The longest concert shows in history...

[Pluvious]

Some pretty amazing stories here...

"The Seven Longest Gigs From Musicians That Just Wouldn’t Quit"

Excerpts...

Grateful Dead: 5 hours
The US rock band gave the longest show of their 1973 tour at Bickershaw Festival in Wigan. The epic set, which convinced a young Elvis Costello – watching from the muddy field – to start his own band, included a 31-minute rendition of their track The Other One.

...

Bruce Springsteen: 4 hours 6 minutes
The Boss was born to run over time, and in 2012 he beat his own record by playing 33 songs in four hours in Helsinki. A few weeks beforehand in Hyde Park, he’d gone way past his gig’s scheduled end time of 10:30pm with a three-hour show, and was singing away happily with Sir Paul McCartney when the organisers pulled the plug on their mics right before the end. Guitarist Steven Van Zandt was not happy, tweeting ‘When did England become a police state?’ Sorry, Steven – but rules is rules!

https://www.theo2.co.uk/news/detail/the-seven-longest-gigs-from-musicians-that-just-wouldnt-quit

[AZSkiffyGeek]

1. Saw George Clinton and P-Funk go four hours without an intermission about 15 years ago

I remember it hit around 10:30 and he said something like "We're gonna play Flashlight and Atomic Dog and wrap this up" and then played another hour.

[LisaM]

2. I saw Bruce play without an intermission once. I had to leave.

I had a few glasses of wine before the show. I wasn't tipsy or anything (especially after the neverending set), but I needed the restroom so bad I couldn't stand it. I left during one of the interminable encores. I still remember hearing the music continuing after I actually left the show.

This 'intermission omission' is a trend with plays now, too,.and I say boo!

[MoonchildCA]

3. I saw Bruce on his Born in the USA tour.

He played close to four hours. It really seemed like he was giving his audience an experience to remember.

On the reverse side of that, I went to see The Beach Boys on New Year’s Eve, back in the early 80s, and they were like an hour late, and only played for about an hour.
They wrapped it up shortly after 11:00, so everyone spent the midnight countdown trying to make it through the crowded parking lot to get to their cars.
It was very disappointing.

[happybird]

4. Phish played a 7.5 hour second set on NYE '99

From just before midnight until sunrise.


Longest song was a 58:47 minute Runaway Jim on 11/29/97
(1997 Fall tour has since been dubbed “Phish Destroys America.”)

Longest jam I was ever present for was a 34 minute Jim on 8/11/98.
Also saw a 31 minute Bathtub Gin on 11/23/97.

Surprisingly, I can’t find a list of longest shows. The Clifford Ball shows are probably up there, it was 3 sets each day. I remember the sun being up for most of the first set, each day.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

5. One the opposite side...

I saw King Crimson last month. Took the stage at 7, intermission at 7:50. Second set started at 8:15. Encore at 8:45. On the way home by 9.
If they weren’t so goddamn good I would’ve been pissed.

[SCantiGOP]

6. Allman Brothers should be on the list

I don't know how long they played, but I saw them in Columbia SC about 1971 when Duane was still alive, and they came on before 9 on a Saturday night.
They took one break, and were really kicking ass as it got close to midnight. When they finished a song, someone came on stage and said something to Gregg. He said (or actually, slurred), "They are telling me ya'll got a law in this town that you can't play after midnight on a Saturday (it was actually a rule of the venue), so we're going to play one more song" and launched into Whipping Post. About 15 after twelve people were coming out and telling various members of the band that they had to wrap it up, which they totally ignored.
Then, about 12:20, a line of police came out and stood on the front of the stage while one cop went and starting unplugging equipment until the sound crashed and they quit. The crowd wasn't happy, but the police presence, and the fact that everyone knew the bars would be rocking about that time of night, led to a peaceful exit after everyone loudly expressed their displeasure.
That was the third time I saw them with Duane, and I have never seen since a band that could equal their on-stage sound and presence.

[Martin Eden]

7. Fillmore East and the live tracks on Eat a Peach

Not sure if this is true, but I heard they were all from the same concert.

THAT is one helluva concert, however long it lasted.

Circa 1975 at the old Amphitheater in Chicago we called Ten Years After out for a third encore after the lights went on. We just kept cheering and banging the chairs and chanting (including the Woodstock rain chant) until the lights went out and Alvin Lee came out again with his band.

[SCantiGOP]

11. I saw them too

I was sitting near the stage, and couldn’t follow Alvin Lee’s hands, they were moving so fast.
Dylan and The Band (72 or 73) was probably the best concert I ever saw, but nobody could take over a stage and an audience like the Brothers.

[TexasBushwhacker]

8. While we're talking about longest, let's talk one of the about biggest

1991, Moscow, Monsters of Rock - 1.6 Million attendees

Metallica - Enter Sandman

[Jim G.]

9. I Was At A Grateful Dead/New Riders Of The Purple Sage Show In LA

That went way over 5 hours. After the first two sets it was just a blended jam with guys from each band drifting in & out.

[Mr.Bill]

10. Bands with multiple drummers have an advantage with this.

One drummer can take a break while the other one keeps playing. I read a long time ago, I think in Rolling Stone that when the Allman Brothers live at Filmore East was recorded at the end of the show when they opened the doors daylight came in.