Events at Madison Square Garden

Main article: Madison Square Garden

Throughout its long history, Madison Square Garden has been involved in its share of historical events. These events have included famous political rallies and celebrations.

Notable firsts

• February 12, 1879 - The first artificial ice rink in North America opens at the Garden.
• August 1898 - Nikola Tesla demonstrated the first remote controlled robot using radio control.
• 1902 - The first indoor professional American football game is played. The World Series of Pro Football, as it was called, was the first attempt at professional American football championship games.
• 1934 - The first college basketball game at the Garden is played, between the University of Notre Dame and New York University.
• February 28, 1940 - Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh).
• March 19, 1954 - Joey Giardello knocks out Willie Tory in round seven at the Garden in the first televised prize boxing fight shown in color.
• February 8, 10, 11, 1979 - The Challenge Cup, a three-game series between the All-Stars of the National Hockey League and the Soviet National Team took place at the Garden. The Soviets won, two games to one.
• November 1, 1980 -The first Women's World Judo Championship was held at the Gardens, Jane Bridge (UK) won the gold medal at under 48 kg
• January 23, 1984 - Hulk Hogan wins the World Wrestling Federation Championship from The Iron Sheik in five minutes, 40 seconds. The victory kicks off the pop culture movement known as Hulkamania, and ushers in a golden age for the business of professional wrestling.
• March 31, 1985 - The World Wrestling Federation (WWF, today known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE), presents the inaugural WrestleMania. The annual event would return to Madison Square Garden in 1994 and 2004 for WrestleMania X and WrestleMania XX, celebrating the 10th and 20th anniversaries of WrestleMania.
• August 29, 1988 - The WWF presents the first SummerSlam event. The annual events would return to Madison Square Garden in 1991 and 1998.
• June 14, 1994 - The New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup at Madison Square Garden. It is the first time that a Stanley Cup has been won by the Rangers at the Garden.
• October 1995 - Jacky Cheung, Hong Kong singer and the best selling Asian artist in the mid-1990s, is the first Asian artist to perform at the Paramount, Madison Square Garden. His two-show performance in October 1995 is part of his 100-show world tour that year.
• June 29, 1997 - The New York Liberty professional women's basketball team plays its first home game - the first WNBA game to be played at Madison Square Garden.
• March 1, 2003 - Quinnipiac University defeats the University of Connecticut 4-3 in the first college hockey game played at Madison Square Garden since 1977.
• February 4–5, 2006 - Rain held his sold-out concert, Rainy Day New York. He was the first Korean ever to perform at the Madison Square Garden. Celebrities such as P-Diddy and JoJo attend his concert.
• July 13–15, 2007 - Popular Boston-based indie band Dispatch sold out MSG for three nights in a row and became the first independent band to either headline or sell out MSG.
• July 6–7 & 9, 2010, Lady Gaga performed for the first time at the MSG and already sell out the venue for three consecutive shows.
• February 21–22, 2011 - Lady Gaga consecutively sold out her fourth and fifth shows at the venue during her successful The Monster Ball Tour. The second date was filmed for her HBO special Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden. The special won the Outstanding Picture Editing For A Special award at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the singer's first Emmy Award.
• On October 23, 2011, artists from South Korea's top K-pop talent agency/record label S.M. Entertainment including BoA, Kangta, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, and f(x) performed a sold out show as part of their SMTown Live '11 World Tour and thus became the first Koreans to perform at the venue.
• December 3, 2012 - One Direction touring on their Up All Night Tour to promote their albums Up All Night and Take Me Home.
• On November 28 and 29, 2012 - Justin Bieber sold out two MSG shows tickets in 30 seconds for the Believe Tour

Political and social events

• The 1924, 1976, 1980, and 1992 Democratic National Conventions were held at MSG.
• On October 31, 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his last speech before that year's presidential election. In it, he criticized the interests who opposed the New Deal, stating, "I welcome their hatred."
• On February 20, 1939, A large German American Bund convention was held prompting riots and protests in and around the arena by American Jews and others.
• Former Republican Party presidential candidate Wendell Willkie led 20,000 African Americans on June 7, 1943, the largest Civil Rights rally of its time, in calling for equal rights and for victory in the war against Hitler.
• On January 10, 1944, the Daily Worker, newspaper of the Communist Party USA, held an event at the Garden to mark its 20th anniversary.
• President John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday celebration took place at the Garden on May 19, 1962. During it, Marilyn Monroe sang her now infamous Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
• On July 1, 1982 Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon held a Blessing Ceremony in the Garden for 2075 couples. This event attracted much public and media attention (including a story in Life), often being called a "mass wedding."
• The 2004 Republican National Convention at MSG marked the first time that the Republican party held their convention in New York City.
• On September 28, 2014, The prime minister of India, Mr.Narendra Modi addressed congregation organised by NRIs inhabiting in USA.
• The Garden was the site for a Catholic Mass said by Pope Francis during his first visit to New York City and the United States as Pontiff on September 25, 2015.

Boxing

Madison Square Garden was one of the primary centers of the boxing universe throughout its history and in all of its incarnations before Las Vegas became the sport's main center starting in the 1980s. However, MSG still hosts many significant fights. Some of the historic fights held at MSG have been:

• October 26, 1951 — Rocky Marciano vs. Joe Louis
  • The unbeaten Marciano, who would become heavyweight champion the following year, knocked out a clearly past-his-prime Louis in the 8th round. After the loss, Louis retired for the second time, this time for good.
• Two of the three Ali–Frazier fights:
  • March 8, 1971 — Fight of the Century
    • One of the most hyped fights in history, with both heavyweight champion Frazier and challenger Ali entering unbeaten. Frazier won by unanimous decision.
  • January 28, 1974 — Ali-Frazier II
    • Ali avenges his loss to Frazier, also by unanimous decision.
• June 13, 1986 — Hector Camacho vs. Edwin Rosario
  • A classic showdown between Puerto Rican stars Héctor Camacho and Edwin Rosario for Camacho's lightweight title, with Camacho retaining his title by a controversial split decision.
• September 29, 2001 — The final bout of the Middleweight World Championship Series, in which Bernard Hopkins defeated Félix Trinidad by 12th-round TKO to claim the undisputed title.
• October 2, 2004 — Trinidad vs. Mayorga
  • Trinidad returned from a two-year layoff and defeated Ricardo Mayorga by TKO in the 8th round.
• November 8, 2008 — Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones, Jr.
  • In what proved to be his last professional bout, the unbeaten Joe Calzaghe won a unanimous decision over Roy Jones, Jr..

Noteworthy performances

1960s

• In June 1969, the Soul Together concert featured Aretha Franklin, The Young Rascals, Sonny and Cher, Sam and Dave, Joe Tex, and King Curtis.
• On January 24, 1969, The Doors performed their 1st show at the Garden. The Doors were at their peak of their popularity amongst their audience. The Madison Square Garden concert was one of the biggest concerts that The Doors had ever performed and has been seen as a landmark in their musical career.
• In August 1969, The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance, singing The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" at the Miss Black America Pageant at MSG.
• On December 19, 1969, Janis Joplin performed her last concert with her Kozmic Blues Band.
• The Rolling Stones live album Get Yer Ya Ya's Out was made with the band's performances at MSG on November 26 and 27, 1969, during their legendary 1969 North American Tour.

1970s

• A twelve-act show dubbed the "Winter Festival for Peace" took place at MSG on January 28, 1970.
• On August 1, 1971, George Harrison held his Concert For Bangladesh. This historic event was the first special benefit concert to raise funds for charity (in this case, the country of Bangladesh, which was at that time in a severe and desperate state). There were two concerts held that day, with one taking place at 2:30pm and the other at 7:00 pm. The show featured artists such as Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, and Klaus Voormann, to name a few. A live album of the concert was released in late 1971.
• In June 1972, Elvis Presley made his only appearances in New York City at the Garden. Elvis played four shows to 80,000 people, which at the time was a record for the venue. A week after the shows an album of the Saturday evening performance was rushed to release making it the fastest turnaround between a live performance and its recorded release. To mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis' Garden shows, a recording of the Saturday afternoon performance was released titled An Afternoon in the Garden.
• The Rolling Stones concluded their legendary 1972 North American Tour with three consecutive nights of shows on July 24–26, 1972, with two shows performed on the 25th.
• John Lennon performed a concert at The Garden on August 30, 1972, which was professionally recorded and posthumously released on the 1986 album, Live in New York City.
• Ricky Nelson put MSG into song with his 1972 million seller "Garden Party."
• On July 20–21, 1973, The Allman Brothers Band made their MSG debut, playing two consecutive shows at the Garden.
• In March 1974, Lynn Anderson became the first female country singer to headline and sellout the Garden.
• English rock band Led Zeppelin performed three consecutive, sold-out performances which were filmed and recorded at The Garden during their 1973 North American Tour. The performance was later released on the concert film The Song Remains the Same and its accompanying soundtrack. Additional footage from these concerts was released in 2003 on the Led Zeppelin DVD.
• In June 1974, The Who played 4 sold-out dates. A single radio announcement during a December 1973 radio broadcast was enough to sell out the shows in a matter of hours.
• On October 13, 1974, to cap his comeback after his retirement in 1971, Frank Sinatra played in front of 20,000 fans at the Garden in a show, dubbed "The Main Event", that was broadcast nationally and internationally. The concert was recorded and released along with other concerts as The Main Event – Live.
• On November 28, 1974, John Lennon made a surprise guest appearance at an Elton John concert - Lennon's last ever concert appearance. They sang together as a duet on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" and "I Saw Her Standing There". The concert was released as the "There" portion of John's 1976 live album Here and There. Elton John's song "Empty Garden", a beautiful tribute to Lennon, clearly refers to The Garden.
• In 1975, Mexican singer Angélica María performed two sold-out concerts at MSG on the same day-a feat which has not been duplicated to date.
• On August 4, 1975, British heavy metal band Black Sabbath performed at MSG, for the first time.
• On December 8, 1975, Madison Square Garden played host to The Rolling Thunder Revue Tour, headed by Bob Dylan.
• On September 10, 1976, Houston-based rock band ZZ Top performed at MSG, for the first time, during their Worldwide Texas Tour. Other performers included Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvin Bishop, Ted Nugent, Bob Seger, The Outlaws, The J. Geils Band, REO Speedwagon and Rory Gallagher.
• In December 1976, The Bee Gees performed at MSG during their Children of the World Tour and donated the proceeds to the New York Police Athletic League.
• On December 17, 1976, Aerosmith played.
• On February 18, 1977, New York-based rock band KISS made their MSG debut, during their Rock & Roll Over Tour. KISS have since made MSG a regular stop on nearly every tour they have made, most notably a four-night sellout in July 1996.
• That same month, English rock band Queen made their MSG debut, during their A Day at the Races Tour, with opening act Thin Lizzy. Queen would make MSG a regular stop on every subsequent US tour, with their classic lineup (1982's Hot Space Tour would be the last tour the original lineup of Queen would play in America), most notably a four-night sellout in September 1980. During Queen's show in November 1978, the band had numerous naked women on stage riding bicycles during their song "Bicycle Race." This stunt attracted considerable media attention.
• Earlier that month, fellow English band Genesis made their MSG debut, as part of a world tour supporting their eighth studio album Wind & Wuthering (which was their last tour with guitarist Steve Hackett). Genesis would make The Garden a regular stop on every subsequent US tour they would make (save the 1981 Abacab and 1992 We Can't Dance tours), most notably ex-lead singer Peter Gabriel joining the band for an encore in July 1978.
• In June 1977, Led Zeppelin performed six sold out concerts at The Garden. The band spent no money on advertising for the gigs, relying on street demand to sell out the shows. Enough ticket applications were received to sell out a further two nights, had time permitted.
• In July 1977, English rock band Pink Floyd performed at MSG for the first time, in their, then, ten year recording career, playing four consecutive sold out nights from July 1–4 on the final North American dates on their Animals tour. The show on July 1 saw problems between the band and local lighting technicians, whom they had to use instead of their own lighting crew due to union technicalities, and on July 3 when fans lit off fireworks which disrupted the Pink Floyd's performance. The band (minus Roger Waters) would not play the venue again until the 1987 A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, when the shows ran a lot more smoothly.
• On June 17, 1978, reggae superstar Bob Marley raised the profile of reggae music in America with his performance at the Garden. In 1980 Marley played two concerts at the venue as the opener of The Commodores; the performances were sold out, but the Garden was almost empty after Marley's show. The day after Marley, already fatally ill, collapsed while jogging in Central Park and performed one last concert in Pittsburgh before canceling the tour. Marley died months later of cancer.
• In October 1978, Jethro Tull filmed a concert at this venue on their Bursting Out tour which aired on television. Some parts were released on the re-issued Thick as a Brick album and various concert videos. These concerts were of note as Tull's leader Ian Anderson's friend Tony Williams filled in for then-Tull bass player John Glascock, who was suffering from ailing health (Glascock would pass away in 1979). The concert was officially released on DVD and CD in 2009.
• The same year, Chicago based rockers Styx performed here for the first time on their Pieces of Eight tour. They would play there again on the Grand Decathlon and Paradise Theater tours in 1979 and 1981.
• In January 1979, The Grateful Dead stepped onto the stage at MSG for the first of many times for a two consecutive night run on the 7th and the 8th.
• In May 1979, Supertramp stepped onto the stage at MSG for the first and only time for one show on their Breakfast in America Tour.
• In September 1979, Musicians United for Safe Energy (a.k.a. MUSE) held a series of five No Nukes concerts at the Garden. Performers included Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The concerts were documented in an album, No Nukes: The MUSE Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future and a 1980 feature film titled No Nukes.
• Earth,Wind & Fire "I AM Tour" October 5, 1979.
• Woodstock '79: a rock concert in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival.

1980s

• On January 10, 1981, The Police performed at MSG, for the first time, during their Zenyatta Mondatta Tour.
• In May 1981, Rush performed at MSG, for the first time in their, then, seven-year career, on their Moving Pictures tour. The band would subsequently perform here again in 1982 (two shows on their Signals tour), 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994 (two shows on their Counterparts tour), 2002 and as recent as September 2007.
• On July 17, 1981, Van Halen performed at MSG, for the first time, during their Fair Warning Tour.
• In December 1981, AC/DC performed at MSG, for the first time, in their, then, seven-year career, on their For Those About to Rock Tour. The band would subsequently perform here again on every subsequent US tour.
• In October 1982, Judas Priest played MSG, for the first time in their career, on their 1982 North American tour, in support of their US breakthrough album, Screaming for Vengeance. The band would not ever play the venue again, after they were banned from the venue, after fans destroyed seats during one of their shows on their Defenders of the Faith tour on June 18, 1984.
• On New Year's Eve, 1982, Billy Joel played his first sold out New Year's Eve concert as well as ended his Nylon Curtain tour on the same night at The Garden.
• David Bowie "Serious Moonlight Tour" July 27, 1983 played MSG.
• On September 12, 1983, Robert Plant performed, for the first time, at MSG, solo, during The Principle of Moments Tour.
• In September 1983, Iron Maiden headlined at MSG for the first time in their career on their World Piece '83 tour (they previously played MSG a year earlier as opener for fellow British heavy metal band Judas Priest). Iron Maiden would subsequently perform here again in 1986, 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2010, when they were supported by Dream Theater.
• In 1984, Scorpions played three sold out shows in a row at MSG.
• On August 1–2, 1985, Tina Turner performed, for the first time at MSG, on two consecutive nights, during her Private Dancer Tour.
• On April 8, 1986, Aerosmith performed at MSG.
• On August 2–3, 1986, Prince, with his backing band, The Revolution, performed for the first time, at MSG, on two consecutive nights, concluding the US leg of his Hit n Run Tour.
• On October 31, 1986, Madison Square Garden played host to Bill Graham's Crackdown Concert, featuring performances by The Allman Brothers Band, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Run-D.M.C. and Santana, along with Felix Cavaliere, Paul Butterfield, Rubén Blades and Mick Taylor.
• On August 26, 1987, Roger Waters performed at MSG, for the first time, solo, during his Radio K.A.O.S. Tour.
• On September 8–9, 1987, Whitney Houston performed at MSG, for the first time, on two consecutive nights, during her Moment of Truth World Tour, with Jonathan Butler and Kenny G as her opening acts.
• On September 28–29, 1987, U2 performed at MSG, for the first time, on two consecutive nights, during The Joshua Tree Tour.
• On December 18, 1987, Depeche Mode performed at MSG, for the first time, concluding the 1st US leg of their Music for the Masses Tour.
• On February 3 and August 24, 1988, Sting performed, for the first time at MSG, solo, during his ...Nothing Like the Sun Tour.
• On March 3–5, 1988, Michael Jackson performed at MSG for the first time, solo, with three consecutive sold-out shows during his Bad World Tour.
• On May 14, 1988, the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary celebrations were held at The Garden, consisting of a non-stop concert lasting almost 13 hours. Those performing included, the former members of Led Zeppelin, Yes, Genesis, Iron Butterfly, The Rascals, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Foreigner, Paul Rodgers, Bob Geldof, Booker T. Jones, Wilson Pickett, The Coasters, The Spinners, Peabo Bryson, Dan Aykroyd, Roberta Flack, The Manhattan Transfer, Debbie Gibson, The Bee Gees, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Ben E. King and Vanilla Fudge.
• On August 28, 1988, MSG hosted a benefit concert for the United Negro College Fund, known as "An Evening of Stars", featuring comedy and musical performances from various artists.
• On October 11, 1988, Van Halen returned to perform during their OU812 Tour. This was their first performance at MSG, with new lead vocalist Sammy Hagar.
• On September 23, 1989, Jorge Baron Television hosted a Colombian concert called Colombia Te Quiero of Colombian TV Show "Embajadores de la Musica Colombiana", attended by nearly 30,000 Colombians residents, involved several Colombian artists as: Isadora, Los Hermanos Calero, Leonor Gonzalez Mina, Grupo Niche, Los Tolimenses, Binomio de Oro, Juan Piña and Víctor Hugo Ayala.
• On December 11–12 and 14-15, 1989, Paul McCartney performed at MSG for the first time since his 1976 world tour with Wings, with four sold-out shows during The Paul McCartney World Tour.

1990s

• On March 15–16, 1990, Janet Jackson performed, for the first time at MSG, on two consecutive nights, during her Rhythm Nation World Tour.
• On September 16 and 18-20, 1990, The Grateful Dead returned to perform at MSG, the shows were recorded and later released, as Dick's Picks Volume 9 and Road Trips Volume 2 Number 1.
• On January 28–29, 1991, ZZ Top performed two shows, as part of the Recycler World Tour.
• Comedian Andrew Dice Clay became the first comic to do two sold-out shows in a row in 1991, in a film entitled Dice Rules.
• In August 1991, Metallica threw a free listening party for the black album, for fans only.
• On October 25–26, 1991, George Michael performed at MSG, for the first time, on two consecutive nights, during his Cover To Cover Tour. His first time was actually August 1988 for Faith Tour.
• On November 16, 1991, Frank Sinatra performed at MSG, concluding it The Diamond Jubilee World Tour.
• On December 8, 1991, the draw was made for 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification.
• On December 9–10 and 13th, 1991, Guns N' Roses played 3 sell out shows, as part of the Use Your Illusion Tour.
• On April 24–25, 1992, George Carlin filmed his eighth HBO special, Jammin' in New York.
• On December 10, 1993, Mariah Carey performed at MSG, for the first time, concluding her Music Box Tour.
• In 1993, Luis Miguel became the first Latin artist to sell out at the Garden and received a special recognition during the middle of the show.
• In 1994, Barbra Streisand performed six shows here and recorded her album, The Concert, here.
• In 1994, Scoob Lover, The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls), Tupac Shakur, Shyheim and Big Daddy Kane freestyled live.
• On December 5, 1994 Green Day played for Charity and at the end Billie Joe Armstrong plays completely naked.
• On December 30, 1994, Phish, who had a large following among the college and jam band scene at the time, played (and sold out) their first show at the Garden as part of their New Years Run.
• On October 10, 1995, Mariah Carey performed at The Garden, which was filmed and released on the DVD/Home Video, Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden.
• On October 26–27, 1995, Page & Plant performed at MSG, for the first time and concluded the US leg of their No Quarter Tour, with two consecutive shows.
• On December 31, 1995, rock band Phish performed for a sellout crowd and played a show that was later called one of "the Greatest Concerts of the 90s" by Rolling Stone magazine. It was recorded and released on December, 20th 2005 to commemorate the show's 10th anniversary as a three disc set entitled: Phish: New Year's Eve 1995 - Live at Madison Square Garden. The band also sold out a show the night before & three new year's shows in 1997, four in 1998, & a hiatus-ending NYE show in 2002.
• On February 9, 1996, The Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at MSG, for the first time, during their One Hot Minute Tour.
• July 25, 26, 27, 28 = KISS (band) plays 4 SOLD OUT shows at Madison Square Garden on their historic Reunion Tour.
• On July 29, 1996, Celine Dion performed at MSG, for the first time, during her Falling into You Tour. She returned, during the same tour, on April 12, 1997.
• On November 25, 1996, hard rock band Stone Temple Pilots performed an extended set at The Garden in support of their third album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. Most notably, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of the rock band Aerosmith joined the band midway through the show to perform the Aerosmith songs, "Sweet Emotion" & "Lick and a Promise."
• On May 22, 1998, Van Halen returned to perform at MSG during their III Tour. This was their first performance at MSG, in ten years and with new lead vocalist Gary Cherone.
• On July 1, 1998, The Spice Girls played MSG, after selling out the venue in 12 minutes, the shortest time ever for a band to sell out the venue.
• On July 16, 1998, Page & Plant performed, for the last time at MSG, during their Walking into Clarksdale Tour.
• On September 25, 1998, Prince returned to perform at MSG, for the first time in 10 years, during his Newpower Soul Tour, with his new backing band, The New Power Generation.
• On October 10–11, 1998, Janet Jackson returned to perform, on two consecutive nights at MSG, during The Velvet Rope World Tour, with Usher as her opening act. The show on Sunday the 11th, was performed live on HBO. Hip-hop star Q-Tip made a guest performance and former Secretary of State General Colin Powell made a special appearance.
• On June 15, 1999, Shania Twain performed, for the first time at MSG, during her Come On Over Tour.
• On November 23, 1999, Metallica returned to perform at MSG during their Garage Remains The Same Tour, along with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
• Billy Joel played a four-hour concert for New Year's 1999, dubbed 'The Night of Two Thousand Years." Two songs from this concert were broadcast live on ABC-TV as part of the ABC 2000 Today news program. Highlights from the show were also used for the live album 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert.

2000s

• TLC performed at the Garden on January 21, 2000.
• On July 6, 2000, Diana Ross performed at MSG during her Return to Love Tour.
• Former boy-band 'N Sync sold out four concerts at MSG in July 2000, during their No Strings Attached Tour, which was later released on DVD, titled NSYNC: Live From Madison Square Garden.
• Nine Inch Nails perform at sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on May 9, 2000 and as they reach the final chorus on their song "Starfuckers, Inc.", special guest Marilyn Manson appears to finish the song, which then leads to Manson's hit song, "The Beautiful People".
• Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters sold out two concerts at the Garden in June 2000 for his In the Flesh - Live Tour.
• New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen sold out a then-record 10-night stand at the Garden in June and July 2000. Highlights of the show were used for his live CD/DVD Live in New York City.
• Barbra Streisand set the highest grossing event at MSG with her two "farewell" concerts on September 27–28, 2000.
• Elton John recorded a live performance at MSG called Elton John One Night Only - The Greatest Hits. The album was recorded on October 20–21, 2000, an extended version was also released as a DVD.
• The Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special took place on September 7 & 10, 2001. Including various artists from Usher to Whitney Houston. The shows featured a re-union of Michael Jackson with his brothers The Jackson 5 and was Jackson's final concert performance at MSG, before his untimely passing on June 25, 2009.
• On October 20, 2001, The Garden played host to "The Concert for New York City" after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The benefit was as famous for its emotional performances by Billy Joel and The Who.
• On December 5, 2001, Britney Spears performed, for the first time at MSG, during her Dream Within a Dream Tour.
• On April 12, 2002, Luis Miguel returned to perform at MSG, for the first time in 9 years, during his Mis Romances Tour.
• On April 26–27, 2002, Paul McCartney returned to perform at MSG, for the first time in 13 years, on two consecutive nights, during his Driving USA Tour.
• On May 31, 2002, Blink-182 & Green Day performed at MSG during their co-headlining Pop Disaster Tour, with Saves the Day as their opening act.
• On July 31 – August 1 & 3-4, 2002, Robert Plant returned to perform four consecutive shows at MSG, for the first time with his new backing band, The Strange Sensation, during his Dreamland Tour.
• On October 24, 2002, Canadian rock band Rush sold out Madison Square Garden the band's first tour in nearly six years. The band was awarded on stage from the Recording Industry Association of American for shipments of 25 million in the United States of America.
• On October 28, 2002, Latin American Mexican rock band Maná performed here for their Revolución de Amor Tour. They also played the following year on October 13, 2003 for the same tour.
• On November 20, 2002, Shakira performed at MSG, for the first time, during her Tour of the Mongoose Tour.
• On December 31, 2002, jamband Phish made their triumphant return to the stage after a 2-year hiatus to a loving MSG crowd. This would be their last performance at the garden after the band called it quits in the summer of 2004.
• On May 20, 2003, The Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to perform at MSG, for the first time in 7 years, during their By the Way Tour.
• Pearl Jam's 2003 live DVD Live at the Garden was recorded on July 8, 2003, at The Garden.
• On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert at the Garden, which would later be the focus of his film
• On December 11, 2003, Hilary Duff had her first performance at the Garden,on her first concert tour called The Metamorphosis Tour.It was the Z100 Jingle Ball.
• Fade to Black. This concert was his "retirement party." All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators like The Roots (in the form of his backing band), Missy Elliott, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé Knowles, Twista, Ghostface Killah, Foxy Brown, Pharrell and R. Kelly with special appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur; the mothers of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur respectively.
• On July 12–14, 2004, Prince & The New Power Generation returned to perform at MSG, for the first time in 6 years, on three consecutive nights, during his Musicology Tour.
• On October 9, 2004, The Beastie Boys performed a sold out show. During the concert, 50 audience members were given camcorders and recorded the show. The films were edited and the movie Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! was created.
• On June 22, 2005, Oasis make their long awaited debut at the Garden, some 10 years into their career. The concert sold out in record time and was later praised by many critics.
• On July 29, 2005, Destiny's Child performed their last concert at MSG during their Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It Farwell Tour.
• In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the Garden played host to yet another charity concert. From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, was an event held on September 20, 2005. It has since been referred to as "Apple Easy". The funds raised went to helping rebuild New Orleans after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
• From October 24–26, 2005, Cream played at MSG for their United States reunion. The shows were marred by some controversy in regards to tickets: the show's promoters had made a deal with credit card company American Express to make tickets available to American Express customers only in an unprecedented week-long pre-sale. Ticket scalpers charged high prices for tickets. Nevertheless, the shows were a financial success and received critical praise.
• In 2006, Billy Joel set a record with a string of 12 sold-out performances, breaking the record of 10 set by Bruce Springsteen in 2000. On night 12 of the stand, MSG raised a #12 to the rafters on top of the Garden to join the numbers of Rangers and Knicks players that have had their numbers retired by their respective teams, making Joel the first ever non-sports individual to have his "number" retired at The Garden. The concerts were released as the album 12 Gardens Live in 2006.
• In February 4–5, 2006, Rain held his sold-out concert, Rainy Day New York. He was the first Korean and Asian ever to perform at the Madison Square Garden. Celebrities such as P-Diddy and JoJo attend his concert.
• On March 13, 2006, Metallica returned to perform at MSG during their Escape from the Studio '06 Tour. This was the day they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• On August 23, 2006, Mariah Carey performed a sold-out show at The Garden, during The Adventures of Mimi Tour. She featured renowned hip hop dj DJ Clue as her DJ and had surprise appearances from Jay-Z, Diddy, Styles P, Jadakiss and Da Brat.
• During the New York stops for her 2006 record-breaking world tour, Confessions Tour, Madonna performed 6 sold-out nights, grossing $16,507,855.
• On September 12–13, 2006, Roger Waters returned to perform at MSG, on two consecutive nights, during The Dark Side of the Moon Live Tour and was joined onstage, by former Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.
• On November 12, 2006, comedian Dane Cook performed two sold out shows in one night.
• On December 1, 2006, comedy rock band Tenacious D, featuring actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass performed at MSG in their first headlining concert at a major American arena, with comedian Neil Hamburger the unlikely opener.
• On February 7 and August 15–16, 2007, Justin Timberlake performed three shows at the Garden during his FutureSex/LoveShow Tour. A combination of the two dates in August were made into an HBO Concert of the same name and was released on DVD on November 13, titled FutureSex/LoveShow: Live from Madison Square Garden.
• On March 23, 2007, Christina Aguilera performed a show at the Garden during her huge Back to Basics Tour.
• On March 25, 2007, Elton John celebrated his 60th birthday and 60th Sold Out concert at Madison Square Garden. In honor of this achievement an Elton John #60 (now #62) banner was raised to the rafters.
• In 2007, Dispatch reunited at MSG and sold out shows on three nights, from July 13–15. There was originally supposed to be only one show, but after selling out the first scheduled concert in 15 minutes, the band added another show that sold out in 24 hours, then added a third night on the 15th. These shows were all 100% concerts. Dispatch became the first unsigned band to ever sell out Madison Square Garden.
• On August 1 and 3 and October 31 and November 2, 2007, The Police returned to perform four shows at MSG, for the first time in 25 years, during their Reunion Tour, with Fiction Plane as their opening act.
• On November 13, 2007, Van Halen returned to perform at MSG, during their 2007/2008 Reunion Tour. This was their first performance in nine years, for the band and in 23 years, with original lead vocalist David Lee Roth.
• On December 22, 2007, "Metal God" Ozzy Osbourne performed in the arena for the first time in over 20 years. At this show, fellow hard rock legend Rob Zombie made his first MSG performance of his career.
• On February 18, 2008, The Spice Girls played MSG, selling out the venue after 10 years, performing a gig during the Return of the Spice Girls tour, first time as a 5-piece, because in 1998 Geri had already left the group when they performed at the Garden, on July 1.
• On February 19, 2008, The Foo Fighters headlined a Garden show for the first time to a sold out crowd and was one of the fastest selling shows in the venue's history.
• On February 21, Linkin Park performed for the first time in the Garden to a sold out audience. Jay-Z made a performance with them as well since the Grammy Awards of 2006.
• From February 25–28, 2008, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performed three concerts. It was their first full scale live collaboration since Blind Faith, almost 40 years earlier.
• On May 2 and 6-7, 2008, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige performed three sold out performances. The show of May 2 was scheduled late because the first two sold out in less than two minutes each and gave fans who did not receive tickets for the other two shows another chance to see the show.
• On May 9, 2008, My Chemical Romance performed their final concert of their The Black Parade World Tour.
• On May 13, 2008, Rihanna, Kanye West, N.E.R.D and Lupe Fiasco performed during their Glow in the Dark Tour. Chris Brown appeared on stage to sing a duet remix of "Umbrella" with Rihanna.
• On May 15, 2008, Kid Rock performed, with special guests Reverend Run, from Run-D.M.C. and Peter Wolf, from The J. Geils Band. Opening for Kid Rock were Rock N Roll Hall of Famers, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
• On June 24–25, 2008, Pearl Jam made a much anticipated return to the arena, their first performance there in five years and sold out both nights within seconds. On both nights C.J. Ramone guest performed and on the second night Ace Frehley guest performed.
• On July 15, 2008, Bon Jovi performed at MSG for the second time in 25 years.
• On July 21 and 23, 2008, English musician George Michael performed at MSG for the first time in 17 years, playing two sold out shows.
• On August 7, 2008, The Police played their final concert, concluding their Reunion Tour, at MSG, with Fiction Plane as their opening act.
• On August 9–11, 2008, The Jonas Brothers brought their Burning Up Tour to MSG, for three consecutive sold-out shows. Demi Lovato was their opening act for all three dates, while Taylor Swift and Robert Schwartzman, from Rooney, also appeared.
• On September 13, 2008, Japanese rock band X Japan planned to play their first US concert at the arena as part of their 2008 world tour. The tour was later postponed and the show moved to the Roseland Ballroom.
• On December 5, 2008, Michael Bublé played his first show, a sold-out event, the last of his 2-year 'Call Me Irresponsible' tour. Subsequent to his performance, he released a live CD and a DVD, Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden, which chronicled the days leading up to and during the event.
• On December 12, 2008, radio station WHTZ had their annual "Jingleball" fest featuring Katy Perry, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Brandy Norwood, Kanye West, Paramore, David Archuleta and others.
• On December 31, 2008, My Morning Jacket played their largest headlining show ever at the arena.
• On January 29, 2009, Kings of Leon headlined and sold out their first arena show in the US.
• On February 5, 2009 the Grammy-award winning band Slipknot played at Madison Square Garden for the first time in support of their All Hope Is Gone World Tour 2009 (With supporting bands Trivium and Coheed and Cambria ).2009 was also the year the band marked the 10th anniversary of their first studio album
• On April 25, 2009, The Dead performed at the Garden for the first time since 2002 when they were billed as The Other Ones. The Garden was a favorite venue of the Grateful Dead who played there 54 times between 1971 and 1994, 52 of them between 1979 and 1994.
• On May 3, 2009, there was a special concert held to celebrate Pete Seeger's 90th birthday. Almost 50 performers played including Seeger, Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Richie Havens, Eddie Vedder, Tom Morello, Kris Kristofferson and Joan Baez.
• On August 24–26, 2009, Britney Spears performed at the MSG after 8 years, with three consecutive sold-out shows during her successful The Circus Starring: Britney Spears.
• On August 27, 2009, Taylor Swift performed a show from her highly successful Fearless Tour. The show sold out in a record 1 minute.
• On September 11, 2009, rapper Jay-Z performed at the arena for a benefit concert for the anniversary of 9/11.
• On October 4, 2009 Blink-182 performed at the arena on their reunion tour,
• American Pop/Rock singer P!nk performed to a sold out audience on October 5, 2009 during her record-breaking Funhouse Tour. This was the singer's first headlining North American tour.
• On November 7–8, 2009, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed his albums, The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle and the double album The River in their entirety on two consecutive nights. It is the only time they have ever played those two albums live in concert.
• On December 2–4, 2009, Phish played three sold out shows, marking their first return to the arena since their 2004 breakup.
• On December 31, 2009, Mariah Carey kicked off her Angels Advocate Tour with her New Year's Eve performance, with RydaznNrtist, Trey Songz and DJ Suss as her opening acts.

2010s

• On February 24, 2010, The Black Eyed Peas perform their show of The E.N.D World Tour. They sold out "The Garden" with 45 thousand people.
• On August 4–5, 2010, Arcade Fire played two sold out shows at MSG while on the U.S. leg of their tour in support of The Suburbs. The performance of August 5 was broadcast live on YouTube.
• On August 31, 2010, Canadian singer Justin Bieber performed at MSG, for the first time, and sold out in 22 minutes, during his My World Tour, with Vita Chambers as his opening act. Surprise guests included Usher, Jaden Smith, Miley Cyrus, Boyz II Men and Ludacris. This concert was filmed for Justin's movie Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. This made him the youngest person to sell out MSG at only 16 years old.
• On September 4, 2010, Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo sold out "The Garden" with 15 thousand people and with special featuring of Nelly Furtado, Seu Jorge, Juanes and Diego Torres, on her first South American arena tour. Later released on DVD and Blu-ray (third live DVD her): Multishow ao Vivo: Ivete Sangalo no Madison Square Garden.
• On September 24, 2010, Alice in Chains performed their first headlining appearance at MSG, with Deftones and Mastodon, during their Blackdiamondskye Tour.
• On October 8, 2010 Gorillaz sold out MSG for their Escape to Plastic Beach Tour which had Damon Albarn along with Simon Tong, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon as his live band, and featured Miho Hatori, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Lou Reed, Little Dragon and De La Soul among other guests in a show that won the Spin Magazine live performance of 2010.
• On October 20, 2010, Phoenix performed at MSG during the CMJ Music Marathon, featuring a surprise appearance from Daft Punk during the encore.
• On December 10, 2010, Selena Gomez had her first concert at MSG. It was a part of Jingle Ball. It was on her first headlining tour called A Year Without Rain Tour.
• On December 11, 2010, Rammstein performed a sold out show at MSG during the Liebe ist für alle da Tour. Their first concert in the United States in almost 10 years. Tickets were sold out in 30 minutes.
• On April 2, 2011, LCD Soundsystem performed their final concert ever at MSG, supported by Liquid Liquid. Tickets for the event sold out in seconds and caused an international uproar among fans and the ticket scalping community. The show lasted three and a half hours and included a surprise appearance from Arcade Fire who headlined MSG themselves less than a year prior.
• On October 23, 2011, artists from South Korea's top K-pop talent agency/record label S.M. Entertainment including BoA, Kangta, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, and f(x) performed a sold out show as part of their SMTown Live '11 World Tour and thus became the first Koreans to perform at the venue.
• On November 20, 2011 WWE hosted the 25th annual Survivor Series.
• On November 21–22, 2011, Taylor Swift performed two sold-out shows, selling out in only five minutes. These were the final shows of the North American leg of her 2011–2012 Speak Now World Tour. Taylor Swift invited James Taylor to perform as a special guest on the very last show.
• On December 9, 2011, Demi Lovato had her first concert at MSG.
• On December 16, 2011, Swedish House Mafia performed. Their show sold out in under 10 minutes.
• On March 25, 2012, L'Arc-en-Ciel performed, becoming the first Japanese band to headline the venue.
• On December 3, 2012, One Direction performed at The Garden, selling out in just minutes.
• On December 12, 2012, MSG hosted the 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief on behalf of victims of Hurricane Sandy.
• On March 30, 2013, Armin van Buuren Hosted a sold out show (over 12000 tickets sold within 1 hour) as part of "the Expedition" world tour celebrating 600 episodes of A State of Trance becoming the second EDM act selling out and first Dutch performer to ever perform at Madison Square Garden
• On April 6, 2013, the WWE hosted its annual WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at the Garden.
• On April 20, 2013, Tyson Fury won his United States debut with a seventh round knockout of Steve Cunningham.
• On April 11, 2014, Armin van Buuren Opened his North American tour with a 5-hour solo show (with supporting vocalists and others), becoming the first Dutch performer to ever perform a solo DJ set at Madison Square Garden
• On May 13, 2014, Lady Gaga performed at a sold out concert on her ArtRave: The Artpop Ball world tour. It is her seventh time to sold out Madison Square Garden.
• On September 27, 2014, Eric Prydz performed a 3-hour set called EPIC 3.0 using a massive light show and using a gigantic hologram projector. He admitted that he was losing money to set up for such an event for his fans. He was opened up by fellow Swedish native Jeremy Olander
• On October 18, 2014, Above & Beyond brought the 100th episode of their radio show Group Therapy Radio live to Madison Square Garden. Opening for them were Ilan Bluestone, Andrew Bayer, and Mat Zo. Above & Beyond became the first British DJs to headline Madison Square Garden
• On March 20 and March 21, 2015 Ariana Grande sold out 2 consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden as part of her tour, The Honeymoon Tour.
• On August 22–23, 2015, Madison Square Garden hosted the finals of the League of Legends Championship Series summer split.
• On September 16 and 17, 2015, Madonna performed at Madison Square Garden as part of her Rebel Heart Tour. Those were her 30th and 31st shows at this venue.

Regular performances and concert records

Traditionally, Madison Square Garden hosts a concert on New Year's Eve. The Knicks and Rangers usually play on the road that evening. Recent NYE performances include multiple performances by the band Phish (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015), Billy Joel (1982, 1999), Blues Traveler (1996), Marc Anthony (2000), Wilco & The Flaming Lips (2004), The Black Crowes & Trey Anastasio (2005) and Chris Rock in 2007. NYE 2014 featured Skrillex & diplo performing as Jack Ü and was webcast online for free. A planned 2003 New Years show by Jane's Addiction and Marilyn Manson was cancelled due to low ticket sales. No show was booked for December 31, 2006. On New Year's Eve 2008, southern rock band My Morning Jacket rang in the new year with a three-hour-long performance, featuring The Nashville / Louisville Horns and surprise guest appearances by Nicole Atkins and Will Johnson (of Centro-Matic).

Madison Square Garden hosted other various World Wrestling Entertainment events. It has already hosted Raw, SmackDown!, ECW and Saturday Night's Main Event and the other four big WWE pay-per-views (WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and SummerSlam) while it also hosted the first ever Elimination Chamber match at the 2002 Survivor Series. Madison Square Garden hosted the inaugural WrestleMania event in 1985 and since then, WrestleMania has become one of the major pay-per-view events on the market. The event returned to the venue for its 10th edition in 1994 and 20th in 2004. On March 14, 2004, WrestleMania XX generated more than $2.4 million USD in ticket sales.

Since 1985, Irish band U2 has performed 17 shows at the Garden, more than at any other venue, including a combined 8 sold out shows on the 1st and 3rd legs of their Vertigo Tour. Their two performances on the Elevation Tour in October 2001 were considered by many not only among their best concerts ever, but among the best ever at the Garden, with emotions running high after September 11 and Bono inviting dozens of firemen and emergency workers onstage at the end of the performance.

The single artist holding the all-time record for the greatest number of appearances at the Garden is Elton John who has played the arena 64 times. For this feat he has had a banner stating "64" raised up to the ceiling in the arena for his record and age. The band that has played more dates in the Garden than any other is The Grateful Dead, performing at the arena 52 times from 1979 through 1994.

Billy Joel also sold out a record 12 consecutive shows at the garden, putting him 2 ahead of Bruce Springsteen and earning him a #12 banner in the rafters of the Garden.

Lady Gaga also sold out her first Born This Way Ball date at the garden in a record breaking 7 seconds, forcing promoters to add a second date. However, the tour was canceled because of her hip injury. This was her sixth time to sold out the MSG. Overall, the singer already sold-out the venue for seven times.