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Photo: Bob Gruen

Thirty years ago today was a seminal moment in the canon of rock music. And it happened on the Bowery.

On May 6, 1984, Spinal Tap performed CBGB (in real life) as part of their “comeback tour” in connection with Smell the Glove. It hadn’t gone well for the band up to that point, what with the Stonehenge mishap and/or getting lost on the way to the stage.

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In reality, the show was a publicity stunt to promote This is Spinal Tap during its inaugural theater run. So, this show was actually the first public performance of the pseudo-fictitious metal band.

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Photo: Ebet Roberts

We couldn’t find much in the way of video from the performance. Instead, here are some photos of the night the fictitious band pulled a Last Action Hero and entered the real world.