October 20, 2001: The Concert for New York City

Sir Paul with cops and firemen

October 20, 2001: The Concert for New York City is held at Madison Square Garden. Played just 6 weeks after the 9/11 attacks, emotions were still running deep. Most of the audience was cops, firemen, rescue workers, and people who had lost family members in the attacks, many of them holding up photos of the victims. Billy Crystal was the master of ceremonies.

David Bowie opened the show with Simon & Garfunkel's "America," then did his own "Heroes" with a full band. Also on hand: Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, Goo Goo Dolls, Destiny's Child (including Beyoncé), Eric

Clapton & Buddy Guy, the Backstreet Boys, Macy Gray, James Taylor, John Mellencamp & Kid Rock, Five For Fighting, and Janet Jackson.

Billy Joel showed up drunk, and went into rehab not long thereafter. Of course, he played "New York State of Mind." But first, he played "Miami 2017." On September 10, 2001, it looked like the apocalypse he'd predicted for The City in 1976 had been prevented. But on the 11th, it came far too close to reality: "I watched the mighty skyline fall" -- although it was the World Trade Center, not the Empire State Building, that he saw "laid low" in the song He later joined Elton John, who had played his New Yorker-themed "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," for a performance of Elton's "Your Song."

Melissa Etheridge's microphone went out during her acoustic performance of "Come to My Window," but everybody was singing along anyway, and none of those hard-edged, blue-collar cops and firemen gave a damn that she was openly gay. (Well, maybe a few from Staten Island. But, as for the rest, this was New York.) Her mike went out again as she did an acoustic version of Springsteen's "Born to Run" -- and nobody flinched as she sang lines of love and passion to a woman named Wendy.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones sang "Salt of the Earth" and "Miss You" (with its reference to walking through Central Park in the '70s). When they were done, Mick said, "If there's one thing we've learned from all this, it's that you don't fuck with New York!" True.

The Who came out, with former Beatle Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey filling in on drums for the late Keith Moon, and it turned out to be bass player John Entwistle's last performance. They did a nasty "Who Are You," an intense "Baba O'Riley," a melancholy "Behind Blue Eyes," and a roaring "Won't Get Fooled Again." Crystal said, "I'd never seen The Who live before. It was great to see these middle-aged men get out on stage and kick ass."

With Elvis Presley dead and unavailable, it was appropriate that the show closed with a surviving Beatle, Paul McCartney, who played, among others, "Yesterday," his new song "Freedom," and "Let It Be."

*

October 20, 2001 was a Saturday. Game 3 of the American League Championship Series was played at Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees were clobbered by the Seattle Mariners, 14-3. But the pattern from the 1999 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox was followed: Game 3 was a disaster for the Yankees, but it would be the only game in the series that they would lose.

Game 4 of the National League Championship Series was played at Turner Field in Atlanta. The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves, 11-4. They would beat the Yankees in the World Series, putting a damper on what had been a great story.

Being a Saturday, college football games were played. But the team then ranked Number 1, the University of Miami, was not scheduled. They went on to win the National Championship.

It was a rare "Third Saturday in October" for Tennessee over Alabama, 35-24 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Notre Dame beat USC, 27-16 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

Penn State beat Northwestern, 38-35 at Ryan Field in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois.

Rutgers beat Navy, 23-17 at the new Rutgers Stadium (now SHI Stadium) in Piscataway, New Jersey. It was 1 of only 2 games the Scarlet Knights would win all season.

Princeton lost to Harvard, 28-26 at Harvard Stadium in Boston.

The NBA season wouldn't start for another 10 days. But there were 14 NHL games played:

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Ottawa Senators, 3-2 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands. (It was then named the Continental Airlines Arena.) Jason Arnott, Patrik Elias and Scott Niedermayer scored.

* The New York Rangers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-2 at the Ice Palace (now the Benchmark International Arena) in Tampa.

* The New York Islanders retire the Number 19 of Hall-of-Fame center Bryan Trottier. This was a bit late: He'd played his last NHL game 7 years earlier, and his last game for the team 11 years earlier. The team had already retired 5 for Denis Potvin, 9 for Clark Gillies, 22 for Mike Bossy, 23 for Bobby Nystrom and 31 for Billy Smith.

Their game that night, at the Nassau Coliseum, against the San Jose Sharks, ended in a 2-2 tie. (No shootouts yet.)

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Washington Capitals, 6-3 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia. (It's now the Xfinity Mobile Arena, although Flyer fans miss calling the building "The F.U. Center.")

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 at the Molson Centre in Montreal. (It's now the Bell Centre.)

* The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Atlanta Thrashers, 2-1 at the Raleigh Sports and Entertainment Center. (It's now the Lenovo Center.) Jeff O'Neill scored the winner, 1:33 into overtime.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators, 2-1 at Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. (It's now the Bridgestone Arena.)

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-0 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Los Angeles Kings, 3-2 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The Wings went on to beat the Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. (It's now the Enterprise Center.) Pavol Demitra scored the winner with 1:25 left in overtime. 

* The Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars played to a tie, 2-2 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* The Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers, 6-2 at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton. (It was then named the Skyreach Centre.)

* The Phoenix Coyotes beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2 at the AmericaWest Arena in Phoenix.

Also, Arsenal had a 3-3 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Highbury, North London. 

June 16, 1972: David Bowie Releases "Ziggy Stardust"

"K. West" was a London clothing boutique.

Fans of Kanye West have said that it was a salute to him,

even though he wasn't born until 1977.

June 16, 1972: David Bowie releases his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. While he had already been a star due to songs like "Space Oddity" and "Life On Mars?" this album made him an all-time legend.

It's a concept album: Ziggy is an androgynous and bisexual rock star from an unspecified planet. He arrives on a future Earth that is dying, due to a lack of natural resources. Around the world, older people have lost touch with reality, while children have adopted a hedonistic way of life, and no longer want rock music, as there is no electricity to play it.

Ziggy is advised in a dream by beings known as the Infinites to write about the coming of a "Starman" (which is the title of one of the songs) who will save Earth. Ziggy's tale of the Starman is the first news of hope that the people have heard in a long time, so they latch onto it immediately. Ziggy soon gathers a large following, and is worshipped as a prophet. According to Bowie, "He takes himself up to incredible spiritual heights, and is kept alive by his disciples." The Infinites arrive, and tear Ziggy apart onstage, ending the hope.

The album is considered the height of "glam rock," short for "glamour rock," due to the makeup worn by performers such as Bowie, T. Rex bandleader Marc Bolan, and Lou Reed, formerly the leader of The Velvet Undergound, now gone solo. John Lennon said glam rock was "rock and roll with lipstick on." But in spite of the androgynous influences, it had a big and bold sound, especially with the guitars.

For the next year, Bowie toured in character as Ziggy, whom he described as a combination of Reed and Iggy Pop, and called his backing band The Spiders From Mars. He retired the character at the end of the tour, because he felt that it was sublimating his real life and personality. But he would play songs from the album for the rest of his life.

An ad for the 25th Anniversary re-release of the album in 1997 said, "Whether you know it or not, this album changed your life." Many people have said that, through his bravery to be who he was in public, and his inspiring of others to do the same, David Bowie saved their lives, keeping them from going mad or taking their own lives. The last song on the album is titled "Rock and Roll Suicide," but it's an anti-suicide song, with the line, "I will help you with the pain," evoking Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." One of the comments on a live version of the song on YouTube reads, "Bowie has been my therapist since the '70s."

UPDATE: It took me until 2024 to think of this, but the 1970s were Schrödinger's Decade. There was too much overwrought music, and, at the same time, not enough of it.

This was also the release date for the self-titled debut album of Roxy Music, and of Judith Viorst's book, in the voice of her son: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

*

June 16, 1972 was a Friday. Korean-American actor John Cho was born on this day.

These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees swept a doubleheader from the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. They won the opener, 2-0. Steve Kline pitched a 5-hit shutout. Roy White, Bernie Allen and Jerry Kenney each got 2 hits. But the runs didn't come on any of those: They came on a sacrifice fly by Horace Clarke in the 4th inning, and an error on a mishandled bunt by Kline. (Remember: This was the last pre-designated hitter season in the American League.)

They won the nightcap, 3-2. Mel Stottlemyre was the winning pitcher, and got 2 hits, as did Bobby Murcer and Felipe Alou. Mel's double in the 3rd brought home what turned out to be the winning run.

* The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 8-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Ken Boswell hit a home run for the Mets. Johnny Bench went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs, Pete Rose went 1-for-4, and Joe Morgan went 0-for-3.

* A doubleheader was split at Fenway Park in Boston. The Chicago White Sox won the 1st game, 5-4. The Boston Red Sox won the 2nd game, 10-8. Over the 2 games, Carl Yastrzemski went 4-for-9 with 4 RBIs.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Montreal Expos, 3-2 at Atlanta Stadium (later Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Hank Aaron went 0-for-4, although he did draw a walk. Rico Carty singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-0 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Clay Kirby allowed 9 hits, but pitched a shutout. Willie Stargell went 1-for-4, and Roberto Clemente did not play.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Frank Robinson, in his only season with the Dodgers, went 1-for-4.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4. So did Rod Carew. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th.

* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-5 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the California Angels, 3-2 at Anaheim Stadium. (It's now named Angel Stadium of Anaheim.) Al Kaline went 1-for-4.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Reggie Jackson went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

February 11, 2012: The Curse of Aaron Ramsey

February 11, 2012: Arsenal beat Sunderland, 2-1 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in the North-East of England. Thierry Henry, in his brief loan return to Arsenal, scored the winning goal in stoppage time. It was his 228th and last goal for the team, a record.

The earlier Arsenal goal was scored by Aaron Ramsey. Seven hours later, Whitney Houston died, and this led to jokes about "The Curse of Aaron Ramsey." (I have a separate entry for Whitney's death.)

This bizarre series of events began on October 16, 2009, when he scored his 1st goal for the Wales national team. Just hours later, Spanish journalist Andrés Montes died. Most people in the English-speaking world, not familiar with Montes, didn't notice. But a pattern did emerge, with some caveats:

* May 1, 2011: Ramsey scored the only goal in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Manchester United. Within hours, SEAL Team Six killed Osama bin Laden, who was famously hard to find, let alone kill.

* October 2, 2011: Ramsey scored the only Arsenal goal in a 2-1 loss to North London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Three days later, computer pioneer Steve Jobs died. Jobs was known to have terminal cancer, and 3 days is a bit of a stretch, so I'm not sure this one can be counted.

* October 19, 2011: Ramsey scored the only goal in Arsenal's 1-0 Champions League win over Olympique de Marseille. The next day, former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed. Like bin Laden, he was famously hard to find and kill, but having been deposed earlier in the year made it somewhat easier.

* February 11, 2012: The Ramsey-Houston combination. Arsenal fans began to joke about who was going to be next. Queen Elizabeth II? Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe? A few angry, ungrateful Arsenal fans suggested the manager, Arsène Wenger.

* November 30, 2013: After nearly 2 years of no such occurrences, which led to many people forgetting about it, and which should have put an end to it, Ramsey scored against his former team, his hometown team, Cardiff City, in a 3-0 Arsenal win in Cardiff. Later that day, actor Paul Walker was killed in a car crash. The "curse" story was revived.

* May 17, 2014: Ramsey scored in extra time to win the FA Cup Final, giving Arsenal a 2-1 win over Hull City. The next day, singer Jerry Vale died. He was 83 years old, but was not known to be sick, so, you make the call.

* August 10, 2014: Ramsey scored in Arsenal's 3-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City. The next day, Robin Williams died. This certainly shouldn't be counted, as it was a suicide, and Williams could no longer take the strain of an illness that was making his life miserable.

* January 9, 2016: After nearly a year and a half of no occurrences, Ramsey scored in Arsenal's 3-1 FA Cup 3rd Round win over Sunderland. The next day, David Bowie died. The legendary rocker was known to have terminal cancer, so this one shouldn't be counted, either. However, in Arsenal's very next game:

* January 13, 2016: Ramsey scored in Arsenal's 3-3 draw with Liverpool. The next day, actor Alan Rickman died. He was just short of turning 70, and was not widely known to be ill. But it was revealed that he had been battling cancer for years, and had also recently had a stroke. So this is another that shouldn't be counted.

* March 5, 2016: Ramsey scored in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham. The next day, former First Lady Nancy Reagan died. This one absolutely should not be counted, since she was 94 years old.

* May 27, 2017: Once again, Ramsey scored the winning goal in the FA Cup Final, which Arsenal won, in this case 2-1 over Chelsea. Two days later, former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega died. But he was 86 and already sick.

So, 12 instances, over a period of 8 years. And most of them were hardly a surprise. Perhaps it's time to put this myth to rest.

*

February 11, 2012 was a Saturday. Baseball and football were out of season. There were 8 games played in the NBA that day:

* The New York Knicks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 100-98 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 103-89 at the Prudential Center in Newark.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Charlotte Bobcats, 111-86 at the Time Warner Cable Arena (now the Spectrum Center) in Charlotte.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 97-94 in double overtime at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-84 the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers, 113-109 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now the Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis.

* The Orlando Magic beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 99-94 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* And the Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings, 98-84 at the Power Balance Pavilion (now the Sleep Train Arena) in Sacramento.

And there were 12 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2 at the Wells Fargo Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The New York Islanders beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum. Mark Streit scored the winning goal, 1:36 into overtime.

* The New Jersey Devils lost to the Florida Panthers, 3-1 at the Prudential Center in Newark. 

* In the opener of the weekly Saturday night CBC broadcast Hockey Night In Canada, the NHL's original rivalry was held at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-0.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators, 4-3 in a shootout at the TD Garden in Boston.

* The Edmonton Oilers beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-3 at Scotiabank Place (now the Canadian Tire Centre) in Ottawa.

* The Tampa Bay Lightning beat Buffalo Sabres, 2-1 at the First Niagara Center (now the KeyBank Center) in Buffalo.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Winnipeg Jets, 8-5 at the Consol Energy Center (now the PPG Paints Arena) in Pittsburgh.

* The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Minnesota Wild, 3-1 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2 at the Scottrade Center (now the Enterprise Center) in St. Louis. Carlo Colaiacovo scored the winning goal with 1:42 left in overtime.

* The Phoenix Coyotes beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-0 at the Jobing.com Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* In the nightcap of Hockey Night In Canada, the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 in a shootout at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* And the Detroit Red Wings, the Dallas Stars, the Washington Capitals, the Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks were not scheduled.