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“Icon” is a most overused noun, but it fits the bill for “Beatle Bob.”

Can you be a true St. Louis music fan if you’ve never been to a show where Beatle Bob showed up?

And if you have seen him, will you ever forget when he launches into his dance — movements that somehow manage to be both graceful and spasmodic, a giant wooden string puppet operated by a neurosurgeon.

On Wednesday, Beatle Bob (aka Robert Matonis) hit a big milestone: He attended a live music show for the 7,000th consecutive night. Yes, the last day he did not attend a show was Christmas Eve 1996.

His milestone show was at Foam on Cherokee Street. The bands on hand were perfect for a Beatle Bob appearance: a prog-rock band from Finland, a German surf/pre-punk group, and a local rock trio.

“It was a really good show, and two of the bands congratulated me on my 7,000th show,” said Matonis, who is a social worker and has lived for years in Overland.

Matonis remembers his first live show, back in 1962 when he was 9 years old. And it was a doozy.