Columbia’s most memorable concert moments
1956: On March 19, 1956, Elvis Presley performed at the Township Auditorium. One of his last concerts before he died was Feb. 18, 1977, when he performed at the Carolina Coliseum.
1973: The Eagles, at the height of their popularity, performed at the Carolina Coliseum.
1992: A blockbuster year: U2, Guns ’n’ Roses, Metallica, James Taylor, Van Halen, Rush, Garth Brooks and the Black Crowes all visited Columbia; it was the first year Williams-Brice Stadium hosted music events.
1993: Paul McCartney played at Williams-Brice Stadium
1994: The Rolling Stones played Williams-Brice. Some credit the band’s appearance to former Columbia Mayor Bob Coble, who convinced promoters to stop in Columbia, and not Clemson.
1996: Farm Aid, a day-long benefit for family farmers, featured performances by country icon Willie Nelson, John Mellencmp, the Beach Boys, and Neil Young. Hootie & The Blowfish jammed onstage with Nelson.
1996: MTV taped one of its first “Unplugged” segments with Hootie & The Blowfish, who performed on USC’s Horseshoe.
2001: George Strait played to 39,442 fans at Williams-Brice on April 21, 2001.
2002: At the Three Rivers Music Festival, Outkast headlined, with George Clinton, Al Green and Little Feat on the bill. The 2003 festival boasted rapper Ludacris, rocker Peter Frampton and Queens of the Stone Age.
2002: Bruce Springsteen opened the Colonial Life Center, now called the Colonial Life Arena.
2004: Bob Dylan, Jimmy Buffett, Yanni, Aerosmith, Prince, Britney Spears
2008: Kenny Chesney’s Poets and Pirates Tour in April drew more than 40,000 fans.
2009: Miley Cyrus at CLA. She was just aging out of her tween fans.
2010: Over the course of three days, Colonial Life hosted country music queens Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride.
2010: Tony Bennett performed at the reopening of the Township Auditorium
2014: Jack White at The Township Auditorium
What did we miss? Email us at statefeatures@thestate.com
This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Columbia’s most memorable concert moments."