It’s December 11th and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:

In 1972, Genesis made their American live debut with a show at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

In 1976, at a Kiss concert in Florida, Ace Frehley accidentally touched a short-circuited light bulb and was electrocuted. An unconscious Frehley was taken off the stage then wheeled back on ten minutes later to complete the concert.

In 1988, days after the death of Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Don Henley and Graham Nash performed a concert in his honor in LA.

In 2008, Guns N’ Roses’ long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy, took a nose-dive on the charts its second week out, dropping from a disappointing debut at number three to a dismal number 17.

In 2010, Stone Sour had the number one song on the rock charts for a week with “Say You’ll Haunt Me” off their third album, Audio Secrecy.

And in 2012, Green Day released Tre, the third and final installment in their Uno, Dos, Tre triology. The title is a nod to drummer Tre Cool, who turned 40 two days after the album came out.

And that’s what happened today in rock history.

(H/T This Day in Music)

Trudi Daniels