Think back to the first concert you ever attended. You can probably remember the energy of the crowd yearning for the band to finally take the stage, the reverberation of the first strum of the guitar, the beats of the drum that seemed to thump inside your body. The lights, the charisma of the performers, finally hearing your favorite songs live—as they were meant to be listened to—the experience remains vivid for the rest of your life. You might still have the overpriced T-shirt you bought as a souvenir of the show buried in your closet.

There’s something about music that embeds itself deeply inside memories. But this phenomenon doesn’t just happen at the individual level—music can form a collective cultural memory, as well. If you think back over the past few generations, certain moments in music stand out as markers of time and reflections of a generation. Anyone alive in 1980 can tell you where they were when Beatle John Lennon was killed, while younger music fans have had a similar experience with the death of Michael Jackson. There are also those hopeful, unforgettable shows—like Queen’s renowned performance at Live Aid, Elvis’ hip thrusts on “The Milton Berle Show,” and Kurt Cobain’s moody acoustic concert on “MTV Unplugged.” No matter how you feel about these artists, there’s no doubt that they made an impact on culture and changed music for future generations.

To compile a list of the most iconic moments in music history, Stacker looked at an assortment of sources, including music publications such as Billboard and Rolling Stone, general news outlets like the Guardian and NPR, and Norman Abjorensen’s “Historical Dictionary of Popular Music.” While there were no strict criteria for what was included, a wide range of memorable moments, like record-breaking albums, major music festivals, and headline-making stunts by musicians from a variety of decades and genres are showcased.

Explore this slideshow and reminisce about the history of music—and see if your favorite music memory made the cut.

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