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The best opening act you've ever seen & heard?

 

I have two:

 

In 1983 I went to see The Plimsouls (Peter Case’s pre-solo career band) at The Garage, a tiny little "club" on Ventura Blvd. The room had filled up (elbow-to-elbow tight), and the opening act started their set. My woman and I both looked at each other, our mouths agape. It was Los Lobos, and they were great! Their debut album How Will The Wolf Survive? had yet to be released, but I sure picked it up when it was.

 

I went to see John Hiatt at The Roxy Theater on Sunset Blvd. during his Perfectly Good Guitar tour, entering the room just as the opening act was starting her final song. The ads for the show listed her name, which was unfamiliar to me. As the song started and progressed, I was stunned; the song she and her band were performing was a great one, and I knew I had missed a quality set of music. It was Sheryl Crow, whose debut album had not yet been released. Damn it!

 

bdp24

Showing 5 responses by richmon

richmon
265 posts
 

1970, 10th grade, original Electric Factory in Philly. Went to see Savoy Brown.

Opening act was Pink Floyd, they hadn't yet done Dark Side and were'nt big.

2nd place - Emerson Lake and Palmer first album tour opening for Procol Harum 1970 too, Spectrum in Philly

richmon
265 posts
 

@larsman - yes indeedy, they were working out the material that would become Dark Side and handed out a pamplet call Eclipse 'a piece for assorted lunatics' which was their working title for dark side. Of course my pamplet fell by the wayside.

Fast forward 50 years, I'd loaned my spinclean to a friend who had bought a collection from a widow who's husband had passed and was cleaning them.

He holds up this pamplet he found in The Wall and says whats this? I almost fell down, it was the concert pamplet. I've got it framed in my music room.

richmon
265 posts
 

@larsman

1972 Pink Floyd Eclipse Tour Programme American Leg pg01

 

richmon
265 posts
 

1972 Irvine Auditorium on Penns campus - Little Feat (with Lowell George) opened for Captain Beefheart.

Somebodys bassist was MIA so either Little Feats bassist played with Beefheart or vice versa.

richmon
265 posts
 

@joeyfed55 - Also was at that Emerald City Beefheart concert, one of the few memories I have of the show is the Captain doing a song where he did his impression of a man in a straitjacket where the song lyric was 'I need some thorzine'

Always will remember the day my friend came over with orange sunshine and Trout Mask Replica - we musta listened to it 5 times and my brain never returned to earth wink

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