WDVE's Memorial Day 500 countdown kicks off Pittsburgh’s summer
It might not be summer on the calendar, but Pittsburgh’s summer has officially begun.
The Memorial Day 500 music countdown launched Friday morning on WDVE-FM 102.5 — a Pittsburgh tradition that was rekindled in 2019, after more than a two-decade hiatus.
“We resurrected the 500 when we were celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2019, and it’s been a huge success,” WDVE Program Director John Moschitta says. “For years, ‘DVE did the 500 and the nostalgia really resonates with our listeners. And with so many classic tunes to choose from, it’s really a history of ‘DVE throughout the years.”
The classic rock radio station counts down listeners’ 500 favorite tracks of all time. The event will run through Monday.
Turn those radios up to 11. The #DVEMemorialDay500 starts..... NOW!!! Tune in all weekend long as we play back the top 500 Rock songs of all time!
DETAILS -> https://t.co/3rfGO4TBWt pic.twitter.com/xltNfMdVxo
— 102.5 WDVE (@DVERADIO) May 26, 2023
It attracts significant fanfare, particularly from Boomer and Gen-X Pittsburghers.
This year, the countdown started with “Hollywood Nights” by Bob Seger at No. 500, with “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” by Georgia Satellites at 499, and Van Halen’s “I’ll Wait” at 498.
Those seriously into the minutiae of the countdown would do well to follow @thesteelersnat on Twitter.
Don’t expect any in-depth analysis this year from local vlogger Paul Petroskey, better known as “Weird Paul.” He had live-tweeted the countdowns over the past few years and used to write down each song in the 1980s.
Nope, too busy this year
— Weird Paul Petroskey (@weirdpaul) May 25, 2023
Petroskey on Friday tweeted that he was “too busy” to participate this year much to the disappointment of some of this fans.
All of My Love cracks the #MemorialDay500 for the first time!
This is Led Zeppelin's 27th song that has appeared in the 500 over the last 5 years, 2 behind the Stones' 29.
Both Zeppelin & the Stones have added to their total this year with a song that never appeared before!
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) May 26, 2023
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” topped last year’s countdown, with Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” coming in as the runner up. Zeppelin’s iconic track has been either 1 or 2 since the countdown returned in 2019. Last year’s playlist can be viewed on WDVE’s website.
What classic rock anthem will take the top spot this year?
Yinzers will just have to tune in to find out.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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