Radio City Music Hall opened two days after Christmas in 1932. Originally intended for the Metropolitan Opera, its purpose shifted after the Great Crash of 1929, and it was reimagined as a grand theater with nearly 6,000 seats and a hydraulic stage.
With its iconic neon marquee and sweeping art deco foyer, it was soon nicknamed the “Showplace of the Nation.”
But as New York City declined in the 1970s, so did attendance—dropping from 5 million guests in 1968 to just 1.5 million in 1978. Developers licked their chops to shutter the hall and convert it into lucrative office space.
Radio City was rescued by a grassroots effort led by the “Showpeople’s Committee,” which secured landmark protection for the interiors in 1978 and the exterior in 1985. Since then, the venue has been carefully maintained to preserve its historic integrity and style.
Today, it’s owned by Madison Square Garden Entertainment, which also operates MSG and The Sphere.
In addition to longtime staples like the Rockettes and their annual holiday shows, Radio City has hosted some of the most iconic concerts and artists in American music history. Let's take a look at a few.
Frank Sinatra
In the 1940s Ol Blue Eyes made a home for himself at the Paramount Theater less than a mile from Radio City. But as he and his audience matured, he got comfortable at Radio City which also had the benefit of being twice as large as the Paramount.
Over his career the crooner performed 45 shows at Radio City, but the most important was his second visit - his first in over three decades.
The year was 1978, he was 63 and "straining for relevance," James Kaplan wrote in his biography, Sinatra: The Chairman, and looking for fresh new songs to cover for his setlists. But when he sang contemporary songs it felt off and in some cases embarrassing.
His wife, Barbara recommended the theme from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York that had been released just a year previously but he said, "Naw, that’s Liza’s song," referring to Liza Minelli who sang it on the soundtrack.
But Barbara kept nudging him and on October 13 he live debuted it at the Waldorf and then tried it again the following night at Radio City.
“The number he almost didn’t sing brought the house down.” Mrs. Sinatra wrote in her book, Lady Blue Eyes. And not only did Frank have another anthem to be proud of, but so did the city.
MTV Video Music Awards
Between its inaugural show in 1984 through 2018, MTV held its flagship award show, the VMAs at Radio City 13 times.
Usually newsworthy, often outrageous, and never boring, the first VMAs is known for the notorious performance of Madonna singing the title track of her recently released album, Like A Virgin, while writhing around the stage floor in a wedding dress.
Nearly 20 years later she revisited the smash hit and performance with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in the kiss(es) seen 'round the world.
In 2000, Eminem marched down Sixth Avenue into the theater trailed by dozens of lookalikes for “The Real Slim Shady,” and Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford climbed the set scaffolding after Limp Bizkit won Best Rock Video.
At the 1996 ceremony, Oasis performed “Champagne Supernova” near the end of the telecast, despite not being nominated.
Liam Gallagher, seemingly trashed, told the crowd, “I hope you’re having a good time, but I know you’re having a shit time,” before changing the lyrics to “a champagne supernova up your bum.”
During his brother Noel's guitar solo, Liam made obscene gestures, spat beer, dropped the mic and stormed off into the wings of the glorious music hall.
Oasis, as you may have heard, are on tour after 16 years of being apart. Tickets are sold out but you can click around the Oasis website anyways because nothing is impossible.
Soooo Many Live Albums
Radio City, for countless reasons, has been a key venue for established acts to document a pinnacle in their career. From Goose to Trey to Liza, many of your favorites used the room for not only its audible nuances, but many shot it for DVDs as well.
Liza Minnelli – Live from Radio City Music Hall
The Who – Join Together
Trey Anastasio – Live at Radio City
Phish – Live Bait Vol. 10
Sarah Brightman – La Luna: Live in Concert
Harry Connick Jr. – Harry for the Holidays
Luther Vandross – Live Radio City Music Hall
Andrea Bocelli – Sentimento: Live in Concert
Il Divo – Live at Radio City Music Hall
Dream Theater – Live at Radio City Music Hall
Gipsy Kings – Live at Radio City Music Hall
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – Live at Radio City
Celtic Woman – A New Journey: Live at Radio City Music Hall
Josh Groban – Awake Live
Heaven & Hell – Live from Radio City Music Hall
Ben Harper and Relentless7 – Live from the Radio City Music Hall
Various Artists – Dark Was the Night Live
Joe Bonamassa – Live at Radio City Music Hall
King Crimson – Live at Radio City Music Hall
Goose – Live at Radio City Music Hall
The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead played eight nights at Radio City in October 1980—one of the longest theater residencies in the band’s history and the only extended run they ever did in such a fancy-dancy, seated venue.
Complimented by similar gigs at the Warfield in San Francisco and the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, the Radio City concerts stood out for their mix of opulence and intimacy. The band took full advantage, delivering two-set performances each night that paired rare acoustic arrangements with their signature electric psychedelic jams.
Each show opened with a full acoustic set—something the Dead hadn’t done regularly since the early '70s.
Fan favorites like “Ripple,” “On the Road Again,” and “To Lay Me Down,” hit a little different and more poignant in a classy joint like Radio City.
After a break, they plugged into full-on electric sets where the band (Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart) were able to stretch out over classics like “Fire on the Mountain,” “Franklin’s Tower,” “The Other One,” and trippy ass “Drums/Space” segments.
The final two shows, October 30 and 31, were filmed and later released as the concert film Dead Ahead (1981), that documented both the band’s performance and the groovy energy of the run.
The Halloween show was highlighted by images of deadheads in costume and comedy sketches by SNL's Al Franken and Tom Davis inserted between sets.
Dead & Company will be performing a three night run in Golden Gate Park next month. Get your tickets on the Dead & Co. website.
Other Venue Spotlights: The Apollo Theater, Aragon Ballroom, The Bluebird Cafe, Carnegie Hall, Chain Reaction, Commodore Ballroom, First Avenue, The Fillmore, The Gorge, The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood Palladium, KIA Forum, Madison Square Garden, Massey Hall, The Metro, Nippon Budokan, O2 Arena, O2 Academy Brixton, Pappy & Harriet's Palace, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks, Royal Albert Hall, The Ryman Auditorium, Slane Castle, The Sphere, Staples Center, Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, The Viper Room, The Whisky, 9:30 Club
