The "Rest In Peace" thread: Have you been present at a band's final performance?

.. knowingly (at the time) or not?

(Called this the "Rest in Peace" thread in recog of Bauhaus: They'd played a successful gig, all the goths in the audience applauding and cheering, then one of the band said "rest in peace" and the audience were all like "ay? what? was that? Is that it? the last gig?" taken totally by surprise. (I wasn't there, no)

I was at the Swans gig in London in 1997 which was at the time expected to be their final show.

I think actual final performance due to a band member dying or something and/or the band splitting up forever is different from the now traditional Last Gig Ever!, of which I've been to several only to see the band reform again 5yrs later.

Yeah, I was at the 'last' Stone Roses ReadingFest gig, but that doesn't count now.

I *was* at World Domination Enterprises last gig, their drummer had left to join the JWitnesses, this was the big come-back gig with a new drummer, Simon. But the lad seemed to lose steam halfway through, and the audience left, sadly, at the end. (Drummer lad went on to be an OK drummer in other bands though)

Thanks to the special one-off reformation at the end of last year, I was at what is currently supposed to be the last ever Arab Strap gig. I think Ailsa might have been at their previous last ever show!

I was at the last Orange Juice gig (Brixton Academy, 1985) and the last Oasis gig (V Festival, 2010).

I saw the Wildhearts play in 1994, which was supposed to be their last ever gig. They've been playing off and on ever since.

definitely been a thread about this before although god knows what it was called.

Ned would probably be able to give a ruling on this but I saw Disco Inferno in London sometime around late '94 or early '95 I think it was. They can't have played many more gigs after it, could easily have been their last.

Grateful Dead Chicago, July '95.

I was at the last At The Drive-In show in 2001, over here in The Netherlands in Groningen.

That is, until they reunited this week.

i was at the last manics gig with richey. don't know if that counts.

Grateful Dead Chicago, July '95.

Was supposed to be at this one. Had tickets with friends, but I also had tickets to the Pearl Jam concert at the same venue (Soldier Field) a few days later. Long story short, I was forced to choose and ended up going to Pearl Jam instead. Which I don't regret, it was a great show, but I did feel like I made a bad decision after Jerry died. But I've since heard tapes of the Dead show and, well, I'm at peace with my decision again.

Had you seen any Dead shows prior to that, jon?

Nope, would have been my first.

I only saw shows on that tour and the prior summer tour and to be honest, they were among the least enriching aspects of my Grateful Dead fandom.

Yeah, I've been listening to boots from those last couple tours for a long time now and I don't feel like I missed much. Still, would have been nice to have seen the real Dead once in person.

Having been invoked -- the final shows Disco Inferno did included a tour opening for Siouxsie and the Banshees which I believe came after those shows you mention, Anagram.

For the longest time, of course, I thought I was at the final MBV show back in 1992. I believe I have since been at the final Chameleons show in Long Beach in 2003. But I need to double check on that...

Do one off reunion shows count?

sure, we have a 'last Arab Strap' above.

Until the really (so far) regrettable Braid reunion, their final show at Metro would've been on my list.

Thanks to the special one-off
reformation at the end of last year, I
was at what is currently supposed to
be the last ever Arab Strap gig. I
think Ailsa might have been at their
previous last ever show!

I was, yes (also still jealous of everyone who got tickets for the reformation gig at Sleazys)! Was also at the Manics' last gig with Richey.

Lee Hazlewood, Royal Festival Hall, London, 4 August 2004

But I've since heard tapes of the Dead show and, well, I'm at peace with my decision again.

^yeah, you didnt miss much

Les Savy Fav apparently said their headlining set at ATP last month was their last ever. We saw them in the afternoon but not the evening...

Alice Coltrane in SF 2007

No, but Duane Allman played his final show the night I was born.

teen indie-poppers Noise Addict, of I Wish I Was Him micro-fame, played a farewell gig at Bondi Pavilion, when they split up to focus on the final year of high school.

semi-parody ska-metallers Nancy Vandal (formerly Nancy Vandal & The Popgun Assassins) reformed two years after they split, to play the farewell gig they'd never gotten around to before, but with three different lineups from their original tenure.

art-noise-theatre-rock band Vrag reformed after 12 years to play a farewell gig when their former singer moved to another city.

I'm sure you're all dazzled.

wondering if any mongs caught the last Broadcast gig here..

I saw what I believe was the last Picasso Trigger concert at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC.

I saw the last Rocket From The Crypt show on the east coast (they still did one more Halloween show in San Diego). I also apparently saw the last Gluecifer show, but like most of the audience at this Little Steven's Garage Rock Whateverthefuck, I wanted that group to get off the stage so RFTC could fuckin start already.

Dismemberment Plan's last show in 2003, though they've since reunited several times

Also Fugazi's last show (to date) in DC/the US, at Fort Reno in 2002

yeah, was at the Plan's 'last' show as well as one of the reunion shows.

i saw Fugazi at Fort Reno around that period, was PROBABLY '02, didn't realize taht was the last time they played here!

Was gonna say The Loft - as wikipedia puts it A national tour as the opening act for The Colourfield was intended to give the band further exposure, but tensions within the band led to a sensational split live onstage of the Hammersmith Palais, on the final date of the tour. - but according to the same wiki they reformed and played some gigs in 2006.

Also had a ticket to see that Swans/Pansonic gig at the Astoria that anagram mentions upthread, but on the actual night I took too waaay many drukqs, had a total paranoid hissy fit and stayed at home while everyone went to the show. what a berk.

My very first gig was The Jam at Wembley on their 'farewell tour', but it wasn't the final show they played.

Yeah, I went to that one too.

By the time they got to Brighton (the actual last one), Weller was 'arsed about it'...