle, 1977
9. Queen Performing at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, 1975
10. Freddie Mercury Sets the Stage Ablaze With ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ During a Free Concert on Christmas Eve in London, 1975
11. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock n’ Roll, Shows Off Some Dance Moves During a Concert in San Francisco, 1970
12. The Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden, 1972
13. ‘My Dad in the White Cap Hitting on Some Girl at a Fleetwood Mac Concert, 1970s’
14. The Grateful Dead Drew a Crowd of Over 600,000 People at the Watkins Glen Summer Jam in New York, 1973
15. ‘Crowds Headed to the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen on July 27, 1973’
16. ‘Bruce Springsteen at the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, 1978’
17. Van Morrison During an Intimate Concert in New York City, 1978
18. Bob Dylan Performs With His Band at Madison Square Garden, 1970
19. ‘George Harrison and Bob Dylan at The Bangladesh Benefit Concert, 1971’
20. ‘Stevie Nicks and John McVie During a Fleetwood Mac Concert, 1977’
21. Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden, 1977
Looking for more music content?
For a trip down memory lane, take a look at 17 Vintage Photos From Woodstock ’69 That Show What the Festival Was Really Like and From Queen to Madonna: 15 Iconic Photos From the 1985 Live Aid Concert. Fans of vinyl should also check out 15 Vintage Photos of Record Shops in the 1970s.