Version 11/12/13
This is a work in progress. Corrections and additions are welcome.
Frank Zappa Gig List: 1965-1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1988
Shows with SPURIOUS or CANCELED in the Status field did not happen.
Shows with QUESTIONABLE in the Status field or "conflicts with xxx" in the Comments field may not have happened.
| Date | Line-up | Concert recordings |
| May 1965-December 1966 | 1 | recordings in circulation |
| Date | City | State | Country | Venue | Shows | Status | Other acts | Comments | Sources |
| 64/ | Fontana | CA | Shack | SPURIOUS | see 65/. | bl, rgaws, gr | |||
| 64/ | Los Angeles | CA | Brave New World | SPURIOUS | see 65/. | kb, rgaws | |||
| 64/ | Norwalk | CA | SPURIOUS | see 65/. | rgaws, gr | ||||
| 64/ | Pomona | CA | Broadside | SPURIOUS | see 65/. | bl, rgaws, gr | |||
| 64/ | Pomona | CA | Red Flame | SPURIOUS | see 65/. | bl, kb, rgaws, gr | |||
| 64/ | Torrance | CA | Tom Cat | SPURIOUS | see 65/. | bl, kb, rgaws, gr | |||
| 64/05/10 | Pomona | CA | Broadside | SPURIOUS | correct date is 65/05/09. | rgaws, gr | |||
| 65/ | El Monte | CA | Forty-Niner Club | nti | |||||
| 65/ | HI | SPURIOUS | correct dates are 66/04/07-16. | rf, gr | |||||
| 65/ | New York | NY | Whisky a Go Go | SPURIOUS | see Whisky A Go-Go, Los Angeles; Cafe Au Gogo, New York. | gr | |||
| 65/ | Fontana | CA | Shack | bl, rgaws, gr | |||||
| 65/ | Los Angeles | CA | Cafe Unicorn | Lenny Bruce | gr also lists as 65/66 | gr | |||
| 65/ | Los Angeles | CA | Canter's Delicatessen | gr also lists as 65/66 | gr | ||||
| 65/ | Los Angeles | CA | Cosmo Alley Cafe | gr also lists as 65/66 | gr | ||||
| 65/ | Los Angeles | CA | The Trip | bcws says summer 65/ in addition to 65/12/. gr lists 65/ and 65/66. see also 66/01/31-02/02. | kb, MM74/01/04, capc, LAFP, bcws, gr | ||||
| 65/ | Los Angeles | CA | Vito's studio | kb | |||||
| 65/ | Los Angeles | CA | Brave New World | kb, rgaws | |||||
| 65/ | Norwalk | CA | rgaws, gr | ||||||
| 65/ | Pomona | CA | Broadside | bl, rgaws, gr | |||||
| 65/ | Pomona | CA | Red Flame | bl, kb, rgaws, gr | |||||
| 65/ | Torrance | CA | Tom Cat | bl, kb, rgaws, gr | |||||
| 65/05/09 | Pomona | CA | Broadside | rgaws, gr | |||||
| 65/10/31 | Los Angeles | CA | The Action | for four weeks. bl has 64/65. gr has 65/66. | bl, ns, kb, trfzb, gr | ||||
| 65/11/ | Los Angeles | CA | Whisky a Go Go | kb | |||||
| 65/11/06 | San Francisco | CA | Longshoremen's Hall | CONFIRMED | Charlatans (headliners) | date from poster. ticket stub lists event as "A Tribute To Ming The Merciless". MC was "Don Sturdy" (Howard Hesseman). | ns, gcpc, jnpc, frd, rhapc | ||
| 65/12/ | Los Angeles | CA | Whisky a Go Go | gr also has 64/65 | bl, gr | ||||
| 65/12/ | Los Angeles | CA | The Trip | The Leaves | ad: "The Happy Xmas Beat. The Mothers (pronounced Muthers)." see also 66/, 66/01/31-02/02. | kb, MM74/01/04, capc, LAFP, bcws, bcpc, wtai, gr | |||
| 66-69/ | Mineola | NY | Mineola Playhouse | attendee and FZ mention it on WPLJ-FM, 71/10/10. they played "Shotgun". | wplj | ||||
| 66/ | San Francisco? | CA? | Avalon Ballroom | kb | |||||
| 66/01/31-02/02 | Los Angeles | CA | The Trip | CONFIRMED | ad. probably with Jim Guercio. | kb, MM74/01/04, capc, LAFP, rprws, bcws, gr | |||
| 66/02-03/ | TX | ten-day engagement. | kb, fo, gr | ||||||
| 66/02/05 | Los Angeles | CA | The Trip | Rising Sons, Sam The Sham + Pharaohs | this was reportedly the gig at which JCB introduced Tim Buckley to Herb Cohen. Rising Sons and Sam The Sham were advertised; Mothers weren't. | bcws, bcpc, rprws | |||
| 66/03-04/ | Los Angeles | CA | gr | ||||||
| 66/04/07-16 | Honolulu | HI | Da Swamp | CONFIRMED | newspaper ads. | bl, vd, ns, fo, kb, rf, gr | |||
| 66/05/ | San Diego | CA | Jazzville | Little Richard (headliner) | venue and headliner from jasws. | jasws, gr | |||
| 66/05/ | Seattle | WA | according to article in SPI or ST 72/12/, MOI had performed in Eagles Auditorium before closing three years earlier. | gr | |||||
| 66/05/03-05 | Los Angeles | CA | The Trip | Velvet Underground | no mention of FZ/MOI in reviews. gr has NYC. | bl, vd, fo, kb, rf, dpa, wftsws, gr | |||
| 66/05/06-26 | Hayward | CA | Frenchy's | Jook Savages (one night) | abrpc (who played previous engagement with The Ashes) says Mothers engagement began on 05/06. 05/21 gig is confirmed. jcbs says Fillmore gig (i.e. 05/27) was "the next day". | grpc, kb, abrpc, rprws, HDR, mkrpc, gr | |||
| 66/05/21 | Hayward | CA | Frenchy's | CONFIRMED | Neil Diamond | ad and listing from HDR at rprws. Mothers backed Neil Diamond in addition to playing their own set. | grpc, kb, abrpc, rprws, HDR, gr | ||
| 66/05/27-29 | San Francisco | CA | Fillmore Auditorium | CONFIRMED | Andy Warhol's Plastic Inevitable + Velvet Underground + Nico | poster, contract. Jefferson Airplane were not on the bill. | bl, vd, ns, mpdpc, gl, jnpc, dfpc, pz, fdi, rorws, rhapc, gr | ||
| 66/06/03-04 | San Francisco | CA | Fillmore Auditorium | CONFIRMED | Quicksilver Messenger Service, Grateful Dead | dates from poster. | bl, mpdpc, gl, pz, fdi, gr | ||
| 66/06/24-25 | San Francisco | CA | Fillmore Auditorium | CONFIRMED | Lenny Bruce | dates from poster. | bl, ns, mpdpc, gl, btb2, dfpc, pz, fdi, gr | ||
| 66/07/ | Bethesda | MD | Wing Ding | WDCA-TV. hosted by Kerby Scott. usually known as Washington, but rf says the studios were in Bethesda. Shortly after 07/12. fo has 66/06/. kb has 7/17? | ns, vd, fo, kb, rf, bcws, rgaws, gr | ||||
| 66/07/ | Dallas | TX | TV Show | after Detroit. fo has 66/06/. mspc says the show was probably Sump'n Else, hosted by Ron Chapman on WFAA-TV. | ns, vd, fo, mshpc, gr | ||||
| 66/07/ | Detroit | MI | TV Show | probably = 66/07/12 Windsor. | ns, vd, fo, kb, gr | ||||
| 66/07/ | Warren | MI | Motor City Roller Rink | summer 1967? | bmpc, dwpc | ||||
| 66/07/ | Washington | DC | Roundtable Restaurant | (Georgetown) | ns, rf, gr | ||||
| 66/07/12 | Windsor | Ontario | Canada | Swingin' Time | CONFIRMED | Robin Seymour's TV show (local, CKLW, channel 9, 4-5pm weekdays, 1963-1970). review. not Los Angeles. | ns, om1, DFP, rf, kb | ||
| 66/07/23 | Los Angeles | CA | Danish Center | CONFIRMED | Sound Machine, The Factory | GUAMBO: Great Underground Arts Masked Ball and Orgy, sponsored by LA Free Press. moved from AIAA Hall (aka Aerospace Hall). poster. kb has 07/29. | bl, vd, ns, fo, pz, kb, fdi, rhapc, gr | ||
| 66/07/23 | Southfield | MI | Club 1270 | CONFIRMED | Dave Prince's TV show, (local, WXYZ, channel 7, ABC). announced in advance in DFP. presumably pre-recorded and broadcast on this date. otherwise conflicts with GUAMBO. | kb, ns, om1, DFP, rf, rhapc | |||
| 66/07/29 | New York | NY | SPURIOUS | supposedly GUAMBO, which was actually 07/23 in LA. | vd, fo, gr | ||||
| 66/08/13 | Los Angeles | CA | Shrine Exposition Hall | CONFIRMED | The Factory | Son of GUAMBO. ad (LAFP, reprinted in mofo). | bl, ns, fo, kb, LAFP, mofo, gr | ||
| 66/09/ | Los Angeles | CA | Lindy Opera House | = 67/02/03-04? | kb, gr | ||||
| 66/09/09 | San Francisco | CA | Fillmore Auditorium | CONFIRMED | Oxford Circle | dates from poster. gr says both shows moved from Fillmore to SRT, but rhapc says only 09/10. | ns, mpdpc, gl, dfpc, pz37, fdi, rhapc, gr | ||
| 66/09/10 | San Francisco | CA | Scottish Rites Temple | CONFIRMED | Oxford Circle | dates from poster. moved from Fillmore. | ns, mpdpc, gl, dfpc, pz37, fdi, gr | ||
| 66/09/17 | Los Angeles | CA | Shrine Exposition Hall | CONFIRMED | Little Gary Ferguson, The Factory, Count V, West Coast Pop Experimental Band | posters. Freak Out. | bl, ns, fo, pz, fdi, gr | ||
| 66/09/27-10/02 | Los Angeles | CA | Whisky a Go Go | The Factory | ad in LAFP. | bl, ns, fo, rarrws, bbws, dbzt, gr | |||
| 66/10/02 | Los Angeles | CA | Whisky a Go Go | kb has 1967. 09/27 *and* 10/02, or 09/27 *through* 10/02? | bl, ns, fo, kb, rarrws, gr | ||||
| 66/10/15 | Santa Barbara | CA | San Marcos HS Auditorium | ns reports LAFP said it was canceled, but attendee dfrpc and promoter Jim Salzer say it happened. | bl, ns, fo, dfrpc, bcws, gr | ||||
| 66/10/23 | Los Angeles | CA | Hullabaloo | poster (revised for 10/29). venue later became Aquarius Theatre. | mofo | ||||
| 66/10/29 | Santa Barbara | CA | Earl Warren Showgrounds | CONFIRMED | The Factory | date from poster (which features word balloons from Avengers #28). attendance: 1052. | bl, btb2, dfpc, dfws, vsbws, gr | ||
| 66/11/ | Detroit | MI | kb lists with question mark; his source said "late 1966". | kb, kbpc | |||||
| 66/11/ | East Lansing | MI | Michigan Union | SPURIOUS | correct date is 66/12/09. | kb | |||
| 66/11/ | Long Beach | CA | Beach House | QUESTIONABLE | kb lists with question mark; his source said "late 1966". | kb, kbpc | |||
| 66/11/ | Los Angeles | CA | UCLA | Canned Heat | first gig of re-formed Canned Heat. | bcws, bcpc | |||
| 66/11/23-26 | New York | NY | Balloon Farm | CONFIRMED | announcement, poster, and review. not Village Theatre. not Garrick Theatre. dates from poster; announcement has 11/24-27. | kb, VV, jdpc | |||
| 66/11/26-12/31 | New York | NY | Garrick Theatre | SPURIOUS | Garrick was showing films. correct venue is Balloon Farm. correct dates are 11/24-27, 12/02-03, 12/16-17, 12/23-31. | ns, vd, fo, rf, gr | |||
| 66/12/02-03 | New York | NY | Balloon Farm | CONFIRMED | ad: Legalize therapeutic abortion with the Mothers. | VV | |||
| 66/12/04 | Island Park | NY | Action House | CONFIRMED | Velvet Underground, Fugs, Ronettes, Shangri-Las, Left Banke, Brian Hyland, Terry Knight + The Pack, et al. | poster. The 1966 Night Beat Freakout Happening. is this for real? | nsspc | ||
| 66/12/09 | East Lansing | MI | Michigan Union | CONFIRMED | Woolies | kb has 66/11/. fundraiser for The Paper. | bl, fo, kb, rf, hoaffz, LCP, TP, gr | ||
| 66/12/16-17 | New York | NY | Balloon Farm | CONFIRMED | newspaper ads. | bl, fo, kb, rf, VV, gr | |||
| 66/12/23-31 | New York | NY | Balloon Farm | CONFIRMED | Tim Buckley | newspaper ads. one show each night FROM 9 pm TO 3 am (not two shows AT 9 pm AND 3 am). | bl, fo, kb, rf, VV, gr | ||
| 66/67 | Boston | MA | Jefferson Airplane | canceled due to blizzard, but both bands nonetheless played to a very small audience. = 67/04/20-23? | dbopc |
Copyright © 2011 by Charles Ulrich. All rights reserved.
Frank Zappa Gig List: 1965-1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1988
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