How Long Does a Concert Lasts ?
So how long do concert lasts? The average concert lasts between 90 minutes to two hours. While this is an accurate figure for most Attending a performance by a favourite musician or band is a fantastic experience for music aficionados. Although every performance is unique, you can generally anticipate a fairly standard running order at a rock event including just about any band or performer. There are guidelines for how to do a show, but the setlist ultimately determines how it goes.
The List
The setlist is typically thought of as a performance’s floor plan. Some bands adhere fervently to a setlist and make sure that it remains continuous and unchangeable. This frequently occurs when a band only has a few dates left on a tour or at a festival and wants to play the same set every night. However, a lot of bands are infamous for repeating the same setlist (ex: Korn, Sum 41). At most, a few songs will change during the tour.
The nature of the tour may also influence the setlist. A musician who wants to advertise a new album may decide to only play songs from that album. Some bands have been known to perform just one album in its whole, in the album’s running order, during a performance. This album will have the most songs in the artist’s set while they are touring to support a new album.
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We have a unique setlist profile on the website if you’re interested in knowing more about this (donut chart on artist pages).
On the other hand, it frequently happens that a performer will make minor setlist adjustments while on tour. To add diversity, do this. Sometimes adjustments are made to please the fans. Before a concert tour stop, it is increasingly usual to poll fans via websites and social media and ask them which songs they would want to see performed.
A Songs
Remembering the significance of the songs themselves is crucial. A group like The Ramones could play a whole album’s worth of songs in about 30 minutes since their songs were so concise.
The average song duration of other musicians, like Guns N’ Roses, is longer, therefore it would take more time to listen to an entire album than it might for The Ramones. Another musician that is renowned for doing lengthy performances is Bruce Springsteen. The length of his best-known record, Born in the USA, was more than 45 minutes. The songs are lengthier than those written by The Ramones, so you’re getting a longer concert with the same number of songs in it, even though he might not always play the entire album at a concert. Some bands even released albums that were longer than that, such as Guns N’ Roses, whose Use Your Illusion I & II albums were each 75 minutes lengthy.
Discography
A setlist often draws heavily from an artist’s discography. The artist will have a bigger selection of songs to perform if they have put out a lot of albums throughout time. In order to provide more entertainment for the audience, a younger musician with only one album to their credit may decide to play cover songs.
The length of a concert will be impacted by an artist’s use of even a few songs from a lengthy album, such as a concept album.
Music style
The length of a concert will also be influenced by the type of music the performer plays. For instance, short, snappy tunes are the hallmark of punk music. This implies a quicker pace and hence a shorter period of time. Punk shows might feature the same number of songs as rock shows, but they might be cut short because of song duration. Pop songs, on the other hand, are also rapid and snappy and typically shorter than rock songs.
In terms of how music is actually played, genre also matters. A guitar solo or a drum solo will almost always be present during a rock event. These moments will receive portions of the concert. In fact, some performers truly make a spectacle out of solos. For his solos, Airbourne’s guitarist has become renowned for scaling stage props and speakers. Fans eagerly anticipate this during their shows. The duration of this “show within a performance” is extended.
It’s possible that a lot of the songs in a band’s discography will have achieved success. Additionally, there is more substance to cover the more popular these songs were. Since the most popular songs are typically the ones that people attend concerts to hear, the success of some songs in a band’s catalogue may simply mean that they have more songs to add to the setlist, which will have an effect on the length of the performance.
It’s also important to remember that musicians make concerts into massive sessions because they are properly proud of their work. Others, such as Placebo, on the other hand, would perform the songs exactly as they were recorded, cutting the show short owing to the lack of “live” elements.
Acts
Some musicians, primarily pop musicians, will break up their setlist into acts, just like in a play. Some people might take a break in between acts, which would make the performance last longer.
Encore
Even though not every band or artist does an encore, it can make a major difference in how long a show lasts. Some performers even perform three encores, which directly affects the length of the performance. Three encores are actually not uncommon.
The Grateful Dead and Pearl Jam are two of the most well-known acts to extend an encore over its normal duration. Bruce Springsteen made headlines for playing so long in 2012 that he went past a curfew in Hyde Park. In 1988, he performed an 11-song encore in two sections on many occasions. One Grateful Dead performance lasted an astounding six hours, largely due to the encore.
A performer’s desire to perform an encore can significantly increase the anticipated duration of a concert (and they typically do because fans demand it). And what’s even more intriguing about this is that the artist can actually choose how long they want it to last for in the moment. If they’re having a good time, it might last the entire setlist. If not, that’s typically the time when you can hear unreleased songs from the band’s debut albums (such as those by AC/DC or the Rolling Stones).
Our setlist prediction service is based on previous performances, and the outcomes are fairly accurate. We use AI to forecast the likely setlist for the upcoming concert. Look at the “popularity” gauge to get an indication of how likely it is that a particular song will be aired.
How Long Music
A concert will typically last between 90 minutes and two hours with a band that has released a few albums. A concert will typically last 90 minutes, though this can rise for more seasoned bands who have a string of top albums and singles to their credit. Bands and performers must consider the location of the venue and the neighbourhood around it. If you play loud music after 11 p.m., you may even be breaking the law, at least in the UK.
Support acts, sometimes known as “guests,” will often be performed by larger musicians. These pre-main event “mini-concerts” frequently last up to 45 minutes. Some well-known performers have two or three backing bands. The duration of the concert will not be affected by this, but your evening out will be extended.
A concert can last anything from 90 minutes and two hours, and that is a decent estimate. A 15 to 20 minute break is also common. However, it’s also true to claim that a concert can go considerably longer, anywhere from two and a half to three hours, as performers have such strong influence over their music.
This information is displayed on our website above the anticipated set list for the concert.
A setlist may be discarded or significantly altered. For the course of a tour, an artist may forego playing their most well-known songs in favour of brand-new, experimental tracks that may be significantly longer than what their audience is accustomed to. And every once in a while, you’ll come across a performer who simply can’t bring themselves to stop, giving a nighttime encore.
You can typically find a copy of the setlist for a concert online if you’re going (check our partner at setlist.fm). You should now have a better notion of the length to anticipate. The evening will be extended by the opening performers, and an encore might be enormous.
How Long Are Concerts?
Depending on the type of artist playing, you should plan for a show to take anywhere from an hour to three hours if you’re putting one on or attending one. Concerts by well-known bands that charge high ticket costs typically last between 90 minutes and three hours, but smaller shows by lesser-known acts more frequently last between 45 minutes and 90 minutes. Although it isn’t very common, concerts can last anything from 30 minutes to well over three hours. These events are typically referred to as flash performances or festivals.
How Long Does Each Set Last?
Many concerts that last longer than 90 minutes will have sets from several different bands. The length of each set will probably range from 30 to an hour, depending on how many artists are on the schedule. If there aren’t many artists or if the entire production is more festival-like, some sets can last up to two hours. Setlists frequently have breaks of 5 to 20 minutes between each set, which can make the entire production longer than you might expect.
How Long Do Opening Acts Perform For?
When popular musicians perform live, the opening performers frequently perform shorter sets than the main act. Depending on how many acts are scheduled before the main artist, you can anticipate an opening act to go from 30 to an hour. In this situation, the main artist will, of course, have a significantly longer performance time than the opening act.
How Long Do Concert Intermissions Last?
In order to give performers time to rest and change the stage, many concerts will feature an intermission in the midst of the performance. Additionally, this provides the audience with a chance to walk about, use the restroom, and buy food or other items. Depending on how lengthy the full concert is, intermissions typically last between 10 and 25 minutes.
What Can Make A Concert Run Longer Than Expected?
Unexpected circumstances can cause concerts to last longer than scheduled. An encore performance, where the performer is persuaded by the audience to perform one or more songs that weren’t officially mentioned on the programme, is one good thing that can make a concert continue longer than intended. Another reason why concerts can go longer than expected is if a performer or band member is late to the performance.
A concert may go longer than planned for a number of reasons, although the venue frequently supports this to boost attendance and revenue. Nevertheless, most outdoor performances are unable to go until 11 p.m. due to location-specific noise restriction laws.
FAQ: How Long Do Music Concerts Usually Last?
Live performances by numerous bands have cemented their places in the annals of musical excellence, and for many, attending a concert is an essential experience that is frequently meticulously organised, for which they travel vast distances and pay a hefty price. When examining most tickets, you’ll note that a seemingly crucial piece of information is frequently absent:
How long will the concert last exactly? What time will it actually end if it begins at a certain hour?
The response is that concerts frequently don’t have a definite end time and that their duration can vary, sometimes significantly, depending on a number of circumstances. In order to give you a general notion of what to expect when you attend a concert, we’ll cover what factors affect concert length as well as how long specific sorts of concerts tend to be.
What time and location is the concert?
These two practical considerations usually place fairly strict time constraints on a concert. You may be quite certain that an event will end in three hours if it takes place on a weekday at a low-key venue in a location with a legal noise regulation that goes into effect at, say, 11pm and the concert begins at 8pm. Because breaking the law can result in serious penalties, venues are very strict about following the law.
Who’s performing?
After any severe logistical limitations as discussed above, this is arguably the factor that matters the most. While some bands have a reputation for sticking closely to a setlist pattern, others have the opposite reputation for being rather loosey-goosey and unafraid to veer off course, which can cause shows to last considerably longer.
What style of music is it?
Certain concert genres and styles are more rigorous than others. A typical format for classical concerts featuring a traditional orchestra, choir, and other performers is a 1 to 1.5 hour first part followed by a 15 minute intermission. Second part: 5 to 1 hours.
Rock concerts in particular tend to be more “loose” and informal with more contemporary music. On an otherwise three-minute song, you might hear an improvised and/or prolonged 10-minute guitar or drum solo. Or perhaps you’ll witness some fan engagement and inclusion.
What type of performance or tour is it?
If a band is promoting an album while on a lengthy tour with a busy schedule full of gigs, there’s a good likelihood that they’ll stick to the album or a certain set list from it. It’s possible that everything is planned extremely meticulously down to the hour, or even more precisely than that, including the actual playing, setting up, getting ready, taking down, packing back up, and driving to the next location.
Conclusion
The time and location of the concert, the band or group performing, the music genre, the type of show or tour, and whether or not there are openers or other acts can all have a significant impact on how long the performance lasts.
Although many bands will frequently play longer than that and closer to 2.5 to 3 hours, and sometimes even longer than that, though that isn’t so common, it’s reasonable to expect at least around one and a half hours of playing time if you’re paying for a headliner band and the event isn’t specified as having a shorter format.
Your best chance is to simply search for “[band/tour] concert length” or “[venue] concert length,” as several well-known musical venues do actually have pretty regular time allotments, if the event ticket or flier doesn’t specify one.
