Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen

[idrive1life]

Muse for MCR 04/22/07 Sunrise, FL
Editors for Stellastarr* 04/06/06 Orlando, FL
Supergrass for Radiohead 10/04/03 West Palm Beach, FL
Margot & The Nuclear So & So's for Nine Black Alps 03/24/06 Orlando, FL

[chiapet]

This thread reminds me that I skip opening acts far too often. None of these are legendary but are the ones that stand out in my memory -

Loop!station opening for Human League in SF last year - I'd never heard of them before the show and really enjoyed them (enough to see them several times since).

Dead Voices on Air opening for the pink dots in 2000 was "interesting."

7 Year Bitch as the opener for a show I chaperoned for my sibs (they were there seeing... Spacehog and Everclear. Yes, I sat through Everclear). This is probably my favorite opener. I had a vague idea of who they were and had heard one CD, didn't expect them to become one of my fav bands (at the time).

Also now that I think about it, Blonde Redhead has had consistently good openers -- the Annuals opening for them earlier this year were good enough that I'm going to see them on their current tour. Low Flying Owls opening for them in 2004 were pretty good too -- and Autolux as well in earlier 2004. Buffalo Daughter in 2003. Erase Errata in 2000. This is probably one of the reasons why I have a good opinion of their live performances

[luckyface]

I know Tessa can speak for herself, but she is embarrassed to say that Goon Moon was her favorite opener ever.

[canexplain]

led zep opening up for fever tree and iron butterfly .. canx**

[drugks Gillespie]

Isis for Tool @ the Gorge
APC for NIN @ America West
the Faint for Bright Eyes @ Marquee
Vanilla Ice for MC Hammer

[Bosco]

buddy wakefield and alias and buck 65 for sage francis

he's playing this month in Chicago...

[disgustipated]

Beastie Boys for Madonna-1984

[mountmccabe]

wolf eyes for sonic youth.

I was really liking them but they weren't getting more than polite clapping after their songs and there were one or two morons that yelled out once or twice during their third song so they just up and left.

I had decided to buy a CD but after cutting their set thirty minutes short - and Sonic Youth didn't come on any earlier as a result - I decided they could keep their damned merch.

[samiksha]

he's playing this month in Chicago...

i know, but... he's gonna be in chicago on... the 21st? and i'll be in michigan for thanksgiving. and of course he'll be in detroit on the 20th but my train wont get in until midnight that night.

[bballarl]

led zep opening up for fever tree and iron butterfly .. canx**

God dammit Ron. I hate when you drop shit like this.

[Boourns]

Broken Social Scene before Bloc Party at the Greek.

The worst ever was The Mars Volta before APC.

I agree with TMV before APC. Awful.

Best I've seen:
Final Fantasy opening for Arcade Fire (now THAT's epic)
Islands opening for Metric
Yeah Yeah Yeahs opening for The White Stripes
Amiina/Amina/whatever they are called this week for Sigur Ros
The Decemberists opening for Beck

Worst:
TMV before APC
some guy on an acoustic guitar before YYYs (the homeless guy doing Beatles songs outside was better)
Ron Sexsmith before Eisley
The Thrills before Pixies failed to live up to their namesake
all Muse openers

I didn't have feelings one way or another for Busdriver before CSS, but these girls I was hanging with kept booing rudely.

I'm sure Supergrass was good, but all I knew of them when they opened for Radiohead was "Alright" and was too pumped about finally seeing the Head to pay attention. Really like their last CD.

Didn't catch the Blonde Redhead/Interpol tour, but I'm sure Blonde Redhead totally pwned Interpol.

The best show ever would've been seeing Pulp open for Radiohead at the 9:30 Club.

[summerkid]

Islands opening for Beck 2005 1st appearance in the US.

[sonofhal]

My Bloody Valentine opening for The Jesus and Mary Chain. (but i was well aware of who i was going to see - Dinosaur Jr and Blur were on in between)


For acts i didn't know / hadn't seen before.

Hot Chip opening for Bobby Conn.

[musicfan66]

Radiohead for Soul Asylum 10/95 Las Vegas

[drugks Gillespie]

King Crimson for Tool at the Open Air Theater

[tessalasset]

Boom Bip opening up Coachella 2005.

[bmack86]

Best unexpected
Parts & Labor opening for Les Savy Fav (They blow me away and are so nice in person)
Flaming Lips opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers
Erase Errata opening for Q and not U
Viva Voce opening for Aqueduct
The Gossip opening for Blues Explosion
Icarus Line opening for Distillers
400 Blows opening for Mission of Burma
Celebration opening for Calla
No Age opening for Matt & Kim

for expected
Autolux opening for Ambulance LTD
Pinback opening for Slint
Blonde Redhead opening for Interpol
M.I.A. opening for LCD Soundsystem
TV on the Radio opening for Franz Ferdinand
Asobi Seksu opening for The Wrens

[hawkingvsreeve]

Smoosh, opening for The Pipettes.

[Ardentbiscuit]

I make it a habit to never miss the openers. I'm just really over the top when it comes to show timing.

Radiohead opening for PJ Harvey
(it was sad, they were asking people in line if they knew any song besides Creep off Pablo Honey to win prizes, I was the only one who knew).

Faith Healers opening for the Breeders.

Cranberries opening for the London Suede

Pulp opening for Blur

Travis Opening for Oasis

Howling Bells opening for the Killers (yes, I went to the staples show, my boss got free tickets and didn't want to go)

Autechre opening SeeFeel


There are many more but I won't bore you!

[paulb]

my girlfriend says:

white stripes opening for Weezer at Spaceland in 2000.

[breakjaw]

Radiohead (circa Pablo Honey) opening for Belly

[Stefinitely Maybe]

The Shins opening for Modest Mouse
Prodigy opening for Oasis

[idrive1life]

Howling Bells opening for the Killers (yes, I went to the staples show, my boss got free tickets and didn't want to go)

One of worst openers (/headliners/shows) I've seen:
Howling Bells for The Killers Bill Graham Auditorium SF, CA 04/07/07

[amyzzz]

Paula Cole opening for Sarah McLachlan. Say what you want, but she was an amazing performer. Also, before the show, the DJ played the entire first Portishead album which I hadn't heard before (this was like 12 or 13 years ago).

[Tylerdurden31]

The Octopus Project and The Sword opening for ...And you Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead - I had never heard of either act. Octopus Project blew me away.

And in my childhood...fuck yeah...NKOTB opening for Tiffany...in like 88...before NKOTB hit it big...

[Ardentbiscuit]

Sorry, I like the Howling Bells, are you sure you weren't watching the other opener Solarcade?

[Ardentbiscuit]

I wish I had seen White Stripes as an opener at Spaceland! The smallest place I saw them was the El Rey.

I remember when I saw Lush at Prince's Glam Slam and Weezer was the opener.

[thinnerair]

Dredg opening for Deftones
Meshuggah opening up for Tool
Incubus and Buckethead opening for Primus
The Rentals opening for RHCP
Broken Social Scene opening for The Pixies

[tubescape]

you've got to be kidding me...Deerhoof rocks.

Is that all you have to contribute? Were you at that show? I would bet a good portion of the people who are on this message board that were at the Friday show for Radiohead at the Greek in LA last year would agree that Deerhoof was pretty piss poor that night. Maybe I caught them on a bad night. Maybe you can blame it on the mixing board guy. But for me, their set was awful. After the first two songs I don't think anyone within a 100' radius of me paid them any attention. So to answer your question or statement or whatever your post is about (your taste?) NO, I'm not kidding.

[breakjaw]

I remember when I saw Lush at Prince's Glam Slam and Weezer was the opener.

This reminded me,Weezer opening for Teenage Fanclub around 1994.They were fantastic.