Version 09/08/16
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 |
| January-December | 1 | recordings in circulation |
| Date | City | State | Country | Venue | Shows | Status | Other acts | Comments | Sources |
| 68/ | Boston | MA | Boston Globe Jazz Festival | SPURIOUS | correct date is 69/01/31. | kb | |||
| 68/01/ | Denver | CO | Family Dog | SPURIOUS | no poster for such a show. correct date is 68/05/03. | jn, fo, pfgpc, ekpc, kb | |||
| 68/01/ | Miami Beach | FL | Thee Image | SPURIOUS | Thee Image opened on 68/03/15. correct dates are 68/03/15-16. | kb | |||
| 68/01/ | San Francisco | CA | Fillmore West | SPURIOUS | fo, mpdpc, AF | ||||
| 68/01/ | Louisville | KY | = 68/03/ 17? | kb | |||||
| 68/01/ | New York | NY | Town Hall | "a set of weekend concerts". = 12/22-23/67? | rf | ||||
| 68/01/28 | New York | NY | SPURIOUS | not advertised, listed, or reviewed in NYT or VV. conflicts with Toronto. | fo, NYT, VV, gr | ||||
| 68/01/28 | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Convocation Hall, University Of Toronto | CONFIRMED | ticket stub, review. fo, gr have 01/27. 01/28 conflicts with New York. | fo, jnpc, nhpc, kb, TS, frd, gr | ||
| 68/02/ | Birmingham | UK | QUESTIONABLE | vd, fo | |||||
| 68/02/ | Denver | CO | Family Dog | SPURIOUS | tape circulating as 68/02 (=Electric Aunt Jemima) is from several sources. cf. 68/05/03. | jn, ekpc, gr | |||
| 68/02/ | New York | NY | Columbia University | SPURIOUS | correct date is 69/02/14. | kb | |||
| 68/02/ | Stratford | CT | The Ballroom | SPURIOUS | correct year is 1969 | jn, fo | |||
| 68/02/01 | Boston | MA | Boston Tea Party | conflicts with London. | kb | ||||
| 68/02/01 | London | UK | Royal Albert Hall | QUESTIONABLE | conflicts with Boston. | vd, fo, kbpc | |||
| 68/02/18 | Fall River | MA | Durfee Theatre | CONFIRMED | Vanilla Fudge, Charles Lloyd | ticket stub. | pnpc, riveb, frd | ||
| 68/02/25 | Syracuse | NY | War Memorial Theater | CONFIRMED | review. mentioned by Art Tripp as one of his first gigs. | jehpc, at75, at97, arpc, SPS | |||
| 68/02/29 | New York | NY | Hilton Hotel | CONFIRMED | Tenth Annual Grammy Awards dinner. cf. 67/02/14. | rf | |||
| 68/03/ | Berkeley | CA | Community Theater | QUESTIONABLE | kb has 68/05/. not advertised in Berkeley Barb. rhapc says no such show. cf. 11/30. | vd, fo, kb, BB, rhapc, gr | |||
| 68/03/ | Boston | MA | Psychedelic Supermarket | kb says "around March" according to JCB. bafpc says 68/ or 69/, Friday and Saturday nights. | kb, bafpc, kbpc | ||||
| 68/03/ | Chicago | IL | International Amphitheater | SPURIOUS | correct date is 68/04/27. | fo, rgpc, pnpc, gr | |||
| 68/03/ | Hartford | CT | Hartford Ballroom | SPURIOUS | correct year is 1969, and even then it's probably Stratford. | jn, fo, kb, gr | |||
| 68/03/ | Miami | FL | Miami Pop Festival | SPURIOUS | correct date is 68/05/18. | kb | |||
| 68/03/ | San Francisco | CA | Fillmore West | SPURIOUS | wrong month, year, or venue | jn, fo, mpdpc, gl, gr | |||
| 68/03/04 | Fullerton | CA | vd, fo, kb, gr | ||||||
| 68/03/15-16 | Miami Beach | FL | Thee Image | CONFIRMED | Blues Image, The Kollektion | newspaper ad and poster. opening night of club. date is legit, even though tape so labeled is from 1969. | bl, fo, rf, glspc, glsws, gr | ||
| 68/03/17 | Louisville | KY | Kaleidoscope | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | The Oxfords | ticket stub. | pnpc, wreb, frd, Ka, rdipc, kawpc, jmppc | |
| 68/03/22-24 | Philadelphia | PA | Electric Factory | 2 shows 03/24 | CONFIRMED | Nova Local | poster and ad. | rf, DD, klpc | |
| 68/03/30 | Westbury | NY | Westbury Music Fair | QUESTIONABLE | Vanilla Fudge (headliners) | date from Vanilla Fudge giglist. 69/03/30? 69/03/01? attendee kdpc says MOI substituted for scheduled Sly and Family Stone. he also remembers Buzz Gardner and Lowell George, which points to 69/03. | grpc, vfws, kdpc, hhpc | ||
| 68/04/ | Philadelphia | PA | Arena | vd, fo, kb, gr | |||||
| 68/04/ | Sacramento | CA | Memorial Auditorium | on or around 04/12. 69 fits better, but attendee says 68. | blfpc | ||||
| 68/04/09 | Chicago | IL | International Amphitheatre | = 68/04/27 Coliseum ? | kb | ||||
| 68/04/10 | Detroit | MI | Grande Ballroom | not listed in FE. cf. 68/04/28. | jn, fo, kb, FE, gr | ||||
| 68/04/12 | USA | National Academy Of Recording Arts + Sciences | SPURIOUS | correct date is 68/02/29. cf. 67/02/14. | kb, jbiaffz | ||||
| 68/04/19-20 | New York | NY | Fillmore East | 2 shows each night | CONFIRMED | James Cotton Blues Band | ads, poster, and review. | bl, jn, fo, pz, kb, ANY, VV, gr | |
| 68/04/26 | Cincinnati | OH | Taft Auditorium | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | Ravi Shankar | confirmed by trade magazine. opening act from attendee gwhpc. | grpc, kb, gwhpc | |
| 68/04/26-27 | New York | NY | Fillmore East | 2 shows | SPURIOUS | James Cotton Blues Band | ad in VV (opposite correct ad!) has wrong dates. | VV | |
| 68/04/27 | Boston | MA | War Memorial Auditorium | QUESTIONABLE | conflicts with Chicago. 1969? | fo | |||
| 68/04/27 | Chicago | IL | Coliseum | CONFIRMED | Cream (headliners) | venue from ticket stubs and attendee. date from ticket stub and trade magazine. rgpc said 04/12. fo, gr have International Amphitheater, March. | fo, rgpc, pnpc, grpc, pz, frd, mskpc, rndeb, gr | ||
| 68/04/28 | Detroit | MI | Grande Ballroom | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | Psychedelic Stooges, Charging Rhinoceros of Soul, MC5, Carousel | listing and poster. | pnpc, rdapc, fdi, FE, pz | |
| 68/05/ | Berkeley | CA | Community Theater | = 68/03/ ? not advertised in Berkeley Barb. | kb, BB | ||||
| 68/05/ | Louisville | KY | = 68/03/17? kb has 68/01/, with question mark. | bl, fo, kb, gr | |||||
| 68/05/ | Miami Beach | FL | Thee Image | = 68/03/15-16 ? | kb | ||||
| 68/05/03 | Denver | CO | The Dog | CONFIRMED | date from handbill. Chet Helms had previously produced shows in Denver, but this was an unauthorized use of the Family Dog name. | ekpc, cmpws | |||
| 68/05/04 | Phoenix | AZ | Star Theatre | CONFIRMED | ticket stub and autographed ticket. not advertised in Arizona Republic. | kb, rmcaffz, shapc, blpc, pnpc, frd | |||
| 68/05/09 | New York | NY | Fillmore East | SPURIOUS | not included in Fillmore East ad in NYT 05/03. kb has 68/05/13. | vd, NYT | |||
| 68/05/10-11 | Los Angeles | CA | Shrine Exposition Hall | CONFIRMED | Charley Musselwhite Blues Band, Sweetwater | ad and poster. High Torr Dance Concert. | bl, jnpc, pz, fdi, LAFP, chpc, gr | ||
| 68/05/13 | New York | NY | Fillmore East | SPURIOUS | not included in Fillmore East ad in NY Times 05/10. vd has 68/05/09. | kb, NYT | |||
| 68/05/18 | Hallandale | FL | Gulfstream Race Track | CONFIRMED | Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Chuck Berry, Blues Image, Arthur Brown, Blue Cheer, The Package, Pacific Gas + Electric | 1968 Pop Festival, 05/18-19. second day was canceled due to rain. (not Miami Pop Festival, which was 12/28-30) | fo, pnpc, kdl, glspc, glsws, rhapc | ||
| 68/05/19 | Hallandale | FL | Wreck Bar | jam session after cancelation of 1968 Pop Festival. Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding, FZ, JCB, Arthur Brown, John Lee Hooker. | kdl, glspc | ||||
| 68/05/25 | CA | Santa Clara Co. Fairgrounds | QUESTIONABLE | "McCarthy is Happening". FZ endorsing Gene McCarthy? Oh no, I don't believe it. Conflicts with Fresno. | BB | ||||
| 68/05/25 | Fresno | CA | Selland Arena | CONFIRMED | Electric Flag | Happening #2. poster gives no city or year (or promoter this time). | pz, fopc, fdi | ||
| 68/05/29 | Farmington | UT | Lagoon | CONFIRMED | Youngbloods | near Salt Lake City. ad and poster. | bl, fo, dpws, rdapc, clpc, pz, kb, rf, gr | ||
| 68/06/ | Detroit | MI | Grande Ballroom | SPURIOUS | not listed in FE. no evidence at mcma. rhapc says no such gig. presumably an error for 68/04/28. | bl, FE, mcma, rhapc, gr | |||
| 68/06/ | Phoenix | AZ | Veterans Memorial Coliseum? | QUESTIONABLE | = 68/08 ? kb lists with question mark. shapc suggests the Exhibition Hall, also on the state fairgrounds, as a more likely venue. | kb, rmcaffz, shapc | |||
| 68/06/ | San Bernardino | CA | Swing Auditorium | kb lists with question mark. At 80/04/05 concert, FZ mentioned having played the venue before. | kb, pbpc | ||||
| 68/06/ | Santa Barbara | CA | kb lists with question mark. poster (c) 1967 has Sunday, no date or year. | kb, dfrpc | |||||
| 68/06/ | Seattle | WA | kb lists with question mark. not advertised in SPI 68/06/7, 14, 21, 28. according to article in SPI or ST 72/12/, MOI had performed in Eagles Auditorium before closing three years earlier. | kb, SPI | |||||
| 68/06/ | Vancouver | BC | Canada | Agrodome | QUESTIONABLE | not advertised in Georgia Straight. kb lists with question mark, also as 68/07/. | kb, GS | ||
| 68/06/01 | San Diego | CA | Community Concourse | CONFIRMED | listing and poster. James C. Pagni presents Happening #10. | pz, kb, fopc, jme, TD | |||
| 68/06/03 | Los Angeles | CA | Shrine Exposition Hall | QUESTIONABLE | not listed or advertised in LAFP. | vd, kb, LAFP | |||
| 68/06/05 | Portsmouth | MA | Guildhall | SPURIOUS | wrong year and country! cf. 69/06/05 Portsmouth, UK. | vd, gr | |||
| 68/06/06 | San Francisco | CA | Fillmore West | CONFIRMED | B. B. King, Booker T + MGs | poster and ticket stub. | bl, mpdpc, gl, jnpc, frd, gr | ||
| 68/06/07-08 | San Francisco | CA | Winterland | CONFIRMED | poster and ticket stub. | bl, mpdpc, gl, jnpc, frd, gr | |||
| 68/06/14 | Tucson | AZ | kb lists with question mark. date from Pauline's diary. | kb, pbipc | |||||
| 68/06/15 | Anaheim | CA | Convention Center | CONFIRMED | "other name groups" | listing and Pauline Butcher's diary. | pbipc, arpc, VNN | ||
| 68/06/21 | San Jose | CA | Civic Auditorium | CANCELED | Grateful Dead | poster and ticket stub. The James C. Pagni Co. presents. canceled due to poor turnout. | eteb, fdi, jhopc | ||
| 68/06/22 | Sacramento | CA | Memorial Auditorium | CONFIRMED | Chambers Brothers | poster has day, no year. The James C. Pagni Co. presents. | fdi | ||
| 68/06/27 | Los Angeles | CA | Wrigley Stadium | CONFIRMED | Alice Cooper, Grass Roots, T-Bone Walker, et al. | FZ was MC of first day of festival billed as "Phantasmagoria: The Community Effort". No MOI involvement. poster, ads, and reviews. | jegpc, LAFP | ||
| 68/06/28-30 | Los Angeles | CA | Cheetah | CONFIRMED | Sweetwater, A. B. Skhy | ad. (Venice, CA). High Torr presents. | bl, rf, gr | ||
| 68/07/ | Chicago | IL | Kinetic Playground | SPURIOUS | correct dates are 08/14-15. | kb, CS | |||
| 68/07/ | Milwaukee | WI | The Scene | SPURIOUS | correct date is 68/08/09-10. | kb | |||
| 68/07/ | Santa Monica | CA | kb lists with question mark. | kb | |||||
| 68/07/14 | Los Angeles | CA | Cheetah | CONFIRMED | Kaleidoscope, Holy Modal Rounders, et al. | ad and review. GUAMBO 2, Free Press Bastille Day Bash. MOI played outside on the pier, but inside show was closed down before MOI could play. | rf, LAFP | ||
| 68/07/18 | Boston | MA | The Ark | SPURIOUS | correct date is 69/07/08. | bl, jn, vd, kb, BAD, gr | |||
| 68/07/23 | Los Angeles | CA | Whisky A-Go-Go | CONFIRMED | Alice Cooper | ad and review. | kb, rf, rarrws, acews, sihpc | ||
| 68/08/ | Joey Bishop TV Show | kb lists with question mark. according to JCB. | kb, kbpc | ||||||
| 68/08/ | Steve Allen TV Show | kb lists with question mark. according to JCB. | kb, kbpc | ||||||
| 68/08/ | Baltimore | MD | kb lists with question mark. | kb | |||||
| 68/08/ | Elgin | IL | kb lists with question mark. | kb | |||||
| 68/08/ | Lake Geneva | WI | Playboy Club | kb lists with question mark. | kb, hopc | ||||
| 68/08/ | Miami Beach | FL | Thee Image | = 68/03/15-16 or 69/02/07-08 ? according to JCB. | kb, kbpc | ||||
| 68/08/ | Phoenix | AZ | Celebrity Theater | QUESTIONABLE | shapc says he attended the show. not advertised or listed in Arizona Republic. kb has 68/05/, 68/06, both with question marks. | bl, blpc, shapc, rstpc, gr | |||
| 68/08/03 | New York | NY | Wollman Rink, Central Park | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | Buddy Guy | Schaefer Music Festival. listings, review, and trade magazine. not Fillmore East. | jn, grpc, kb, NYT, VV, gr | |
| 68/08/09-10 | Milwaukee | WI | The Scene | CONFIRMED | ad in Milwaukee Kaleidoscope 8/9/68. | bl, grpc, Ka, gr | |||
| 68/08/11 | Fullerton | CA | SPURIOUS | correct date is 68/11/08. | gr | ||||
| 68/08/14-15 | Chicago | IL | Electric Theater | CONFIRMED | Brian Auger/Julie Driscoll/Trinity, Fyre? | newspaper listing gives venue as "Electric Theater". as of 68/10/, Electric Theater was the name of the production company and Kinetic Playground was the name of the venue. according to Blue Things biography, Fyre's last gig was opening for MOI at Electric Theater (sometime after 68/04/). | kb, CS, capc, btws | ||
| 68/08/24 | Los Angeles | CA | Arena | SPURIOUS | wrong city, presumably. | kb | |||
| 68/08/24 | Seattle | WA | Seattle Center Arena | CONFIRMED | Easy Chair, Juggernaut | ad. opening acts from Jeff Simmons. | bl, rf, He, jsipc, gr | ||
| 68/08/25 | Vancouver | BC | Canada | Kerrisdale Arena | CONFIRMED | ad, listing, and review. | bl, rf, GS, gr | ||
| 68/08/30 | Dallas | TX | Memorial Auditorium | CONFIRMED | Country Joe + Fish | ad in Dallas Notes 8/15/68. opening act from kdkb74. | bl, grpc, kb, kdkb74, gr | ||
| 68/08/31 | Houston | TX | The Catacombs | CONFIRMED | Country Joe + Fish, Canned Heat, Moving Sidewalks, Matchbox, Neal Ford + The Fanatics | poster. Houston Pop Festival. | kb, cmapc, rhapc | ||
| 68/08/31-09/02 | Seattle | WA | Sky River Rock Festival | SPURIOUS | The MOI are not listed in any of the ads. Easy Chair (with Jeff Simmons) did play the festival though. | grpc, ns, kb, He, rhapc | |||
| 68/09/ | Los Angeles | CA | Pandora's Box | kb lists as Aug, Sept, or Oct. | kb | ||||
| 68/09/15 | Pasadena | CA | Rose Bowl | CONFIRMED | Joan Baez, Everly Brothers, Big Brother, Byrds, Country Joe + Fish, Jr. Wells + Buddy Guy, Buffy St. Marie, Wilson Pickett | poster and ad. MOI on fourth, at 3pm. | bl, pz, fdi, klpc, gr | ||
| 68/09/17 | Los Angeles | CA | wrong year? cf. 66/09/17. | fo | |||||
| 68/09/27 | Bremen | Germany | vd has 09/07 | vd, gr | |||||
| 68/09/27 | Essen | Germany | Olympia am Wasserturm | Ferdinand Kriwet | reports from two attendees. after mixed media show at 11:30 pm, so Mothers played after midnight, i.e. in the wee hours of 09/28. | mnifpc, dmkw, mmz | |||
| 68/09/28 | Essen | Germany | Grugahalle | CONFIRMED | Fugs, Tim Buckley, Driscoll/Auger Trinity, Tangerine Dream, et al. | festival program. Internationale Essener Songtage 1968. venue spelling from their own website. | jn, kb, Ho, kkaffz, iesws, gr | ||
| 68/09/29 | Frankfurt | Germany | Kongresshalle | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | tour listing. Total Music Theatre. muscle man poster. kb has 09/30. | kb, paws, arpc, tp68 | ||
| 68/10/ | Worcester | UK | SPURIOUS | ad in IT for Royal Festival Hall 10/25/68 says "only British concerts". Tape known as Worcester is from 68/10/03 Copenhagen and 69/06/05 Portsmouth. | gr | ||||
| 68/10/01 | Stockholm | Sweden | Konserthuset | CONFIRMED | tour listing and poster. not 10/02. | jn, kb, klpc, arpc, tp68, gr | |||
| 68/10/03 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Tivoli Gardens | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | tour listing does not indicate two shows. | jn, vd, kb, pmpc, arpc, tp68, gr | ||
| 68/10/04 | Hamburg | Germany | Markthalle | SPURIOUS | correct date is 10/05. correct venue is Musikhalle. | kb, mmfpc, kkpc, rzeb | |||
| 68/10/05 | Hamburg | Germany | Musikhalle | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | tour listing and ticket stubs. not 10/04. not Markthalle. | kb, mmfpc, kkpc, rzeb, arpc, tp68 | ||
| 68/10/06 | Bremen | Germany | Beat Club | Lieder Liches TV program | jn, kb, gr | ||||
| 68/10/09 | Munich | Germany | Deutsches Museum Kongressaal | CONFIRMED | tour listing. Total Music Theatre. kb lists with question mark. This is reportedly the show associated with the 19th century-looking pz28 poster. cf. 68/09/29. | vd, kb, pz28, arpc, tp68, gr | |||
| 68/10/10 | Paris | France | Olympia | QUESTIONABLE | Olympia archives say 10/26. Canal Jimmy has 10/23. kb has 10/28 with question mark. | jn, kb, sdaffz, jnpc, gr | |||
| 68/10/12 | Vienna | Austria | Konzerthaus | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | tour listing, listing, review, and venue archives. | vd, ns, kb, chpc, AZ, khws, arpc, tp68, gr | ||
| 68/10/16 | Berlin | Germany | Sportpalast | CONFIRMED | tour listing. cf. Holiday In Berlin | vd, ns, grpc, arpc, tp68, gr | |||
| 68/10/20 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Concertgebouw | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | saw player | ad. opening act from attendee. | jn, kb, jlspc, ME, gvaffz, gr | |
| 68/10/23 | London | UK | Colour Me Pop, BBC2 TV show | ns, kb | |||||
| 68/10/25 | London | UK | Royal Festival Hall | 2 shows | CONFIRMED | ad, preview article, and review. not 10/28. | jn, vd, ns, fo, fopc, AOTT, kb, rf, IT, MM, gr | ||
| 68/10/26 | Paris | France | Olympia | CONFIRMED | date from Olympia archive. various sources have 10/10. Canal Jimmy has 10/23. kb has 10/28 with question mark. | jn, kb, sdaffz, jnpc, gr | |||
| 68/11/ | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | kb lists with question mark; his source said "late 1968". not advertised in available issues of Ha. | kb, kbpc, Ha | ||||
| 68/11/08 | Fullerton | CA | Titan Gymnasium, Cal State Fullerton | CONFIRMED | Alice Cooper | poster. | bl, jn, pz42, kb, fopc, gr | ||
| 68/11/29 | Phoenix | AZ | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Chambers Brothers, Ranger | photographs. spring 1969? | nfpc, blpc | |||
| 68/11/30 | Berkeley | CA | Community Theater | CONFIRMED | poster, radio ad, newspaper ad, and review. | bl, vd, ns, grpc, rf, KSAN, BB, SFC, pz145, gr | |||
| 68/12/ | Philadelphia | PA | Spectrum Theater | kb | |||||
| 68/12/01 | Berkeley | CA | Community Theater | SPURIOUS | poster, radio ad, newspaper ad, and review don't mention 12/01. rhapc says one night only. | bl, vd, ns, grpc, rf, KSAN, BB, SFC, rhapc, gr | |||
| 68/12/06-07 | Los Angeles | CA | Shrine Exposition Hall | CONFIRMED | Easy Chair/Ethiopia, GTOs, Wildman Fischer, Alice Cooper | poster and ad. Bizarre/Straight promotional concert. unbilled performers: Kim Fowley, and possibly Beefheart. not Buddy Miles, Jethro Tull; that was 69/03/31. | bl, ns, btb2, kb, rf, fdi, djws, ghws, gr | ||
| 68/69/70 | Hartford | CT | University of Hartford | between January 1968 and May 1971. | dzpc |
Copyright © 2009 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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