Bob Welch era Fleetwood Mac. Warming up Blue Oyster Cult in the fall of 1973 ...
The band and Christy blew me away
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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@larsman - yes indeedy, they were working out the material that would become Dark Side and handed out a pamplet call Eclipse 'a piece for assorted lunatics' which was their working title for dark side. Of course my pamplet fell by the wayside. Fast forward 50 years, I'd loaned my spinclean to a friend who had bought a collection from a widow who's husband had passed and was cleaning them. He holds up this pamplet he found in The Wall and says whats this? I almost fell down, it was the concert pamplet. I've got it framed in my music room. |
@simonmoon Unfamiliar with Magma, which LP would you recommend for starters? THX! |
@pdspiegel's listing of Dwight Yoakam opening for Nick Lowe in 1983 reminded me that I saw the legendary songwriting team of Dann Penn and Spooner Oldham open for Nick and his band in the late-90's at The Pantages Theater on Hollywood Blvd., an incredible Art Deco theater. Nick has great taste in opening acts! Dann played acoustic guitar and sang, Spooner played his trademark Wurlitzer electric piano and also sang. Fantastic!
I also saw Dylan at The Pantages, during his five night run there in the early-2000's. He was great that night, and had a killer band. On each of the five nights he had a different opening act; on my night it was Beck, whom I found underwhelming. I wasn't alone---the audience response to his set was tepid. I had seen Dylan ten years earlier at The Greek Theater, an outdoor venue in L.A. That night he stunk, as did his 3-pc band.
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In 2000, at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd, I saw Porcupine Tree open for the French band, Magma. As much as I love P-Tree, they couldn't hold a candle to Magma. Magma was so intense, the musicianship was at such an extreme level, the way their music builds and releases tension and other emotions, they left it all on stage. |
A couple: In July 1978 went to a Day on the Green in Oakland, CA. Playing were Aerosmith, Foreigner, Pat Travers and Van Halen. Opening was a relatively unknow "punk-ish" rock band, AC/DC. They came out and literally/utterly destroyed the place. Jaws dropped. Not many had seen anything/anyone like Angus before. The energy was incredible. It was an amazing day.
In July 1982 went to see The Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, MDC and the Detonators at the Barn in Torrance. Opening was again, a relatively unknown band this time from Indy, the Zero Boys. These kids came out looking kind of dork-ish, (not the typical punk rock "attire" of the day) and just shredded the place from their first song to their last. All bands were exceptional that day, but the Zero Boys blew them all off the stage. They were new, fresh and just a GREAT band. If interested, check out their Vicious Circle LP. One of the best of the genre. |
I saw the amazing prog band, Renaissance, open for an even more amazing prog band, Gentle Giant at the Shrine Auditorium here in LA. This was in 1976. Annie Haslam’s 5 octave voice, with near perfect intonation, power and emotion, was always an amazing experience. At the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1978, I saw the band U.K. (Bill Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, Eddie Jobson, John Wetton) open for Al De Meola. As much as I love De Meola, U.K. was the better band.
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Hard to say. I saw OMD open for Depeche Mode, as well as the Bjork-led Sugarcubes open for New Order, The National open for the Arcade Fire, and Nine Inch Nails open for Skinny Puppy. Perhaps the oddest was Crispen Glover do a spoken word & short movie montage open for Front Line Assembly. Some of the best multi-band stage line-ups I've seen: Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ministry, IceCube/Body Count, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Lollapalooza in 1992 The 2006 Voodoo fest line-up included the RHCP, Duran Duran, Flaming Lips, Broken Social Scene, Social Distortion, and Kings of Leon.
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@richmon - did you happen to see Pink Floyd at the Spectrum Theater in March of '73? I was at that one.... |
In 1969 at Memorial Auditorium in Dallas I saw Jimi Hendrix and the opening band was a new band called The Chicago Transit Authority who became just Chicago. Sat 3rd row center. Never will forget that show. In 1970 I saw The Rolling Stones at McFarlin Auditorium in Dallas and they were 1&1/2 hours late and the opening band, Chuck Berry, played for almost 3 hours and killed it. I didn't care whether the Stones showed up or not, he was that good. |
In 1969 I went to a show at The Pavillion in Flushing Meadows, NYC (site of the Worlds Fair), to hear the Charley Musselwhite Blues Band and Savoy Brown. An opening act went on and blew the roof off the place…which was an open-air venue…a new band out of SF called Santana. This was a week before Woodstock. They announced they would be giving a free concert in the Central Park Sheep Meadow the next day, along with Jefferson Airplane, who were performing at the Fillmore East that weekend. I went to that show, too. The jam session with Carlos and Jorma with Jack on bass and Santana’s rhythm section is a lifelong memory I cherish. Hot Santuna! |
1991 Rocky Point Theater in RI, hold about 2000 people. I was a little punk still in high school. This no name band opened for Red Hot Cilli Peppers Pearl Jam, then another band came on after called Smashing Pumpkins. This was before both bands debut albums came out. That Monday went to the record stores, no one had a clue who I was talking about, both bands we not only amazing, changed my music taste path. |
A great outdoor daytime concert,1976 or so. I was two years out of high school. Heart opened for Leonard Skynyrd who opened for Jefferson Airplane/Starship at Santa Barbera College outdoor football field. 1980? or so (brain dead so & so..) Golden Earring opened for Rush at the Forum in Inglewood. An extremely great sounding band for another great sounding band.
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Several. Santana, opening for Canned Heat, 1969. John McLaughlin opening for Steve Miller Band, about ten years ago....I stayed for 2 songs from Miller and left. A joke after McLaughlin. Leon Russell, first few months on his comeback, opening for Hot Tuna. Jorma had enough sense to take it all the way down to a slow acoustic blues for a bit, as if it was still intermission.
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An unknown band named Tesla opened for David Lee Roth. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings played before the Tedeschi Trucks Band on the Wheels of Soul tour 2015. They were an established band, but I had never seen them. And a kid I had never heard of played before Tedeschi Trucks on another Wheels of Soul Tour named Marcus King. He was incredible. |
This is certainly a yesteryear thread and rightfully so, but since i cannot remember the opening acts to all the great shows i saw in the 70's/80's, I'll offer a recent great opening act. Katie Pruitt opening for My Morning Jacket at Beech Mountain, Summer '23. After she was done, my son went down to the concession area and stopped by Katie's booth. He asked if she had any vinyl for sale and they had one copy of her album. Katie signed it. It's a great record, all the way through. She's appeared on CBS Saturday morning and I'm convinced she'll be big someday. |
A long, long time ago (early 1980's) in a galaxy far away (Sacramento, CA) I went with my pal Eric to see Sammy Hagar at the Memorial Auditorium. This was the time I learned from Eric, you can tape bottles of Southern Comfort to your triceps and then raise your arms for the pat-down. My memory is turning to Eric as we sat there burning one and sipping SC as some local band started their opening act. I remember saying "these guys are pretty good" after they had finished the song "Don't Tell Me You Love Me". At the time, I could only remember that the word "Ranger" was in the bands name. Of course they would climb to fame with the song "Sister Christian" as the band "Night Ranger". Props to Sacramento! |
@tony1954 You had a great decade there. Qute the set of memories. thanks for sharing. |
I've heard a friend tell this story several times: He asked a very good looking girl to a Billy Squires concert. She said yes. they went to Tiketron to get tickets. The guy in charge let the hot date in at the head of the line and she got front row center tickets. The opening act was Def Leopard who hadn't become a headliner yet but he is still a big Def Leopard fan (I'm not) and still perhaps his favorite concert ever.
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@rar1 I saw him open for her in 1992, right around the time his first album came out. I believe that was the concert where they recorded his live version of Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes, which is a classic cover. I've seen Gaines probably a dozen or more times now, as he plays in local bars, wineries, small clubs, etc. in the Philly area. Still a great show, but I think he kind of hates when people request In Your Eyes! |
I am old so these go back to ‘68-69. “Little Stevie Wonder” opening for the Supremes. It was half the show before I understood why someone was leading him around the stage. At the Fillmore East the 3rd act and headliner was Blood ,Sweat and Tears. Al Kooper had left the band but they were peaking in popularity. Some Southern rock/blues band called the Allman Brothers blew our minds as the opening act. Finally , Linda Ronstadt on the Neil Young tour in ‘73. It was in Hartford. The morons heckled her off the stage. Neil was pissed and almost cancelled. She was glorious for five songs |
@sdberman - Saw Jeffrey Gaines at the Bottom Line In NYC almost 30 years ago. By himself. Mic unit strapped to his back. Awesome doesn't go far enough. Richard Thompson opening for Crowded House at the Beacon in 1991. Front row seats. Ex wife adored Crowded House (I dozed off through it; lots of smoke and jumping around though). Thompson was in spectacular form (She was bored). No one could hold a candle to his guitar playing. Rich |
Josh Ritter and his band opening for Jason Isbell and his band, at the Count Basie Center in Red Bank, NJ, in 2016. I did not know who Ritter was and made an effort to familiarize myself with his songs beforehand. Thinking he was just "ok," I was blown away by his show. Jason Isbell joined him towards the end of his set and they performed a John Prine song together. I’ve seen Ritter, both with his band, and solo multiple times since.
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Thanks for sharing the ticket prices of some of the shows. I could afford going to concerts back in the day working part time at a grocery store. Now the tickets cost more than a week’s groceries for the family. My kids want to see Post Malone but it’s a football stadium and the nose bleed seats are more than they can afford. I’m sure he’ll have a good opening act. |
The concert was Queen at the Kennedy Center, February 24th, 1975. The opening acts, Kansas (probably their maiden tour) and frank Marino & Mahogany Rush. We had never heard of Kansas. They were awesome. I remember the drummer and the violinist were magnificent. Then Frank Marino came on and KILLED it. Croud screamed so much that he did an encore; Jimi's version of America the Beautiful. After that, Queen was just alright. |
There have been a few. In 1974 T-Rex opened for ZZ Top in a small converted movie theater in Detroit. In 1975 in Cleveland Uriah Heep and Aerosmith opened for Rod Stewart and the Faces in Cleveland Stadium. (I still have the ticket - $10.50.) My favorite was in 1978 in Detroit when Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath at Cobo Arena. Fantastic time to be a young rock-n-roll fan! |
@bassbuyer , going way back, I remember renting a VHS of Bob Dylan playing with Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers. It must have been that tour, huh? That's another one I would have liked to have seen! |
