Like you all I’ve even many gigs but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an artist encore by playing a song for a second time. Which I think was the original purpose of an encore.
My mate saw Jonathan Richman play Ice Cream Man 8 times.
Encore!
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Saw Neil Young do Goin’ Home twice ca 2002
He famously did the whole of a new album twice
Really? I know that on the Tonight’s the Night tour, he played the then unknown album in full, encored with the title track (played for the 2nd time), then when called back for another encore said “Here’s one you will know”, cue resounding cheers, followed by a 3rd rendition of Tonight’s the Night.
Im sure I read that somewhere
Dexys played Jackie Wilson Said a second time when I saw them in Wolverhampton on their last tour. Though a look at Setlist FM suggests they didn’t do it on other nights.
A friend of mine at college went to see EMF when they were in the charts. They played Unbelievable twice. Of course they did.
The most unbelievable thing about them is that they’re still on the go – still slouching around the stage in backwards baseball caps at 60 or whatever…
Freshers week at Leeds uni… It Bites did Calling All the Heroes early in the set, which felt weird until it returned for the encore
That’s just what I was going to say! I was there too and it remains the only time I’ve ever heard a song twice at a gig.
Bruce and the band opened and closed with ‘This Little Light … ‘ at his one and only gig in Limerick. 2013. He also did a pre-gig solo acoustic warm-up.
Rij and I were both in the audience for a 1988 Transvision Vamp gig and they did the hit at least twice. Although, in my case, drink had been taken and all I can really remember is Wendy James’ (lack of) stage attire.
They had a hit?.
They had two top-ten hits – I know, whodathunkit, etc. I Want Your Love (no. 5) and Baby I Don’t Care (no. 3).
I’ve got BIDC on 12″ (a fairly recent purchase, 50p or a quid from a charity shop) and it is still a banger.
They probably played them both twice, didn’t they? I was fairly ratarsed.
I Want Your Love, definitely twice. Second time after a moment of quiet confusion when they realised they’d run out of songs
I’ve probably told this before but I spent a miserable day at The Music Machine in Camden on a scaffold tower constantly replaying the 16mm background footage for this. The director didn’t understand that if the band stood in front of the screens, it created a shadow. Should’ve gone rear projection dummy. Blink and you’ll miss it.
When I saw OMD at the Manchester Apollo in November 1981, their final encore was another performance of “Enola Gay”, which had already been played once during the set.
I would have been at that gig, and as they only had two shortish albums of material at that time doesn’t surprise me. Saw them again on the A&M tour two years later when they were very memorably supported by the Cocteau Twins.
I think we can forgive new bands – first time I saw Everything But the Girl (Leeds Uni) they apologised and said they had played everything they knew, so would have to play something for a second time.
John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett at Aberdeen Students’ Union in 1980. Played both Really Free and Beware of the Flowers twice. Possibly more, actually.
Queen opened and encored with We Will Rock You round about 1979 (as on the Live Killers LP) but different versions, so maybe that doesn’t count.
Primal Scream played Rocks twice at The Metro in Sydney in 1997. No idea how I remember that.
I’ve seen this a few times – the Steve Ashley Band at Cropredy Fest in 1987. They’d clearly rehearsed with a brass section for their specific slot and had no more repertoire/weren’t expecting an encore… so did one song again. Ditto Toyah when she did an ‘unplugged’ band comeback tour of bars in Ireland in the mid 90s. She picked a hit (they’d already done) for the encore and said ‘Let’s funk it up!’ to her band, who looked bemused… and played it exactly the same way as 20 minutes earlier.
I could name a couple more. Though I haven’t seen her show personally, Rhoda Dakar often has to play ‘Let’s Do Rocksteady’ a couple of times whenever she performs.
I have a couple of pals in the village who are obsessed with 2 Tone – they go to Butlins every year for the SkaMouth festival – but they, let’s just say, don’t have the most progressive of musical tastes.
I don’t think they even go as far as More Specials. And they’re not the only ones.
At least the fellas no longer have to worry about shaving to achieve their skin head look. Who knew Fred Perry did XXXL shirts?, etc.
They’d be happy if Rhoda just played ‘Rocksteady’ for the whole gig.
Remembered another one, I memorably saw The Zombies do Odessey and Oracle in full in 2017. They also did 2 versions of She’s Not There in their set
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-zombies/2017/le-national-montreal-qc-canada-be6b55e.html
Saw post TRB Tom Robinson’s Sector 27 at Strathclyde Uni and they played their single ‘I’m Not Ready’ twice. They didn’t have enough new material and were determined not to play any TRB material that of course most of the audience wanted to hear.
Tom Robinson in Leeds came on with the band and said “everyone prefers encores, dont they? so we are just playing one song”. Played it. Went off. Came back on to do the whole set.
Well, I enjoyed it.
Today’s tea/keyboard interface moment.
Did Tom wheel out the Eddy Grant flight case story? (Pun intended)
Altered Images played Happy Birthday at UEA early then as an encore. As we were filing out of the building they were back on stage doing it again.
They’re playing our local independent venue in September and we were trying to decide if they had enough catalog to make it worthwhile. I don’t think my wife would recognise Dead Pop Stars.
Second time I saw them , Edinburgh I think, was one of the best “fun pop” nights ever. And Clare made it pretty clear she fancied me rotten (fact check needed)
I fairly recently found a ticket stub showing I had seen them live 40 odd years ago. Didn’t really recall it at all. I do have some vague recollection of dancing with Clare on one occasion, but I was very very drunk and it may have been another Scottish lady 😉
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I bumped into Clare in Dingwalls circa 1998, at the back of a Maria McKee gig.
Slightly overcome with meeting a teenage bedroom poster in the flesh, my tongue suddenly became bigger than my mouth. I managed to mutter “excuse me”… and walked away. I wish I’d managed “love your work” or even just “thanks”.
It’s the first and (I think) only time I’ve been star-struck.
The Undertones regularly play Teenage Kicks in the middle of the main set AND as an encore.
Funnily enough the audience sometimes would rather have Get over you…
I always feel mildly irritated when they come back on for an encore then play for another half hour. I don’t mind another number, ideally something off the wall – but don’t overstay your welcome.
Back to the OP, Cyndi Lauper came back on and did True Colors again but this time acapella and it was fabulous.
When is an encore an interval?