Chicago opening for Jimi Hendrix 1969, Houston.
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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I saw The Feelies open for R.E.M. (Life's Rich Pageant tour) on 11/6/86 (had to look that one up on my partial list of concerts seen) at The Felt Forum (now The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden). I'd never before and have never since seen an opener be so enthusiastically well received by a crowd. Sadly, during the first song of R.E.M.'s encore that night, the crowd rushed the stage and Michael Stipe pulled a girl up on stage from the front of the crowd (it was SRO as I recall, no seats) who was apparently getting crushed. The rest of the band stopped playing a few seconds later. They did one song after that if I remember correctly and then called it quits. Michael was quite upset. |
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