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Luckily for Badgers of all generations, Madison has a long history of great musical acts on and off campus — just check out this list of the city’s most unforgettable concerts and see On Wisconsin’s lineup of 11 legendary concerts at UW venues. But let’s focus on campus in the 1960s and ’70s, when Homecoming concerts featured a slew of stars, including Ella Fitzgerald in 1962, Harry Belafonte in 1964, Tony Bennett in 1966, Simon and Garfunkel in 1968, and Dionne Warwick in 1971. But bands didn’t just come to town for Homecoming. In 1968, Jimi Hendrix thrilled audiences at the Factory on Gorham Street. Peter, Paul and Mary performed at the Coliseum in November 1969, then fittingly had another set at Saint Paul’s University Catholic Center — a midnight vigil of sorts in support of the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam. In 1970, Jefferson Airplane played Camp Randall, and Rod Stewart and Alice Cooper made appearances at Dewey’s, a club on Gilman Street. You can read more memories of Madison’s music scene submitted by 1960s and 1970s alumni. And Badgers who graduated after 1970 have plenty of rockstars to reminisce about, too. Highlights include U2, R.E.M., Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Janelle Monáe, Chance the Rapper, and Lizzo.

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