Music History

At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, a number of artists received awards. Neil Young won Video of the Year for "This Note's for You", whose video had previously been briefly banned by MTV. Other winners included Elvis Costello, U2, Living Colour and Guns N' Roses. Performers included Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, Def Leppard and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with guest Axl Rose.

Neil Young won Video of the Year at the sixth MTV Video Music Awards for "This Note's For You". It marked a significant turnaround for the song criticizing commercialization, whose video had previously been briefly banned by MTV because of legal concerns over its direct references to corporate sponsors and its parody of Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercial accident.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could not fully use their home stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, because The Rolling Stones were rehearsing and preparing their Steel Wheels tour concert there.

Backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe punched Izzy Stradlin in the face. According to contemporary reports, it was retaliation for an incident several weeks earlier in which Stradlin had punched Neil's then-wife at a Los Angeles club.

Iron Maiden released the album “No Prayer for the Dying”, which foreshadowed guitarist Adrian Smith’s departure from the band.

Neil Young released the album “Freedom,” his 17th studio album, which according to the source marked a return to form after years of poorly received work. After leaving Geffen Records because of longstanding problems, he recorded for his original label, Reprise. The album opened and closed with different versions of “Rockin' in the Free World,” which reflected the social and political atmosphere of the late 1980s and became his highest-charting hit at the time on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also included “Don't Cry,” “Eldorado,” and “On Broadway,” which had first been released on the EP “Eldorado.”

Motley Crue played a warm-up concert before the Dr. Feelgood tour at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood under the pseudonym The Foreskins. The concert was also used for filming the music video for “Kickstart My Heart.”

Janet Jackson's “Miss You Much” began a four-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was her second single to reach the top of the chart.

Jefferson Airplane performed a concert for which admission was one can of food donated to the San Francisco Food Bank.

Paula Abdul reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart with her debut album Forever Your Girl. The album debuted on the chart on July 23, 1988, and reached the top in its 64th week, which at the time was a record-long journey to No. 1. The album later spent a total of 10 weeks at the top and was certified 7× platinum in the US.

Tears for Fears reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with their third studio album The Seeds of Love.

The Rolling Stones' “Mixed Emotions” reached the Top 10; it was their 23rd and final Top 10 song from 56 releases.

Pete Townshend responded to claims by The Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood that The Who were touring for their 25th anniversary solely for the money. He pointed to Mick Jagger's financial needs and the failure of his latest album Dirty Work.

The Grateful Dead performed at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Michael Jackson attended the opening ceremony for an auditorium named after him at his former school, Gardner Street Elementary School, in Hollywood, California. In November 2003, school officials covered his name with plywood after parents protested following his arrest on suspicion of child sexual abuse. After Jackson's death in 2009, fans launched a petition campaign, and the school district eventually uncovered his name again.

Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley released his solo album "Trouble Walkin'".