MARCH 26, 1966 – The Strangeurs opened for The Byrds at the Westchester County Center in White Plains

MARCH 26, 1966 – The Strangeurs (soon to become The Chain Reaction) featuring future Aerosmith frontman Steven Tallarico (later Steven Tyler), opened for The Byrds at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. The Strangeurs arranged for girls to sit in the front row and scream for them, but it was hardly necessary as the crowd went nuts during their set, and they played six songs instead of their allotted two. It was Tyler’s 18th birthday.

The band began as the Strangers, until finding a group who already had that name, switching to The Strangeurs as a result since it sounded British. After a line-up change they changed their name to Chain Reaction who recorded a local Boston area hit and performed in concert as the opening act for such groups as The Beach Boys, The Byrds and The Yardbirds. The band’s 1966 song “When I Needed You” appeared on Aerosmith’s 1991 compilation box set album “Pandora’s Box”.