On Christmas Eve 1996, St. Louis legend Beatle Bob set out on a mission with no end in sight. His goal? Attend a live-music act every day of his life.

Recently, Daily RFT caught up with Beatle Bob to discuss his record, his bizarre dance moves, how he gets to concerts (he doesn't drive) and just how long he thinks he can keep up his dizzying pace. Our interview follows...

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/07/beatle_bob_approaching_his_5000_consecutive_day_of_concerts.php

Beatle Bob crawls to a concert milestone

Beatle Bob's long-in-the-making goal of going to a different concert on 5,000 consecutive nights is finally realized.

He'll attend his 5,000th show Tuesday at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room. A special show will mark the occasion, with some of his local favorites on the bill.

Bob, aka Robert Matonis, began the mission in 1996 at a show that featured Brian Henneman of Bottle Rockets fame.

"It feels like I'm one of those people in a sports hall of fame who hits that magic number that gets you in there," says Bob, who is only seen in public dressed in '60s-inspired outfits and a haircut not unlike a Beatle.

Bob says he has never gotten burnt out on attending concerts. He attributes that to his clean, drug-free lifestyle.

"There have been some days where I'll go to a show tired, but everyone has a bad day," he says. "The music is like a magic elixir. It picks me up from the first beat, and I forget about being down."

What also helps, he says, is that the St. Louis music scene is thriving. Bob likes to seek out smaller shows because there is usually more room in the audience to dance.

"Any night of the week there's a show I want to see, whether it's a lesser-known local band or a national band. … I also like talking to the band. I'm literally the last to leave."

His many nights out have resulted in more Hudson & the Hoodoo Cats, Trip Daddys and Dash Rip Rock concerts than anything else. He snagged the former two for his 5,000th concert bash at Blueberry Hill.

Not surprisingly, Bob's favorite shows have been Paul McCartney's in St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee. "Some of the acts we grew up with don't have it anymore," Bob says. "But McCartney's still got the voice and everything."

Bob has parlayed his concert-going into a celebrity status of sorts. He has appeared in Rolling Stone, Spin and Paste magazines, is friendly with many artists and says he rarely pays to get into concerts.

"It helps being on the guest list. That helps keep the streak going. I'm not rich. But I'm not poor either."

Not everyone is thrilled with Bob's latest accomplishment. Some say his front-row dancing is a distraction, a self-promotional show unto itself.

Bob says he's not trying to get attention. He's just trying to inspire others to get up and dance.

"Just because I'm dancing for myself doesn't mean I'm showing off," he says. "If I was with a wife or girl dancing, no one would've said anything. But because I'm solo it's like, 'Look at him. He's showing off.'"

He has no plans to stop his dancing or concert attendance.

"I'm going to keep it going," he says.

Dance on, Beatle Bob.


BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON • St. Louis Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic

Has it only been 5,000 consecutive shows for Beatle Bob? Seems like every time I've gone to a concert in the past 20 years he's there! Think they need to jack that number up to around 8,000!

He's very entertaining if you ask me. Like observing someone that's dropped a bit too much Window Pane or Purple Microdot.

I've known Bob for 30 years. Don't let the crazy dancing fool you...there is no more knowledgeable cat on the planet when it comes to rock music history as well as up-and-coming rock bands. Bob's encyclopedic musical knowledge cuts across all genres...rock, blues, jazz, country, gospel, world music, reggae etc. Case in point: Bob hits a lot of the more rockin' black churches on Sunday...he can tell you who's got the baddest choir, B-3 players etc...what else can I say? The cat's on duty 24/7!!!! We need more cats like him out there. I've played in joints where Bob is the ONLY serious fan in the place...

Wherever I play, Beatle Bob is always welcome and on the guest/backstage list if I have one...it is an honor for me if he picks my gig to attend...he is the Ultimate Music Fan, end of story...

Bob Lohr
St. Louis, MO

Everything you said has to be true. NOBODY could make as many shows as he and not be on top of his game. That's why it boggles my mind when I saw him at some of the most obscure shows. Hitting Church services to listen to the music is incredible. That's Blues Brothers stuff! I'm upping that number to around 15,000 since Sunday services go on from sun up to sun down. The Reverend Cleophus Robinson's TV show more than likely started Bob on his Sunday visits. That band and choir was as tight as James Brown and the JB's!

Case in point

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyQoDfQ6RWo&feature=channel
(He died maybe a year or so after this clip was recorded)

Beatle Bob in action!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4rkX0upaRo