Whether you’re planning an event or playing a set at it, you might be wondering how long a rock or rap concert should last. Music events can vary quite a bit in length, from 20 or 30 minutes for a short set to a couple of hours for a well-known group, or even an entire evening or day if multiple artists are performing. There can be a lot of unspoken expectations regarding musical concerts, and no one wants to make the fans mad, but if you’re planning the event, you’ll likely need to know how long to schedule your portable stage rentals for.

So How Long are Music Concerts?

Here are a few guidelines to help you determine how long is long enough to expect your concert to last.

Shorter Concerts

Shorter concerts could be as short as 20 minutes for a lesser known artist or group. Or as long as an hour for someone who is better known but perhaps not yet deserving of legend status. How much music they’ve put out and how well known they are will determine how long they can play before the audience loses interest. Shorter sets like these are also often combined. For instance, a well-known artist who plans on playing for about an hour might ask a lesser known artist to open for them, and the opener might play for as short as 20 minutes or as long as 45. All combined, this could make the entire concert last two or even three hours, depending on how many groups play, how long each plays for, and how long the breaks are.

Keep in mind the number of groups performing if you’re trying to estimate the time needed for stage rentals.

Longer Concerts

Well-known artists and those who have truly achieved legend status will typically play for much longer; 90 minutes or even a couple of hours. Once again, the deciding factor tends to be how much music the group has put out, combined with how long fans are willing to listen without losing interest. Really well-known artists tend to be able to get away with longer concert times! The more hits a group has, the longer it will take to play them, and yes the fans do want to hear as many of the hits as possible. Also, it’s generally expected to play a few numbers from the new or upcoming album. If there is an opener, a long concert could end up being three or four hours or more from the time the gates open until the end of the event.

Multiple Set Events

Many concerts involve more than just an opener and a headliner. For instance, sometimes a radio station or a festival will put together an all-evening or all-day event with a handful or more groups performing. If you’re planning such an event, you may need to think about multiple concert stage rentals, or renting your own stage if you’re participating in a festival.

Concert Fun Facts

Hopefully you’ve gotten a good idea of how long your concert will be… Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, enjoy this infographic full of fun concert facts!

Concert Fun Facts Infographic
Source: stubhub.co.uk

Set the Stage With The Wright Group

No matter how long your event or concert will be, The Wright Group has everything from portable stage rentals to seating, tents, and anything else you might need to make the magic happen. Contact us today, and we’ll make sure your event has everything it needs from beginning to end.