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The following musical artists each performed in Lewiston at various venues. The listing includes the venue of the performance, and a link to a song they likely played on stage in Lewiston. In a few cases, including the Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen, links go directly to recordings from their Lewiston show.

1958 — Buddy Holly* and The Crickets*, “Rave On” (Armory)

1958 — Jerry Lee Lewis*, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” (Armory)

1958 — Frankie Lymon*, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” (Armory)

1958 — Danny and the Juniors, “At the Hop” (Armory)

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1959 — Jimmy Reed*, “Big Boss Man” (Armory)

1959 — Mystics, “Hushabye” (Armory)

1959 — Duane Eddy*, “Rebel Rouser” (Armory)

1961 — Fireballs, “Sugar Shack” (City Hall Auditorium)

1965 — Gerry and the Pacemakers, “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (Armory)

1965 — Shirley Ellis, “The Name Game” (Armory)

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1968 — Jimi Hendrix*, “Purple Haze” (Armory)

1969 — Cowsills, “The Rain, The Park and Other Things” (Armory)

1969 — The Shirelles, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” (Bates College)

1969 — Paul Butterfield Blues Band*, “Love March” (Bates College)

1969 — Tommy James and the Shondells, “Crimson and Clover” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1970 — James Cotton Blues Band, “The Creeper” (Bates College)

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1970 — Savoy Brown, “Hard Way to Go” (Bates College)

1970 — Tom Rush, “No Regrets” (Bates College)

1971 — John Lee Hooker* & Canned Heat, “Boogie Chillen’” (Bates College)

1971 — Jonathan Edwards, “Sunshine” (Bates College)

1971 — Youngbloods, “Get Together” (Bates College)

1971 — England Dan & John Ford Coley, “Just the Two of Us” (Bates College)

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1972 — Richie Havens, “Freedom” (Armory)

1972 — Sha Na Na, “Rock Around the Clock” (Armory)

1973 — B.B. King*, “The Thrill is Gone” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1973 — Foghat, “Slow Ride” (Armory)

1973 — New Riders of the Purple Sage, “Panama Red” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1974 — Aerosmith*, “Dream On” (Central Maine Youth Center)

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1974 — REO Speedwagon, “Keep On Loving You” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1974 — Chuck Berry*, “Sweet Little Sixteen” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1974 — Hot Tuna, “Hesitation Blues” (Bates College)

1974 — Jesse Colin Young, “Songbird” (Armory)

1974 — Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen, “Hot Rod Lincoln” (Armory)

1974 — Procol Harum, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (Armory)

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1974 — Raspberries, “Go All the Way” (Bates College)

1974 — ZZ Top*, “La Grange” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1974 — Brownsville Station, “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1974 — Stampeders, “Sweet City Woman” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1975 — Charlie Daniels Band, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1975 — J. Geils Band, “Whammer Jammer” (Armory)

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1975 — Livingston Taylor, “Carolina Day” (Bates College)

1975 — Marshall Tucker Band, “Ramblin’” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1975 — Peter Frampton, “Show Me the Way” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1975 — Queen*, “Killer Queen” (Armory)

1975 — Kansas, “Song For America” (Armory)

1976 — Bachman Turner Overdrive, “Takin’ Care of Business” (Central Maine Youth Center)

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1976 — Blue Oyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1976 — The Sweet, “Ballroom Blitz” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1976 — Boston, “More Than a Feeling” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1976 — Dr. Hook, “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1976 — Atlanta Rhythm Section, “So Into You” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1976 — Lynyrd Skynyrd*, “Free Bird” (Central Maine Youth Center)

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1976 — Seals and Croft, “Summer Breeze” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1976 — Uriah Heep, “Easy Livin’” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1977 — Bruce Springsteen* and the E Street Band*, Entire show (Central Maine Youth Center)

1978 — Cheap Trick*, “Surrender” (Central Maine Youth Center)

1980 — Grateful Dead*, Entire show (Maine State Fairgrounds)

1985 — Crosby, Stills and Nash*, “Teach Your Children” (Lewiston Raceway)

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1988 — Squeeze – “Cool For Cats” (Bates College)

1993 — They Might Be Giants, “Birdhouse in Your Soul” (Bates College)

1993 — The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Where’d You Go?” (Bates College)

1995 — The Ramones*, “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” (Central Maine Civic Center)

1997 — Blues Traveler, “Run-Around” (Central Maine Civic Center)

1998 — Green Day*, “Longview” (Central Maine Civic Center)

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1998 — Tool, Entire concert (Central Maine Civic Center)

2000 — Bob Dylan*, “Shelter From the Storm” (Central Maine Civic Center)

2005 — Weezer, “Beverly Hills” (Central Maine Civic Center)

2006 — Motley Crue, “Kickstart My Heart” (The Colisee)

2007 — The Roots, “Roxanne” (Bates College)

2007 — Anais Mitchell, “Of a Friday Night” (The Maple Room)

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2010 — 50 Cent, “In Da Club” (Androscoggin Bank Colisee)

2010 — Snoop Dogg, “Gin and Juice” (Bates College

*  Indicates a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee 

Here’s a Spotify playlist with some of the studio version of songs once played live on stage in Lewiston: https://tinyurl.com/4vxjw2ze.

Steve Collins became an opinion columnist for the Maine Trust for Local News in April of 2025. A journalist since 1987, Steve has worked for daily newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Maine and served...

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