ultimateclassicrock.com reports on the history of "modern" rock concerts in Central Park and which artist(s) brought the largest crowds to the park with them. In what has now become a tradition in New York City’s signature public space for some 50 years. Rheingold Beer first brought rock to the park in 1966 with music festivals at Wollman Rink; tickets only cost a buck or two. The Rink could hold about 15,000 people, although some have said it really only held 7,000.
Concerts were also staged at the Sheep Meadow, a large grassy expanse on the west side of the park. The last show there was held in 1979. The Great Lawn has played host to a number of huge performances, notably the No Nukes concert in 1982. Since 1986, SummerStage has provided an additional place to enjoy music, first at the Naumberg Bandshell and since 1990 at Rumsey Playfield.
But which one was biggest? According to official figures, some concerts at Central Park have drawn hundreds of thousands of fans. However, a New York Times article from 2008 cast doubt about how attendance was determined. For instance, parks workers used clickers to count fans entering the Great Lawn for a Bon Jovi‘s concert in 2008. The official tally of the packed field, where Paul Simon allegedly drew 600,000 in 1991, was about 48,500 people. To read the article in its entirety, click here.