The database currently contains 4611 historical events.
- David Bowie performed at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona.
- The Police, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and R.E.M. performed at Shea Stadium in New York. It was R.E.M.'s biggest concert to date.
- Black Sabbath performed at Isstadion in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Madness, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, The Police and R.E.M. performed at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. R.E.M. began the concert at 5:00 p.m., with The Police taking the stage later. R.E.M. nervously waited in a small trailer at the back of the venue, while The Police and their entourage arrived backstage in several limousines.
- The Grateful Dead performed at Frost Amphitheater on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, California.
- David Bowie performed at Scope arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
- Thin Lizzy performed at the Reading Festival alongside Climax Blues Band, Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul, Opposition, Sad Café, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Ten Years After, and The Enid. For bassist and singer Phil Lynott, it was his final performance in the United Kingdom.
- Bruce Springsteen played the first of ten concerts at Meadowlands in New Jersey as part of the Born in the USA tour.
- Aerosmith performed at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine.
- Lionel Richie closed the Los Angeles Olympic Games with an extended nine-minute version of his hit “All Night Long.” The lyrics were specially adapted for the occasion.
- Bruce Springsteen performed at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- During the opening night of his Breaking Hearts tour, Elton John announced that he was retiring from touring.
- Mötley Crüe performed at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England, for the first time.
- Aerosmith performed at the Golden Hall in San Diego, California.
- U2 played the second of two concerts at the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, during their Unforgettable Fire World Tour.
- Van Halen played their final concert with David Lee Roth before his return to the band in 2007. They performed at the Monsters of Rock festival in Nuremberg, Germany.
- Bruce Springsteen began the fourth leg of his Born in the USA world tour with a performance at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C.
- Grateful Dead performed at Boreal Ski Resort on Donner's Summit in California.
- Queen played their final live concert with Freddie Mercury at Knebworth Park in Stevenage, England, bringing their Magic Tour to a close. More than 120,000 fans attended the performance. Belouis Some, Big Country and Status Quo performed before Queen. Freddie Mercury closed the concert with “We Are the Champions” and “God Save the Queen”, giving the audience his final farewell while wearing a royal robe and crown. The entire tour attracted 400,000 fans and grossed £11 million.
- Rick Allen made his first live return to the stage with Def Leppard after losing his left arm in a car accident. It took place at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington.
- Drummer Rick Allen played his first concert with Def Leppard after returning to the band following the car accident in which he lost his left arm.
- Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen performed live with the band for the first time after losing an arm in a car accident. Def Leppard were playing at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England.
- The “Get Tough On Toxics” benefit concert against pollution and corporate pollution was held in Long Beach, California. Performers included Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Neil Young, as well as Joni Mitchell, Lindsey Buckingham, Warren Zevon, and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. Members of the Eagles also attended, with the exception of Glenn Frey, who was hospitalized with an intestinal illness.
- Madonna během koncertu v Pontiac Silverdome zastavila vystoupení, aby se omluvila 42 000 fanouškům za své předchozí označení rodného města Bay City v Michiganu za „smelly little town“.
- Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C. concluded their Together Forever tour with a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Run-D.M.C. urged fans to stay in school and avoid drugs, while Beastie Boys performed with dancers in cages and beer.
- Metallica played a secret concert at The 100 Club in London. Two days later, they performed at Donington Park in Castle Donington as part of the large Monsters of Rock festival, headlined by Bon Jovi.
- Bon Jovi were the headliners of the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington, England.
- During the Grateful Dead concert marking the 20th anniversary of the Summer of Love at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angel Camp, California, a man who had escaped from a drug treatment facility shot a police officer and was subsequently shot by police.
- Def Leppard played the first of two concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado as part of the promotion for the album Hysteria.
- KISS performed at the Marquee Club in London during their 129-date Crazy Nights tour.
- Soundgarden performed at Capitol Lake Park in Olympia, Washington, as part of the Capitol Lake Jam festival. Nirvana were also on the bill.
- As part of the Bad World Tour, Michael Jackson performed at Roundhay Park in Leeds on August 29, 1988. On stage he celebrated his 30th birthday, and roughly 90,000 fans sang "Happy Birthday" to him.
- The Human Rights Now! world tour in support of Amnesty International began with a concert at Wembley Stadium in London. Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssou N'Dour performed. The tour took place on five continents.
- Detroit police stopped N.W.A's performance before the group could play “F--k tha Police” and escorted the members back to their hotel. No charges were filed against them.
- Bruce Springsteen joined Ringo Starr onstage during a concert in New Jersey. Together they performed “Get Back,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Photograph” and “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
- The two-day festival began at Lenin Stadium in Moscow, featuring Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Skid Row and The Scorpions. According to the source, it was the first Soviet stadium rock concert where spectators were allowed to stand and dance.
- The Rolling Stones played a surprise concert at Toad's Place in New Haven for approximately 700 people, 19 days before the official start of the Steel Wheels Tour.
- Scorpions performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival after previously traveling down the Moskva River past Gorky Park. The experience later inspired their hit “Wind of Change”.
- The Who presented the rock opera “Tommy” at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Guests included Elton John, Phil Collins, Steve Winwood, Billy Idol and Patti LaBelle.
- The Who played a special charity concert marking the 20th anniversary of the rock opera „Tommy“ at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Elton John performed as Pinball Wizard, Patti LaBelle as Acid Queen, Steve Winwood as Hawker, Phil Collins as Uncle Ernie and Billy Idol as Cousin Kevin.
- The three-day BCM Summer Dance Festival began at the Tempodrom in Berlin. The festival featured a number of American artists, including emerging hip-hop groups Stetsasonic, EPMD and UTFO, the Village People, and R&B singer Bobby Womack.
- Janet Jackson was scheduled to perform at St. Louis Arena, but the concert was postponed until the following day because of her health problems. At the rescheduled show on August 5, she performed three songs before collapsing backstage and being taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with an acute viral infection.
- Madonna concluded her Blond Ambition Tour with a performance in Nice, France. The concert was broadcast on HBO with a time delay.
- Jimmy Page joined Aerosmith on stage during the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in the UK, and together they performed two songs.