This Day in Rock History: November 30

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1982: Metallica played their last show with bassist Ron McGovney at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco. Cliff Burton replaced him later that year, but McGovney returned to play with his former bandmates when Metallica celebrated their 30th anniversary.
• 2019: Slayer played their final show at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Their final song was "Angel of Death," after which they spent several minutes on stage thanking the fans for all their support during the band's 38-year career.

Cultural Milestones

• 1943: Fleetwood Mac keyboardist, co-vocalist, and songwriter Christine McVie was born in Greenodd, Lancashire, England. She joined the band in 1970, after the departure of founder and blues guitar legend Peter Green, and contributed to their most commercially successful period.
• 1955: Billy Idol was born in Stanmore, England. He broke onto the scene as the lead singer of the punk band Generation X before carving out a hugely successful career as a solo artist during the 1980s.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1979: Pink Floyd released their 11th studio album, The Wall, through Harvest/EMI and Columbia/CBS Records. The concept album topped the U.S. charts for 15 weeks and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide since its launch.
• 1982: Michael Jackson released his sixth studio album, Thriller, via Epic Records. Produced by Quincy Jones, it was the first time the artist introduced rock elements into his music, and it became the best-selling album of all time, with up to 70 million units sold worldwide.