A second night has been added to Stand By Me: Bob Harris – A Celebration of Life in Music after the first concert at the Royal Albert Hall sold out within minutes. The new show takes place on Thursday 3 December 2026, the evening after the original date.

Tickets for the second night go on sale at 10am on Friday 25 September 2026. Given how quickly the first show went, fans hoping to be there will want to be ready the moment they are released.

Several of the artists from the opening night are coming back for a second evening. Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Carly Pearce and Beth Nielsen Chapman will all return to the stage on 3 December.

Joining them to complete the line-up are Albert Lee, Joe Brown, Bear’s Den, Seth Lakeman, Martyn Joseph and Elles Bailey, with more guests still to be announced.

It is a bill that reflects the breadth of Bob Harris’s career, bringing together rock legends, celebrated guitarists, British folk and roots songwriters, and the Country and Americana artists he has spent so many years championing.

The first night, on Wednesday 2 December, features performances from Roger Daltrey, Paul Weller, Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Suzi Dian, Rick Wakeman, Carly Pearce, Chris Difford, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Judie Tzuke, Kate Rusby, The Shires, Kezia Gill and Toby Lee.

Bob Harris admitted he had been taken aback by the reaction to the concert, and by the chance to do it all again the following night.

“I’m overwhelmed by the response to this concert. To sell out the Royal Albert Hall once was beyond anything I could have imagined, so to be adding a second night, with yet another incredible group of artists is just extraordinary. I can’t wait to be there for both very special evenings.”

Bob will be watching from the audience rather than from behind a microphone. As with the first night, the second show will be presented by well-known figures from broadcasting and music, who will take to the stage to share their memories of him, while archive footage from his career plays on the big screen.

The music is in experienced hands. Ethan Johns is the musical director, with Trudie Myerscough-Harris producing. The house band features Jeremy Stacey on drums, Neil Cowley on bass guitar and Nick Pini on keys, with Mollie Marriott and Siobhan Maher Kennedy on backing vocals.

For anyone who grew up with his voice on the radio, Bob Harris needs little introduction. Known affectionately as “Whispering Bob,” he has spent more than five decades at the heart of British music broadcasting.

Born in Northampton in 1946, he co-founded the listings magazine Time Out in 1968 before joining the BBC in 1970. There he presented the original Sounds of the 70s on BBC Radio 1, and went on to front the influential music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC Two.

His gentle, unhurried delivery earned him his famous nickname and made him a trusted champion of new artists at pivotal early moments in their careers. Many of the friendships he formed in those days have lasted a lifetime, and they sit at the very heart of this celebration.

In more recent years, Bob Harris has been a driving force behind the UK’s Country and Americana scene. His long-running BBC Radio 2 show Bob Harris Country has introduced listeners to a steady stream of new talent, and he also brought back Sounds of the 70s on the station.

He has hosted C2C: Country to Country Festival every year since it launched in 2013, giving him a central role in one of the biggest Country music events in Europe.

His work has been widely recognised. He was appointed OBE in 2011 for services to music broadcasting, the same year he received the Americana Music Association’s Trailblazer Award. He has also been inducted into the UK Radio Hall of Fame and honoured with a MOJO Medal and multiple Sony Awards.

He is the author of two memoirs, The Whispering Years and Still Whispering After All These Years.

The concerts also come at a significant moment for him. Bob has been open about his ongoing battle with prostate cancer, and earlier this year he had to step back from his weekly Radio 2 shows while dealing with a health setback.

His treatment is still very much ongoing, but he continues to work on programmes and projects whenever he can. Speaking about the station’s backing, he said: “Radio 2 have been supportive beyond words.”

With so many of the artists he supported early on now lining up to perform in his honour, the two nights promise to be a fitting tribute to one of the most loved voices in British broadcasting. Full details for both shows are below.

Show: Stand By Me: Bob Harris – A Celebration of Life in Music
Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London
Start time: 7.30pm (both nights)
Musical director: Ethan Johns
Producer: Trudie Myerscough-Harris

Night One: Wednesday 2 December 2026 – SOLD OUT
Line-up: Roger Daltrey, Paul Weller, Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Suzi Dian, Rick Wakeman, Carly Pearce, Chris Difford, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Judie Tzuke, Kate Rusby, The Shires, Kezia Gill and Toby Lee

Night Two: Thursday 3 December 2026 – on sale 10am Friday 25 September 2026
Line-up: Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Carly Pearce, Albert Lee, Joe Brown, Bear’s Den, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Seth Lakeman, Martyn Joseph and Elles Bailey, with more guests to be announced
Tickets: https://gigst.rs/BHLIM3Dec

Tickets for the second night of Stand By Me: Bob Harris – A Celebration of Life in Music are available from 10am on Friday 25 September via Gigs and Tours.