In creating this LibGuide, I have read about a lot of live music spots that have hosted nationally-known or internationally-known artists but were not consistent enough of a music venue to fall into the "historical" classification. Below is a mix of one-off appearances, places still in operation, and little-remembered surprised, which I believe to be significant yet little-known.
- LFO at the peak of the "boy band" craze performing at the Broadway Mall in Plainview in 1999. More information here and here.
- Johnny Cash performing in Point Lookout, New York in 1988. More information here and here.
- Wu Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah doing a talk at Margarita's in Long Beach. More information here and here.
- Omar Hakim (David Bowie, Journey, Foo Fighters, Chic, Sting, Madonna, Dire Straits, George Benson, Miles Davis, Daft Punk, Mariah Carey, The Pussycat Dolls, David Lee Roth, Celine Dion, Thundercat) playing as part of the Long Beach Jazz Festival at the Long Beach Hotel in 2015. More information here.
- Pete Francis of Dispatch performing at The Cabana in Long Beach. More information here and here. (2023 Paltrocast interview with Francis is here.)
- G. Love from G. Love & Special Sauce at The Inn in Long Beach on several occasions. More information here and here. (2017 No Place Like Long Island interview with G. Love is here.)
- Whitney Cummings doing comedy at Borelli's in Long Beach, 2 shows in 1 evening. More information here and here. (2021 Paltrocast interview with Cummings here.)
- Shane Gillis performing a club show at Borelli's Taproom in 2023. Photo of him in Long Beach here.
- Nelly performing at The Ivy in Huntington after a 2025 Jones Beach headlining performance. More information here and here.
- Run-DMC's Darryl "DMC" McDaniels played the Long Beach Public Library and Bright Eye Brewery, both in Long Beach. The second gig was alongside Paul Simon bassist Bakithi Kumalo. More information here and here. (Another Paltrocast interview with DMC from 2019 can be heard here.)
- H.R. from Bad Brains performing at the Long Beach Brewing Company in Oceanside. More information here.
- Sublime's Jakob Nowell performing with L.A.W. at Junction in Long Beach in 2018. More information here. (A Paltrocast interview with Nowell from around then can be read here.)
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on October 2, 2025.