Well - known bands sometimes play “ secret shows ” at venues that are dramatically smaller than the one they ’re habituate to . These come with picayune or no advance card , and they ’re often a way to rehearse for an upcoming tour , blow off steam , or just generate some bombination . Here are seven odd or noteworthy illustration in which fans engender closer to their pet rock’n’roll stars than they had ever expect .
1. THE ROLLING STONES AT TOAD’S PLACE // NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, 2025-04-30
You might assume that the last time anyone view the Rolling Stones for $ 3 was in 1965 , when “ Satisfaction ” was still scandalizing parents . However , that is the fee a few Connecticut residents paid to see the Stones in 1989 . The band had n’t play live in the U.S. in eight years when Brian Phelps , possessor of Toad ’s Place ( capacity : 700 ) in New Haven , Connecticut , get a callrequesting his space the next nighttime . In two hour , all ticket were sold .
The banding had rent the Wykeham Rise School , a vacant girls ’ academy in the nearby township of Washington , as a rehearsal outer space forward of the tour to support theirSteel Wheelsalbum . The group ’s press broker for touringtoldThe New York Timesthe show “ was a thank - you to Connecticut for the hospitality . ” The 11 - song Toad ’s Place set included “ Tumbling Dice , ” “ Miss You , ” and “ Jumpin ' Jack Flash . ” The show generate a tradition in which the Stones bulge tours witha surprise club gig .
2. R.E.M. AT THE BORDERLINE CLUB // LONDON, MARCH 15-16, 1991
Getting a body of work permit in the UK without actually work was plainly difficult in 1991 , even for one of the biggest band in the world . R.E.M. had planned a few appearances on UK radio set shows to advance their 1991 albumOut of Time , but they could n’t get into the country without a pay gig , consort toReveal : The Story of R.E.M.by Johnny Black . “ I reckon they ’re worried you ’ll go onTop of the Popsand then skid down to Spud - uranium - the like to work as a dishwasher , accept valuable jobs from Englishmen , ” jest Michael Stipe .
Instead of an arena show , the band book London ’s Borderline Club ( capacity : 275 ) for two performances , the first for sports fan lodge member and the second for the closet . Two English alternative rock Titan , Robyn Hitchcock and Billy Bragg , participated ( Bragg as one of the hatchway Acts of the Apostles ) . Under the name “ Bingo Hand Job , ” R.E.M. play mostly covers and raw textile , include the just - give up “ drop off My Religion . ” Both nights included a group singalong to Bob Dylan ’s “ You Ai n’t Goin’ Nowhere . ” Taking the pseudonym workaday to an extreme point , the musicians referred to each other in codification names : Bragg was “ Conrad , ” Hitchcock was “ Violet , ” Stipe was “ Stinky , ” and Peter Buck was “ Raoul . " As token , they gave out facemasks of American outlaw , perhaps inviting the hearing to lose their own identities for a night .
3. RADIOHEAD AT THE TROUBADOUR // LOS ANGELES, 2025-04-12
The renown - obsessed city of Los Angeles and the music manufacture ’s annual Austin , Texas - base hubbub South by Southwest are n’t Thom Yorke ’s preferent thing in the world . However , he and his band Radiohead used one to make the other tolerable in 1996 , when they play a small show at Los Angeles ’s diminished - capacity Troubadour when most of the industry press was in Austin for SXSW . Though lionized by the UK euphony press , Radiohead was roll in the hay in the United States mostly for 1993 ’s “ Creep , ” a single from which the dance orchestra distanced themselves after it became a hit .
MTV ’s Mark Brown , a rarified military press attendant , was impressed . “ Four songs into Radiohead ’s set , it was clear that the best days are still in front of them,”he wrote . “ Album favorites such as ‘ My Iron Lung ’ had already been trotted out , but it was a new , young strain , ‘ electioneer , ’ that bestow the first epiphany of the night . ” It should have : The blistering galvanising number was from their forthcoming record album , the wildly acclaimedOK Computer . The band go on for an encore and then another encore to placate cheering fan . They also dropped their precaution and played “ Creep , ” and then “ Electioneering ” again .
4. BECK AT THE DRAKE HOTEL // TORONTO, 2025-02-12
After a show at Toronto ’s Ricoh Coliseum , Beck and his band played a raucous solidification on the performance phase of the Drake Hotel . “ The vibration was frat - party conform to alterna - hoedown,”wrote aRolling Stonecontributoron the scene . According to the cartridge clip , the ring wear thin wigs , downed drunkenness , and “ slue loose with joyously sloppy version ” of Beck songs , plus David Bowie ’s “ Fame ” and Queen ’s “ Another One bite the Dust . ” At one point , keyboardist / guitar player Brian Lebarton , “ who insisted on being squall ‘ Cameron ’ all nighttime , ” rend off his shirt and campaign with the degree drape .
5. PAVEMENT AT THE 5 SPOT // NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, 2025-03-28
Pavement fans had waitedten yearsfor a reunification when some knifelike - eyed Nashville residents noted that former drummer Bob Nastanovich ’s wedding receptionwas advertisedas a “ secret show , ” open to the public , on the Myspace page of local night club The 5 Spot . This give up up a flurry of social media speculation that the band was straighten out . And they did , but anyone who came out to learn “ turn out Your Hair ” and “ Summer Babe ” was disappointed . As Whitney Matheson reported forPop Candy , one of the coolest bands of the ’ 90s essentiallyacted like a hymeneals band , playing feel - full hits like Redbone ’s “ occur and Get Your sexual love ” and The O’Jay ’s “ Love Train . ” A few calendar month later , the long - awaited Pavement reunification tour get down .
6. JACK WHITE AT AN OFFICE BUILDING // LONDON, 2025-02-25
Jack White has gigged in some funny locales , including amechanic ’s shopand apatch of woodsoutside a festival . The Isaac Merrit Singer / songster outdid himself witha bizarre collaborationwith the London theatre of operations group Punchdrunk . Fans followed clues online , which led them to read to be test for “ contractable and infectious diseases ” at a fictitious clinic called Vescovo & Co. They got a phone call the night of the “ testing ” and a follow - up text message with a location . All they know was that the outcome was White - related .
At the characterless London office building , “ doctors ” and “ nurse ” greeted the 100 or so attendees and asked them to change into scrubs and operative masks . The group was herd into the building , where White and his dance band , also in medical garb , trifle a Seth of Modern songs and White Stripes favorites . According toRolling Stone , White bull a gaining control and was wheel out on a stretcher . obviously , there would n’t be an encore .
7. THE FOO FIGHTERS AT CONCORDE 2 // BRIGHTON, ENGLAND, 2025-05-01
The UK Foo Fightersare a tribute deed that keeps Britons toy with with Dave Grohl ’s songs when the former Nirvana drummer and society are elsewhere . Six hundred fans who prove up for one of the ring ’s gigs at Concorde 2 in Brighton were no doubt captivated when their follow - up act , charge under the name " The Holy Sh*ts,“turned out to be the genuine Foo Fighters . According toNME , Grohl told the crowd they ’d play " some of the clobber we would n’t ordinarily do in the heavy places , some one-time songs . " He even ask over UK Foo Fighters lead singer Jay Apperley to share song on “ White Limo . ”
