That should be 'high fiving'. Stupid autocorrect.
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!
156 responses Add your response
I saw the Eagles open for Ten Years After in the early 70's. I didn't much like them and the audience of TYA fans SURE didn't like them! On the other hand I saw Robin Trower open for Sha Na Na at Winterland in San Francisco in about 1974, and poor Sha Na Na. The place just went nuts for Trower and called him back for 3 encores and would have had him play all night if he could; he conquered the rock community of SF. About a year later, Robin headlined a Day on the Green at Oakland Stadium, with Peter Frampton and Fleetwood Mac among the supports! Obviously this was right before they broke big, but that was still cool... |
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 |
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.
|
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. |
1. 25 November 1973. Mott the Hoople concert in Edinburgh. Their support act was a largely unknown bunch of theatrical, Lycra-clad rockers, who got boo’d by the audience of cool dudes when they came on. An hour-and-a-half later, Mott the Hoople got boo’d when they took over. The band? Queen 😁 2. 9 October 2011. Mark Knopfler opening for Bob Dylan at Braehead Arena, Glasgow. Knopfler was on superb form, which was just as well, as Dylan was rubbish - waited 30+ years to see the bugger, and we all walked out halfway through. |
I recall in the summer of 1980 a bunch of us rode our motorcycles across from SAFB in Illinois over to Louisville Kentucky to see the "Louisville Super Jam." It was Point Blank, then the Rockets, then REO, and then Bob Seger played under the lights. I really have no desire at all to hear REO anymore, but back then we considered it a great show. I can still appreciate much of what Bob Seger did. |
1980 or 1981 The English Beat opening for the Pretenders at the Capital Theater -I loved both bands, and they played great shows August 1982 Duran Duran (first US tour) *and* David Johansen opening for Blondie at the Brenden Bourne Arena The end of Blondie's Autoamerican tour. Debbie Harry was stoned but was able to get through a credible duet with Fab Five Freddie on Rapture. Duran Duran were ok, but little did I know what they would become over the next 12mos. David Johansen was the local boy made good, and played a great show in front of a supportive audience. Evening is also memorable because I took my then girlfriend to the show, and had to accept that her idiot DJ wannabe brother would have to come with her..... |
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. |
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. |
In the fall of 1968, I went to my first rock concert, at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. We went to see Spirit, at the top of the bill, with two other acts. The first act came on, and the lead singer was WEIRD AS HELL - with continuous convulsive body movements and a massive, fantastic voice. He was a complete unknown in the US at that time ... Joe Cocker and the Grease Band. In 1969, we went to see Randy Newman performing solo at The Quiet Night in Chicago. The opening act was a couple of comics none of us had ever heard of. One guy was a burnout, the other was a Latino ... Cheech & Chong. Pretty damn funny. This was two years before they recorded their sketch that went viral on radio, "Dave's Not Here."
|
It was 1979 and I knew nothing about music. I got tickets to see Eric Clapton in Providence at a Coliseum. He was promoting the Slowhand album. There was an opening act. I asked a knowledgeable friend about them and he told me the opener had one famous song. It was Muddy Waters. I wish I had paid him more attention. |
In 1971 at the old Shady Grove Music Fair outside of DC in 1971 I went to see BJ Thomas, who was hot as hell at the time, and when five older African American guys took the stage to open the youngish crowd started murmuring. It was The Persuasions, and this was before a capella became a thing a decade or two later. An hour of gasps and cheers later came three encores because we'd forgotten all about who we'd come to see. To his credit, BJ showered them with praise as well instead of bitching about his very delayed start. Which I'd seen before (not from him). Years later at college in Arkansas I saw Styx open for I think Marty Robbins. That didn't go well. They were great but that was a southern 1979 crowd. |
Several great concerts! Mine are: Johnny Winter opening for Rod Stewart & the Faces opening for 3 Dog Night. 1969 Olympia in Detroit. My first major concert! Another for Stevie Wonder opening for the Stones. They jammed together at the end. 1972 Cobo Hall Detroit. People without tickets broke down the doors trying to get in… only in Detroit! Santana opening for Clapton. They jammed together at the end. 1973 Cobo Hall Detroit. Fantastic! |
Mine is the same as Skippytate- Van Halen opening for Black Sabbath at MSG in 1978 (not 1980 like vinyl shadow mentioned) Ozzy had already left by 1980. In fact, his first tour was opened by Def Leppard which might get an honorable mention in this category. VH had just released their first album and my friends and I loved the album and loved the show. However, at MSG anyhow, the Sabbath fans were rabid. And by the end of the set they were more than ready for Van Halen to get off the stage. It was an incredible show. So glad I got to see Ozzy with Sabbath. |
