St. Louis Superfan ‘Beatle Bob,’ Who Claimed Nearly 10,000 Consecutive Concerts, Has Died

An artist might know they’ve “arrived” when they’ve come to a town and been gifted with a key to the city, a “piece of the rock” at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, or a backstage visit from one of a number of female residents for whom their fandom made them famous in their own rights.

In St. Louis, the hottest show in town on any given night for nearly 30 years was marked by the sight of superfan Beatle Bob, flailing away to the music right in front of the stage. If Beatle Bob was at your show, you’d made it in the Gateway City.

Robert Matonis – better known as “Beatle Bob” – died July 27 in St. Louis, reportedly having battled ALS for several years. By his own (possibly exaggerated) count, he attended at least one concert a day since the mid-1990s for more than 9,400 shows, according to the Riverfront Times. The streak wasn’t broken until Jan. 23, when Matonis announced he had Lou Gehrig’s disease.

With his distinctive “Beatle” haircut and suits, Matonis wasn’t only “St. Louis famous.” He traveled across the country for shows, even introducing artists from the stage including The Dirty Projectors at Bonnaroo, Pete Yorn at Lollapalooza in Chicago, and Guided By Voices at the band’s final performance at The Metro in Chicago. He was sighted at gigs in Nashville, New Orleans, Austin, Los Angeles and beyond. 

Matonis was, without a doubt, one of those eccentric but exuberant music fans the rock world would be a little less without. He regularly contacted journalists with word of his exploits via email and direct message, wrote and mass-emailed a newsletter and claimed to host his own radio show – and promised to plug people and music on it. According to the Riverfront Times, no such show existed, but the paper acknowledged Matonis’ encyclopedic knowledge of rock ‘n’ roll history that he maintained in between concerts and his “day job” as a social worker.

The news of Matonis’ death sparked an outpouring of tributes on social media, from music fans and artists alike. 

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a documentary about Matonis’ life titled “Superfan: The Lies, Life and Legend of Beatle Bob” had been in the works under the direction of New York City filmmaker Jenni Sterling and is expected to be completed.