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

Well not exactly the opening act but a surprise nonetheless. Santana at Woodstock.

No one out east had heard of them . They were virtually unknown as their first album had not yet been released. Before they played many were thinking who is this band. Let’s geton with it and bring on The Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, The Who, Hendrix..... and so on.

Well they played their set and the crowd and me were stunned, just standing there with their mouth hanging open. They were amazing and I only wished I could see them do another set rather than all those big names I was waiting for....except maybe Hendrix.

saw cheap trick, heart and REO Speedwagon in 84 (Honolulu)

then saw BTO open for Van Halen in Seattle in the late 80's?

Fleetwood Mac and Rory Gallagher opening for Deep Purple Machine Head tour in 1973. Rory Gallagher was especially good.

All shows at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee.  The 1970's were amazing years for concerts.  Almost always 3 bands playing, started at 8 p.m. and ended between Midnight and 1 a.m.  No such thing as the 11 p.m. Noise Ordinance like now.  These are the biggest upstagers I remember. 

April 24, 1975, a new band called Rush opened for KISS.  Blew them away.

October 29, 1976, Mother's Finest made headliner Blue Oyster Cult work hard.

July 17, 1976, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention opened for Bob Segar and KISS.  A blunder of promoting.

December 10, 1976, Rory Gallagher opened for Kansas.  Not a blow out, but one of the best shows I'd ever seen.

July 8, 1977, Judas Priest and Black Oak Arkansas made R.E.O. Speedwagon look lame.

April 29, 1978, somebody thought it was wise to have Montrose open for Journey.

June 23, 1978, in another baffling pairing, Rainbow, touring "Long Live Rock And Roll" with Ronnie James Dio on vocals opened for R.E.O Speedwagon.  Half the crowd left before R.E.O. finished 3 songs.  Rainbow was that damn electric.

Wow, lots of incredible combinations. Here's my add - March 1976, WSU Coliseum War (Cisco Kid, Lowrider) is the headliner. I was working as part of the local crew. The opening act is a band from Seattle with two female singers who'd just released their first album.

Their hit was 'Dreamboat Annie' and they rocked the house. Their name was Heart. They started their first National tour 2 weeks later. I was offered the job as stage manager, but i was halfway through my senior year of College, and said no. Bur 2 weeks after school ended, I started work with Stanal Sound, and two weeks later, I was on tour with John Denver.