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Your favorite opening ACTS of all-time, ever?


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I thought that we did this topic somewhere, sometime before, but I can't seem to find it. So, that said, let's start over.

Who are the best/your favorite bands that you saw as openers for somebody else? And who did they open for?

 

Uncle Tupelo (opening for fIREHOSE)

Pulp (opening for Blur)

Pearl Jam (opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers)

The Pogues (opening for Violent Femmes)

Mojo Nixon and Skid Roeper (opening for Violent Femmes)

Stereolab (opening for Tortise)

Tortise (opening for Stereolab)

M.O.T.O. (opening for Falstaff)

Joe Pug (opening for Aimee Mann)

Jim O'Rourke (opening for Tom Zé)

T-Pain (opening for Black Eyed Peas... with my son. T-Pain was a really good performer.)

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Favorites as follows

The Walkmen (opened for Firewater)

Stone Temple Pilots (Opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Lake Trout (opened for Gibb Droll)

Thanks to Gravity (Opened for From Good Homes)

Firewater (Opened for Afghan Whigs)

Beck and Ben Folds Five opened for (Dave Matthews Band)

Elliott Smith (Opened for Jon Spencer Blues Explosion)

Ben Lee (Opened for Aimee Mann)

Ben Kweller (Opened for Belle and Sebastian)

Jayhawks (Opened for Guster)

David Poe (opened for Jayhawks)

Jump Little Children (Opened for Guster)

Pete Yorn (Opened for R.E.M.)

Ryan Adams (Opened for Oasis)

Sigur Ros (Bjork)

Son Volt (John Mellencamp)

Soundtrack of Our Lives (Opened for Oasis)

Travis (Opened for Dido)

 

:guitar

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Cornershop (opened for Oasis)

I saw Cornershop a few times and, as much as I love their albums, they have to be one of the most BORING live acts that I have ever seen. So disappointing. Every single time (maybe 3 or 4 times).

They were even boring when I saw them in a tiny little record store. Now that takes genuine, deep-down... something.

 

Were they actually good/exciting when you saw them, or did you include them on your list just because you like them?

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Were they actually good/exciting when you saw them, or did you include them on your list just because you like them?

 

They weren't exciting by any means, but that's not necessarily part of my personal criteria as good. Wilco's not exciting, but they're a great live band.

Cornershop was good.

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Liam Finn open for Wilco

Delta Spirit open for MMJ

 

In both cases I felt like I had easily gotten my money's worth before the main act came on stage. Also in both cases the main act then came out and played an amazing 2.5 hr. set.

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I forgot one of the best, if not THE best!

Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham (opening for Nick Lowe)

Went to see one of my favorite songwriters and would up seeing a national treasure before Nick even hit the stage!

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I saw Pete Yorn and as much as I kind of love his albums, he had to be one of the most BORING live acts that I have ever seen. So disappointing. Every single time (2 times).

Now that takes genuine, deep-down... something.

 

This is mostly for the 1st and only time I've paid to see him by himself and not open for one of my favorite bands (R.E.M.). So so so bad. Seriously, I wondered if some big menacing mobster was in the back of the room clenching his brass knuckles looking mean at Pete. He had this scared shit look the whole night and just looked dopey. Bill Belichick speaks with more emotion in post game speeches than this guy had in one live performance. I think I'm going to blow up his cds at some point in defiance.

 

And another thing: I keep forgetting that The Music opened up for him and I missed them due to public transportation being extremely busier than normal. I don't think they've ever come back to America. Anyways, the lead singer came out and danced on the floor, so I was told.

 

Best Opener: Elvis Costello for/and better than Bob Dylan Oct 2007 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena

Best Opener In A Shitty Spot Outside Awesome Venue: Muse at Curiosa Festival August 2004 Comcast Center Mansfield, MA (played in 2nd stage in parking lot. Best band there other than The Cure who played the shortest set I've seen them do. I understand it was a fest though.)

Openers That Made It Big After: My Morning Jacket for Doves September 2002 Avalon, Boston

Static X for Type O Negative Life, New York City Nov 98(Peter Steele threw pumpkins and toilet paper at the end and it got crazy).

Openers That Should Have Made It Big In America: Ash for Coldplay August 2002 Bank Of America Pavillion, Boston

Opener I Was Glad To Have Seen Before They Got All Douchey: Kings Of Leon for U2 Boston Garden May 2005 (3 nights)

Opener I Missed Due To Fucking Severe Traffic: The National for R.E.M. June 2008 Comcast Center (may have to finally see them in 2 weeks)

Opener I Really Enjoyed And I Swear That I'm Not Gay, Not That There's Anything Wrong With That: Annie Lennox for Sting MGM Grand Arena Sept 2004 (she really was awesome and was actually better than Sting.)

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Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals (open for the Wallflowers)

Big Sugar (opening for Gov't Mule)

Derek Trucks Band (open for Gov't Mule)

Pete Droge and the sinners (open for Tom Petty)

Black Crowes (open for Lenny Kravitz)

Bo Diddley (open for Tom Petty)

Lucinda Williams (open for Tom Petty)

Pretenders (open for Neil Young)

Sonic Youth (open for Pearl Jam)

Jackson Browne (open for Tom Petty)

Beechwood Sparks (open for Black Crowes)

Brian Setzer (open for Tom Petty)

Jorma Kaukonen (open for Phil Lesh)

Robert Plant (open for The Who)

The Thorns (open for Jayhawks)

Jayhawks (open for Lucinda Williams)

Tom Petty (open for Bob Dylan)

Sonny Landreth (open for Gov't Mule)

David Johansen (open for The Who)

Morris Day and the Time (open for Prince)

Jackson Browne (open for Bruce Springsteen)

Soundtrack of Our Lives (open for Black Crowes)

North Mississippi All Stars (open for Black Crowes)

Supersuckers (open for Reverend Horton Heat)

Reverend Horton Heat (open for Motorhead)

Black Crowes (open for Tom Petty)

High Dials (open for Brian Jonestown Massacre)

Allman Borthers (open for Tom Petty)

Al Green (open for BB King)

Vampire Weekend (open for New Pornographers)

Patti Smith (open for Black Crowes)

Wilco (open for Neil Young)

Screaming Females (open for Dead Weather)

Levon Helm (open for Black Crowes)

Johnny Corndawg (open for David Allan Coe)

Graham Parker (open for Nick Lowe)

Alejandro Escovedo (open for Drive By Truckers)

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Oooh, I forgot that I saw the New Pornos/B&S tour. That was one hell of a night!

 

My Brightest Diamond opening for The Decemberists (that band always has AWESOME openers...they pick 'em good!)

The National opening for Arcade Fire

LCD Soundsystem opening for Arcade Fire

St. Vincent opening for Arcade Fire and The National (separate events)

Sigur Ros opening for Radiohead

The Black Keys opening for Radiohead

The Zutons opening for Muse

Low opening for Wilco

 

 

It's kind of an incestuous list, but those were some of the most incredible nights of music I've experienced.

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Some memorable openers:

 

Heartless Bastards (for The Gaslight Anthem)

New Pornographers (for Belle & Sebastian)

Crooked Fingers (for Neko Case)

St. Vincent (for the National)

Fruit Bats (for Son Volt)

Dr. Dog (for Wilco)

The Dodos (for New Pornographers)

The Greenhornes (for the White Stripes)

The Antlers (for the National)

Merle Haggard (for Bob Dylan)

Riviera (for Jeff Tweedy)

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Last week I saw Shovels & Rope (Carry Ann Hearst and Michael Trent) open for Justin Townes Earle. A few weeks ago I'd never head of them. I'm now officially a fan. (Justin was also a very good opening act for the Decemberist's, by the way).

 

The biggest one for me was Band of Horses opening for Pearl Jam. I was already a fan, but this was my first chance getting to see them I actually had to hold back tears when they walked out and launched into The Great Salt Lake. They also saved the show for me. My experience during PJ's set was pretty terrible - mostly the audience's fault, not so much the band's. I'm still waiting to see BoH as a headlining act . . .

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  • 1 month later...

I can't remember who they opened for, but I saw Thin Lizzy is Shreveport in the mid-70's. (checking out the ThinLizzyGuide.com website, looks like it may have been in support of Journey in 1979...back when Greg Rollie was still in the band...but that really doesn't feel right)

I remember nobody in the crowd had any idea who they were until they played "The Boys are Back in Town".

I remember "The Cowboy Song" was out of this world.

Edited by Crow Daddy Magnus®
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