Yesterday, July 6th, was the first time I saw The Rolling Stones live.
Wembley Stadium 1990
I then saw them at Hyde Park, 2013, and it was also July 6th
Have you seen any groups on exactly the same day?
I realise this may be a rather niche post but hey, isn’t that what this website was made for?
Stiff Little Fingers have played at the Glasgow Barrowlands every St Particks night for the past 25 years – but I’ve never been.
But I know of a couple of people (via the magic of tiniterweb) who’ve been to everyone of those
I have seen John Otway on 20th December 2016 and 20th December 2017 in the same venue (Sub89 Reading). I believe he’ll be back this year too (on 20th December)
I saw a band twice on the very same day in 2001 (I’m 99% sure it was the same day anyway). Does that count? The Lilac Time played a short free show at Borders bookshop on Oxford Street and then played a long free show at the Mac Bar in Camden.
I saw Frank Zappa do two shows in one day in September 1984 at the Hammersmith Odeon. Moreover, the shows were about 65% different in setlists. It was great!
I was at the first show. I also saw Van Morrison do 2 shows in one evening at Cheltenham Town Hall ca 1998. He repeated one song only (Moondance)
Cream – two shows on one evening (ditto Yes and Taste – same gig).
Edgar Broughton Band – two shows at two different venues on same day (actually it was a few hours apart but before and after midnight).
I saw The Beatles at St Helens Plaza on March 4th, 1963 which was the same date I first saw them!
I’ve seen the same band on several nights of the same tour on a few occasions. This really tells you how “spontaneous” the shows are. Stephen Wilson will do different music over nights sometimes. Steely Dan did in their new York residencies (though have terrible set list stasis otherwise).
These include the Tom Robinson Band; Yes; Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe; Pat Metheny Group; Frank Zappa; Zappa plays Zappa; and some others I can’t now recall. The conclusion is clear; the ONLY act that delivered a different experience from one show to another was Frank Zappa. All other acts are scripted down to the stage banter, solos and lighting changes.
There are now many bands that have fallen into a formulaic show where same gigs become same tours, sometimes over a long time.
So if you like somebody, you can go to different shows on a tour – but you probably won’t get something unique by seeing multiple concerts on the same tour except bragging rights with those who like the band as much as you.
I saw The B-52s in Virgin Record Store, Birmingham, promoting their debut LP. They performed an acoustic Rock Lobster and were impressively glamorous and poptastic. Of course, I fell in love and had to go and see them that night at Digbeth Civic Hall. Tremendous!
New Order, Reading Festival, 29th August 1993. Their last gig….
New Order, Reading Festival, 30th August 1998. … for five years and one day.
I saw the Eagles on 21st June 2014. When I checked on the date I saw them at Wembley in 1975 I found that was also 21st June!