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Former Location –
John F. Kennedy Stadium was a huge open-air stadium in South Philadelphia, originally Sesquicentennial Stadium, built in 1926, known for its huge capacity of over 100k for concerts. It was closed in 1989 and demolished in September 1992 to make way for the Wells Fargo Center.
John F. Kennedy Stadium
On July 13, 1985, the American venue of Live Aid was held here to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine.
Jack Nicholson was the host of the American concert which had the following performers:
Joan Baez
Tom Petty
Bob Dylan
Keith Richards
Ronnie Wood
Mick Jagger
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Black Sabbath with Ozzy Osbourne
Led Zeppelin
Teddy Pendergrass
Ashford & Simpson
Duran Duran
Also, The stadium hosted The Monsters of Rock Festival, featuring Van Halen, Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica & Kingdom Come, on June 11, 1988.
Other Notable Acts That Played at John F. Kennedy Stadium Include:
7/18/1993 – Alice In Chains
7/7/1989 – Grateful Dead
9/19/1988 – Joan Baez
9/25/1987 – Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul
9/19/1987 – Pink Floyd
7/10/1987 – Bob Dylan & Grateful Dead
9/29/1984 – The Jacksons
8/20/1983 – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
6/4/1983 – Journey
9/25/1982 – Santana & The Who
8/21/1982 – Blondie
7/3/1982 – War
6/19/1982 – The Kinks
9/26/1981 – The Rolling Stones
6/20/1981 – The Allman Brothers Band
7/30/1978 – Fleetwood Mac
6/17/1978 – Foreigner
6/11/1977 – Lynyrd Skynyrd
6/12/1976 – Peter Frampton
6/12/1976 – Yes
8/9/1970 – Creedence Clearwater Revival
7/26/1968 – Sly & the Family Stone
8/16/1966 – The Beatles
The stadium suffered from numerous structural problems, with reports of falling concrete. It was demolished on September 23, 1992.
John F. Kennedy Stadium
S. Broad Street
Philadelphia PA 19148
This was a massive venue for a concert. JFK Stadium was home to the Army -Navy game, which drew large crowds, but for a concert, the field would be used for additional seating. The crowd for Live Aid was nearly 90,000. The Grateful Dead concert in 1989 was the final event in the stadium. The Alice In Chains concert that is listed was actually part of the Lolapalooza Tour which included numerous other acts, and was held at ‘ the former site of JFK Stadium’ {as it was billed}, which was essentially a hole in the ground. The Red Hot Chili Peppers came out on stage wearing only socks, covering their penises, at Lolapalooza, to protest the PMRC’s attempts to censor musicians.