Playing 15-minute sets with cartoonish energy, the rapper donned an inflatable costume to become middle America’s worst nightmare: a gigantic, powerful black woman
Nigeria’s Festac festival, which cost over a billion dollars in today’s money, was an Olympic Games of pan-African culture – with Stevie Wonder the joyous headliner
The rapper could have faced hostility at the overheated, febrile festival but capitalised on one of rap’s biggest ever audiences with a show of awesome power
In a tiny club, 2,000 peacocking punters witnessed a historic gathering of talent for this mini-festival, showcasing a music craze on the brink of a breakthrough
The German electronic music pioneers’ first festival set was a pivotal moment, one that showed just how profound their influence was while acknowledging their influences
The annual trumpet competition in this Serbian town sees brass bands face off in a non-stop party – and when superstar Goran Bregović turned up, the crowd levitated with adulation
A camera crew from a local TV station decided to film Iggy Pop’s band even though they were far from top of the bill ... and the footage was extraordinary
‘Eat my tampon’ yelled Donita Sparks at the baying crowd. It was one of grunge’s most memorable moments, a defiant prank that showed women would not be shouted down
The jazz trumpeter had been sidetracked by heroin, but sealed his return with this deft, inventive set that showed how much he could wring out of a single piece of music
Desolation Center was a festival in the California desert without food, drink or toilets, but with a lot of hallucinogenic drugs. Lee Ranaldo recalls the danger – and the freedom
A bad vibe and worse acid hung around the 600,000-strong festival, with Mitchell getting heckled – but she used a stretch of perfect songs to create a moment of harmony
Jay-Z, Glastonbury 2008: diamonds in the sky for rap's greatest showman