Over the years I've tried to weed out most of the incorrect information that had made its way into the site since its inception, and have done a fairly good job fixing up confusion over dates, set lists, venues, etc. Small stuff, but fairly important when looking at the overall concept. Here are a few things I still haven't quite sorted out, some small, some large, if you have any info, drop a line. I'll add to this page as I need to...
There's a lot of other subtle errors in the site, and I do usually like to hear about them. It takes a while to get around to making corrections sometimes, but I always appreciate having mistakes pointed out...some of this shit just challenges my sanity, like the 6/88 mess, so it's nice to get it sorted out.
Return to the Sonic Youth Concert Chronology.
12/07/82 vs 07/12/82
"Shaking Hell" and "I Wanna Be Yr Dog" have been circulating from this show for ages as 7/12/82 CBGB. A full tape recently surfaced, but the date was labelled as 12/7/82. Dates get reversed all the time, so it's tough to say which date is right...12/7/82 is from a more reliable source, but Tom Recchion is on drums for this gig...Bob Bert was still with the band in December '82, so July seems more credible...and yes, Sonic Youth had another drummer.06/11/83 date confusion
This has always been listed on the site as 06/11/83, in Lausanne, Switzerland, as the first show of SY's European tour. However, the rest of the tour dates (though likely some are missing) are over a week later, and there's a Lausanne, Switzerland date on SY's fall '83 European tour, on 11/06/83 -- again the date reversal seems to be in effect. It's known that Lausanne was the first date of SY's June Eurotour, and in "Confusion is Next" it says that Bob rejoined the band directly before this show and flew to Paris, then Switzerland, on his birthday. So, anybody know Bob Bert's Berthday?"Bad Mood" 7" bootleg date
A double 7" bootleg release entitled "Bad Mood" features 5 songs from an unknown Sweden 1983 date. There are no Swedish dates in 1983 on my site, but it's probably from November 1983 (assuming the "Sweden" info is even credible). If anybody knows the source of these tracks, please write. 03/20/85 set list
According to the not-always-accurate "Confusion is Next" book, this show, the first night of SY's first 1985 European tour, started with "Burning Spear" and featured "Shaking Hell". The tape that currently circulates amongst collectors as 3/20/85 opens w/ Halloween and doesn't feature Shaking Hell at all. The set list certainly resembles the others from that tour, so if it isn't 3/20/85 it's certainly from around then (actually, there's confusion over whether the show took place on 3/25/85, which wouldn't exactly make it the first show). More likely, however, is somebody w/ a faulty memory supplied Alec Foege with info that wasn't backed up by a recording of the show (still, would like to know for sure)."Blooze Blurr" / "Cat in the Hat" / "Bang Zoom 7"
In August 1985, Sonic Youth toured North America w/ Steve Shelley for the first time. They were still heavily promoting Bad Moon Rising, as well as the new track "Expressway To Yr Skull". They also had a new song in the familiar GDD# tuning of "Bro James" "KillYrIdols" etc, a creepy droning piece that Lee started to write lyrics for as the tour progressed. Its most popular appearance is probably on the "Anarchy at St Mary's Place" bootleg, where it's merely listed as "INSTRUMENTAL", from 8/11/85 Chicago. Years ago, while working on the site, I tried to jog the band's memory on the song's title, and was told it might be "Blooze Blurr", though it wasn't confirmed. Still, it was better than "Unknown Instrumental", so "Blues Blur" kind of stuck. As it turns out now, I think the song is actually called "Cat in the Hat", based on some new info about the set list for 08/11/85 (see the link for more info), the fact that Lee seems to sing "the cat in the hat" on versions where his vocals are audible, and the new discovery that the song was likely premiered at the newly surfaced 07/05/85 Peppermint Lounge show, in a much longer, instrumental form, which actually turns out to be the exact same track from the obscure Bang Zoom #7 tape zine compilation -- a track which had previously been unidentified (I don't know why I didn't notice the similarity to the Anarchy @ Mary's track earlier, though it is fairly rough in its "Bang Zoom" form). I'd read that Steve had called the Bang Zoom track "Cat in the Hat", which kind of wraps it all together...if I'm correct. To summarize, there was definitely a song called "Cat in the Hat", which is most likely this August '85 piece, and a song called "Blooze Blurr" which little info is known about. I'll keep y'all posted...NOTE: IT WAS ACTUALLY BASICALLY CONFIRMED THAT THE 8/85 SONG IS 'KAT N HAT' AND BLOOZE BLURR IS A PRE-STEVE PIECE, CIRCA '83 OR SO (STILL UNHEARD). Updates to follow.08/03/85
Show surfaced as Cleveland, OH, but gig poster indicates it may have been moved to Detroit?10/06/85 vs 10/08/85
Should the date for 10/06/85 Frankfurt be 10/08/85? (eh, they can't all be exciting)10/21/85 vs 11/21/85
Over the years there's been a lot of dates that have to be changed as new information surfaces, and I have a feeling there's still a few from the earliest days of the site that haven't been weeded out yet. The 10/21/85 show could possibly be 11/21/85, it's hard to tell from the existing dates which is more likely, and it's one I recall has caused confusion before.12/85 CBGB date
There's a tape circulating as 12/85 CBGB w/ the set list SECRET GIRL / BURNING SPEAR / GREEN LIGHT / BROTHER JAMES / FLOWER [cut]. "Flower" is the encore, so the beginning of the show is probably cut, as well. I don't have a December '85 CBGB gig on the site, and the date of this recording is somewhat vague, so I was hoping somebody had more information...06/88 chaos
SY did 4 warm-up shows while working on Daydream Nation material in June 1988. Or at least, that's what I always thought...06/17/88 @ Knitting Factory, 06/18/88 @ Maxwell's, 06/23 + 24 @ CBGB. All 4 shows were taped and in circulation. Then somebody wrote me and said they had a ticket stub from seeing SY w/ Borbetomagus in Cambridge, MA @ t.t. the bear's on the 18th, putting the Maxwell's date in question...until 2 tapes are found in the Blast First archive dated 06/09 and 06/10/88 -- Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's. So now, all of a sudden it appears that there were 6 shows -- but I still don't know which tapes belong to which shows now. From which show is the "Silver Rocket" "You Pose You Lose" "Non-Metal Dude Wearing Metal Tee" material taken from? I'd always heard it was from Hoboken, but now there's 2 shows...what is the actual date for the show formerly circulating as 06/18/88 Hoboken? Is it one of the Hoboken shows, or actually Cambridge? Are all 6 shows circulating, or do some have incorrect dates? Etc etc...it's a mess, and I hope somebody can magically clear it all up for me...
03/89 Poly
This 03/??/89 show has been listed for a while, but apparently the circulating tape is really of 4/1/89, which makes me think this show was always just a mislabel for 03/21/89, and should probably be removed, unless anybody has any further info. NIGHT MUSIC date
Seriously, it's fucking ridiculous that after 8 years I still don't know when this was filmed. "sometime between 9/89 and 11/89" -- bullshit! Somewhere this must be written down...somebody must have a more specific timeframe than 2 months...fuck. UPDATE!: A POSTCARD ON EBAY GAVE US OUR ANSWER...01/29/91 tape v. review
This show, an opening slot on Neil Young's 1991 tour, was reviewed by Rolling Stone, but the review features 3 songs that aren't on the tape that currently circulates as this show. The tape appears to be complete and it seems odd that the reviewer would conjure up 3 song titles (that were being played at other shows on this tour), so perhaps this tape is actually from a different show? Anybody know?08/27/91 set list
This show has been butchered on so many bootlegs, it's hard to piece it back together. I think the most likely order is from a bootleg tape, but seems to be missing Orange Rolls, which would be between Bro J and Mote. Still, does anybody just have a solid, uncut version of the gig to confirm? UPDATE: SOLVED!MTV '92 performance date
SY made an appearance on an unknown MTV show in approximately July '92 to promote DIRTY (and Goo, apparently) by playing "100%" and "Kool Thing" live in studio. Does anybody have this on video, or know the precise date it was recorded?02/13/93 venue v. date
I used to get so much e-mail about this..."The St James Theatre is in Auckland, not Wellington"...at least, I think it was Auckland...anyway...either the date or venue is wrong, any help in clarifying this would be appreciated.February '95 Blast First show
In Sonic Death Issue #6, it says that SY "are gonna try to go to the UK in February to play the 10 year anniversary of Blast First Records". I don't think it actually happened, but if anybody knows either way, drop me a line...Barrister's '95 secret gig
SY supposedly did an impromptu gig at Barrister's in Memphis while recording "Washing Machine", sometime between January and May...if anybody went to this show or heard about it, please let me know...Bridgewater '95 date
SY did a brief college tour w/ very embryonic versions of Washing Machine songs in April '95, preparing the material for their forthcoming tour w/ R.E.M. and Lollapalooza. Supposedly on one day SY did 2 gigs in separate Massachusetts towns, playing Bridgewater in the afternoon w/ Archers of Loaf, and either Cambridge or Amherst in the evening (04/22/95 and 04/28/95 respectively). If anybody was at the Bridgewater afternoon gig, or knows the specific date, send a letter...March/April '96 Nulle Part Ailleurs
While on tour in Europe in March/April '96, SY did an in-studio performance of "The Diamond Sea" on the French program "Nulle Part Ailleurs", most likely around their 3/21/96 Paris performance. If anybody can confirm the date, give a call... [solved!] Tristan has confirmed the date as 03/15/96 via a newspaper. Thanks!