Major Lazer
American dance group Major Lazer wasted no time once US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro re-established diplomatic ties, playing a free show in front of the US Embassy in Havana on March 6. But they weren't the first American band to set foot on former enemy soil.
The Dead Daisies
Made up of ex-members of Guns N' Roses, INXS and Thin Lizzy -- but not any of the ones you probably know the names of -- the Dead Daisies were the first, touching down in February 2015. They were part of a cultural exchange between the two countries, and spent time hanging with young musicians as well as playing two shows.
Manic Street Preachers
The Manic Street Preachers played their first gig since the turn of the millennium at the Karl Marx Theatre in Havana in February, 2001. They were the first Western rock band in more than two decades, and played to not only a full house -- but President Fidel Castro himself.
The band even got to meet the revolutionary leader before the show. They told him it would be loud, to which he scoffed, "It cannot be louder than war, can it?" His quick retort gave the DVD release its name.
Audioslave
Despite their talk, Rage Against the Machine never plied their trade in Cuba. Their less-politically inclined offspring however, Audioslave, played a free show to 70,000 rocking Cubans in 2005, the first Americans to do so since the 1970s.
Billy Joel and friends
During a previous thawing of relations between the Cold War enemies, the US allowed Billy Joel and a bunch of lesser-known names to play for the Cuban people at Havana Jam '79.
This being the 1970s, the stars were told to leave their drugs at home and do without TV in their hotel rooms for the duration of their stay. Others on the tour included Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Stephen Stills and the CBS Jazz All-Stars.
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