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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!

 

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bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
9,979 posts
 

 

@ozzy: Now there's a band I would love to see live! I have six of their albums on CD, and two on LP.

 

drinaldo's avatar
drinaldo
1 posts
 

The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page on guitar) opening for … Paul Revere and the Raiders. I walked out on the Raiders. 

waytoomuchstuff's avatar
waytoomuchstuff
1,186 posts
 

@thecarpathian 

Welll played.

lonejoe
2 posts
 

I think it was 1972 Bob Seager and silver bullet band opened for Harry Chapin Aquinas college basketball court grand rapids michigan.  

My first concert of my life at age 11.

Thanks to my older sister for taking me.

Lucky me, she again let me tag along to see Jethro Tull in 1973 at Jenison Fieldhouse at Michigan State

mdalton's avatar
mdalton
508 posts
 

great question.  I’ve got 3:

1979 - Southside Johnny opened for J. Geils Band at the Aragon in Chicago.  Honestly, my buddies and I were there for Southside, so we actually left during J.Geils’ set.  We were pretty stoned!

2006 - The Raconteurs opened for Dylan at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.  My wife and I didn’t even know the Raconteurs were playing; we sat down late after grabbing a soft pretzel in the concourse since we’d both come straight from work.  They launched into “Steady as she Goes” right after we sat down - cool!  However, while Dylan’s voice was tough, that band! OMG! Blew the Raconteurs totally out of the water!

2012 - Arctic Monkeys opened for The Black Keys at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.  We learned that day that we’d been mispronouncing the band’s name for years.  It’s actually “the aaaktik muunkees”.  My middle son believes there are very few true rock n roll stars left, and two of them are Jack White and Alex Turner.

 

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