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!

 

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This doesn't really count, but Jeff Beck opened for SRV, (they were alternating headliner position).  Also Jeff Beck opened for Brian Wilson when I was working at The Pearl.  You might be able to tell I'm a huge JB fan.

Also Prince Rogers Nelson opening up for the Rolling Stones for me and 80,000 of my friends at the Coliseum in LA.  BTW, the people down front were throwing trash at him and booing, it was awful, especially considering he was playing straight ahead R&R.  I was a lifelong Prince fan after that day.  I was working in a record store, and we had those early albums on in pretty good rotation, and sold a bunch to people that had never heard of him.

@tonyrox, I saw a similar show in 1977 when Eric Clapton and Santana toured together and they took turns as the opener and headliner. It was a rather competitive situation; and, it inevitably ended with an encore of everyone from both bands on stage for a long jam to close the show.

18 March 1972 San Diego Sports Arena

The Bill: Wild Turkey/YES/Black Sabbath

Little known opening band YES absolutely killed it! Way beyond Wild Turkey and Sabbath!

Still have (somewhere) color Ektachrome slides ("pushed" development for low light) of the band. Was UCSD photog for a stint.

https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/black-sabbath-yes-wild-turkey?photo=332135#setlist-section

@mitchagain - in 1975, Jeff Beck toured with Mahavishnu Orchestra as co-headliners, each doing a full set and alternating the order....