The music icon became the first celebrity to turn Madison Square Garden into a wedding venue nearly five decades ago.Image credit (Instagram)
Nearly fifty years before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce reportedly said ‘I do’ at Madison Square Garden, another iconic musician had already transformed the legendary venue into his dream wedding venue. In June 1974, Sly Stone and model Kathy Silva made history by becoming the first couple married at MSG, setting a precedent that would inspire modern celebrity couples to dream big about their own milestone moments at the world’s most famous arena.
Sly Stone’s groundbreaking MSG wedding
On June 5, 1974, Sly Stone and Kathy Silva walked down the aisle at Madison Square Garden in front of over 20,000 guests. According to Rolling Stone, what made the wedding truly unique was that it wasn’t just a ceremony followed by a reception. The nuptials took place right on stage at MSG, serving as the opening act for a full Sly and the Family Stone concert that followed that same evening.In his memoir, Stone recalled the ingenious idea behind the location. According to Fox News, he wrote, “I could do a gig, get paid, and get married at the same time. We set the date for June 5, a Wednesday. We’d have a ceremony just before the concert, right there on the stage.” What began as a spontaneous idea between Stone and his manager Steve Paley quickly evolved into one of the most talked-about celebrity events of the decade.
