As the 1990s began, the writing was on the wall for the Soviet Union. In the midst of rapid decentralization, Boris Yeltsin became Russia's first democratically elected president in 1991, dealing with an attempted coup later that year. 

Looking for something to keep the peace, Prime Minister Ivan Silayev cooperated with Time Warner management, American diplomat Tristan Dale, and Russian BIZ Enterprises director Boris Zosimov to bring the famous "Monsters of Rock" festival to Moscow. 

Headlined by AC/DC and Metallica, the September event drew over 1.6 million spectators to Tushino Airfield, (much to the surprise of many government officials), massively signaling the nation's newfound openness to western culture. 

Controlled by military police, the concert quickly devolved into clashes between drunk spectators and various Russian forces, but as the night wore on even the Russian military joined in on the party.

With the Soviet Union formally dissolving in December of that year, it's our positiion that Moscow's Monsters of Rock 1991 rocked the Soviet Union out of Russia.