I saw Al in 1995, and I’m seeing him again this summer. That 30-year gap is the biggest in my concertgoing history. Previously that record was held by the Pet Shop Boys (first saw them in 1999, then again in 2022). And my first X show was in 1998 and my last (sadly, their farewell tour isn’t coming here,. dammit) was in 2022, but as mentioned upstream, I saw them a handful of times in the interim.
Interesting question. Looks like my biggest gap is 40 years, Elvis Costello: the 1982 Imperial Bedroom tour, and his 2022 appearance at Austin City Limits for mostly King of America but also some other stuff.
ETA: also interesting that I ended up seeing him in Austin again, when I hadn’t lived there for 37 years.
My longest gap was Neil Young. First 1993 at the Schüttorf Festival with Booker T and the Mg’s as his backing band, and twenty years later with Crazy Horse in Cologne, Lanxess Arena.
Bon Jovi in 1987, then 16 years later in 2003.
The second time… my boss had luxury box seats at the San Jose Arena. When a show came through town that he wasn’t planning to go to, he would ask around if anyone wanted the tickets. I surely never would have even known Bon Jovi was playing, let alone gone to the concert, otherwise. They put on a hell of a show, though, both times!
32 years for Elton John. First saw him in San Diego back in 1975, then saw him for the last time during the Red Piano residency at Caesars Palace in 2007.
Same guitar player. (Dee Johnson)
Talking about gaps? Forty-five years with Gong, first in 1979 and then again in 2024 (twice, on two successive nights of their recent tour). Admittedly, they had a 100 percent turnover in the lineup in between, but it’s the same “band identity.”
I have a huge gap in my concert going history with respect to Pat Benatar. First saw her in Montreal at the Forum in 1981. Next saw her in San Jose in 2021 — 40 years later!
For folks who attended concerts in the Bay Area in the 60s and 70s, you might like checking out the website Chicken On A Unicycle. It has an extensive historical listing of venues and acts. Here’s the one for Winterland 1966-1978
My biggest gap is the Beach Boys; 1976 and 2012 - 36 years. I’m also proud to say I have never been to one of Mike Love’s rump-Beach Boys concerts without Brian Wilson. The highlights of the 2012 show at the Santa Barbara Bowl were the snidely sarcastic compliments exchanged between Brian and Mike, and Brian’s refusal to play until a renegade beach ball had been captured and deflated.
My second longest gap is Adam Ant. The Hollywood Palladium in 1982 with 4000 other people and SLO Brew (San Luis Obispo) in 2015 with a crowd of less than 200 people. How the mighty have fallen.
I was about a mile from the stage but I heard the commotion.
It was the middle of the night and things were pretty quiet. When Daltrey sang “see me, feel me, etc.” someone in the crowd yelled out at the top of their lungs: “EAT ME!”
Was it the Unicorn Coffee House? I saw the Velvet Underground there.
As far as my memory goes, it was in a small performance hall at Berklee itself, not a coffeehouse.
Steel Pulse at The Roundhouse in London. Stick with me here, it gets better…
I loved Steel Pulse, the UK’s first big homegrown reggae band - great. Second on the Bill was Wreckless Eric, more drunk than I have ever seen anyone on stage (or possibly off)… He was dreadful. Third on the bill was John Cooper Clarke. “punk poet”, who even back then was sufficiently famous that the guitarist of the band who were bottom of the bill did a mickey take, imitating him. Oh yeah, bottom of the bill - that was The Police. They were pretty good, actually.
One of those long remembered gigs - you can find stuff on the net about it.
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Saw Nirvana back in the day. Thinly attended, not a great performance. I don’t think they were meant for arenas, and it seemed like they were on the downswing. 2 months later Kurt was gone, so.
My longest gap was between going to my first proper gig back in 1973, which was Procol Harum, and finally seeing them again in 2017 - just over 44 years
They were still producing new music the first time and I’m sure they didn’t bother playing their huge 1967 hit, A Whiter Shade of Pale, but they did play it in 2017!
Talking about Gong, my partner first saw them in Edinburgh University student union back in 1976 and most recently again just last year, supported by the Ozric Tentacles. So that’s 48 years, although we have both seen them multiple times in-between.
I first saw Pere Ubu on a triple bill with The Gang of Four and Delta 5.back in 1981 and was blown away by them. I’ve lost count of how often I’ve seen them, or David Thomas, since. 15 to 20, I’d guess.
I’ve seen loads of gigs over the years and still have most of the tickets (when there were physical tickets) but sorting them seems more of a task the longer I leave it… I’m impressed by people who have sorted their memorabilia and so onout.
I have also kept almost all of my ticket stubs and thought about putting them on a board, but I don’t have any wall space left and keep them in a drawer.
The first two times I saw them the vibe was “Jim the quasi mystic sharing his visions with us”; You didn’t want to take your eyes off him.
Third time was the “Soft Parade” Inglewood extravaganza. My recollection is that the vibe was the same but… I had a terrible, distant seat, and was feeling the beginnings of what turned out to be Hong Kong Flu. My memories of the event are vivid but spotty.
Fourth and last time was the Morrison Hotel tour, and it was definitely a different atmosphere although still a great show. Jim swilled something presumably alcoholic out of a paper cup throughout the show but didn’t seem drunk or impaired. In hindsight I think he was performing at us instead of for us, the wheels were beginning to come off and the “nasty Jim Morrison slobbering drunk asshole” phase was underway.
The rest of the band was consistent throughout the years: Robby and John were always great, Ray was an absurdly overrated keyboardist.
Take photos (or scan them like I did) and make some photo collages!
Hey, that’s a good idea. But now that I am retired I will be to lazy to tackle that project. 
My longest gap was Rush between 1986 (Grace Under Pressure tour) and the Time Machine tour in, what - 2011? 2012? I had seen them on every tour from A Farewell to Kings thru GUP but then sorta lost interest in them for a couple of decades.