What Warm Up Bands Or Opening Acts Have You Seen BEFORE They Hit It *BIG*

JH6056

A couple posts above reminded me of 2 more: Radiohead opening for Belly in about '92 or so? The Pablo Honey tour. And Hovercraft and the Foo Fighters opening for Mike Watt. Wouldn't call the Foos "unknown" since we all knew it was Dave Grohl's post-Nirvana band, but they were certainly new and untested then. Ed watched their set and rocked out, hidden behind some amps on the side stage but because of venue design, he couldn't completely hide... may have watched him rock out more than watching the Foos set...

jjflash

My wife and I happened upon Kings of Leon playing a small club in Nashville in early 2003 (I think?) . Even then they had the IT factor. Sported the awful looking English do's and had a flock of groupie chicks waiting the wings. It was a showcase night around Nashville where unsigned bands play bars over consecutive nights in hopes of getting signed. According to the guy who owned the bar (Named Cro Bar at that time...was a few blocks from our house) it was the fifth time they'd ever played together live. I made a mental note of them and didn't hear their name surface again until a couple years later when they opened for U2.

HughFreakingDillon

Creed playing the mid afternoon at a festival. Same with nickelback. They played the afternoon sunday slot, before the Headstones!!! Cage the elephant opening for qotsa before their first album came out.

Tim Simmons

eeriepadave said:

Tim Simmons said:

They haven't hit it *big*, but they are significantly bigger and more popular, but I saw BRMC open for the Charlatans at the Double Door in 98 or 99 before their s/t came out. That' was cool.

Wow. BRMC is my 2nd fav band. That must have been pretty sweet to see. I'm guessing you live near San Fran then? My first time seeing them was '04

No. This was in Chicago.

scurtis

Cool thread....

I saw Blind Melon open for a Canadian band called the Tea Party

Wilco for another Canadian Band Tragically Hip - this more of a festival though, still

Was supposed to see Wu Tang open for RATM, but Wu Tang couldn't get across the border haha. Was Roots Crew instead (Jimmy Fallon's band)

Again at a festival saw the Foo Fighters play on the small stage, short set in 1998, I think Green Day headlined that one, but I was already a big fan of theirs by then, Foo Fighters that is, I've never cared for Green Day.

All I can think of for right now.

HughFreakingDillon

scurtis said:

Cool thread....

I saw Blind Melon open for a Canadian band called the Tea Party

Wilco for another Canadian Band Tragically Hip - this more of a festival though, still

Was supposed to see Wu Tang open for RATM, but Wu Tang couldn't get across the border haha. Was Roots Crew instead (Jimmy Fallon's band)

Again at a festival saw the Foo Fighters play on the small stage, short set in 1998, I think Green Day headlined that one, but I was already a big fan of theirs by then, Foo Fighters that is, I've never cared for Green Day.

All I can think of for right now.

when the hell did Blind Melon open for the Tea Party?????

HesCalledDyer

I haven't really been lucky in the dept... Best I have to offer is:

Incubus opened for 311 in '96
MMJ for PJ in '03
Howling Bells for Coldplay in '09 (still not big, but they've grown)

kramer73

Foo Fighters on a free stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee in 1997.

Black Keys at the High Noon Saloon in Madison in 2002 (or 2003?)

mr bungle

I saw Death Cab for Cutie open for Sunny Day Real Estate at Western Washington University in 1998 I think it was. i'm not sure if they even had an album out at the time

dankind

Rage Against the Machine, opening for House of Pain at The Ritz in Ybor City, March 1993.

Jewel, opening for Peter Murphy at The Edge in Orlando, July 1995.

brianlux

Journey opening for Link Wray in the seventies. They were unknown at the time and looked like high school boys with bouffant hairdos.

I saw the Go Go's in a small venue when they were young and a lot more punk than their later selves.

R.E.M., Reckoning Tour, 1983. They were catching on by then but still mainly in the college radio circles.

U2, War Tour 1983. That was probably their first semi-big tour so only semi-counts.

eddiec

rmartin70 said:

The first two that come to mind are Guns N' Roses opening for Aerosmith in 88' and Pearl Jam opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 91'.

I saw GnR on that tour as well.

Yefa

Pearl Jam opening for RHCP in November 1991

White Zombie opening for Slayer in September 1990

Soundgarden and Faith No More opening for Voivod in January 1990

Alabama Shakes opening for Drive-By Truckers in 2012 (2x)

My Morning Jacket opening for Pearl Jam in 2006 (3x)

PJ_Soul

Not that I'm a fan now, but Michael Buble used to do a weekly set on music night in this martini bar in Vancouver every Sunday. $7 cover. The place was always packed - he did a great job. He could play a small room like nobody's business.

scurtis

HughFreakingDillon said:

scurtis said:

Cool thread....

I saw Blind Melon open for a Canadian band called the Tea Party

Wilco for another Canadian Band Tragically Hip - this more of a festival though, still

Was supposed to see Wu Tang open for RATM, but Wu Tang couldn't get across the border haha. Was Roots Crew instead (Jimmy Fallon's band)

Again at a festival saw the Foo Fighters play on the small stage, short set in 1998, I think Green Day headlined that one, but I was already a big fan of theirs by then, Foo Fighters that is, I've never cared for Green Day.

All I can think of for right now.

when the hell did Blind Melon open for the Tea Party?????

Haha you're right, I googled it and had it backwards. Was a big tea party fan so probably remembered them as being the band I cared about.

tempo_n_groove

Guy Dudebro said:

Red Hot Chili Peppers opening for Suicidal Tendencies at The Olympic Auditorium in LA in May of '84. The Minutemen and SS Decontrol were also on the bill. Alice In Chains opening for Iggy Pop at The Palladium in Hollywood in 1990 also comes to mind.

Suicidal, minutemen and SSD?!? That is one great hardcore lineup!

Wow!!!

HughFreakingDillon

scurtis said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

scurtis said:

Cool thread....

I saw Blind Melon open for a Canadian band called the Tea Party

Wilco for another Canadian Band Tragically Hip - this more of a festival though, still

Was supposed to see Wu Tang open for RATM, but Wu Tang couldn't get across the border haha. Was Roots Crew instead (Jimmy Fallon's band)

Again at a festival saw the Foo Fighters play on the small stage, short set in 1998, I think Green Day headlined that one, but I was already a big fan of theirs by then, Foo Fighters that is, I've never cared for Green Day.

All I can think of for right now.

when the hell did Blind Melon open for the Tea Party?????

Haha your eight, I googled it and had it backwards. Was a big tea party fan so probably remembered them as being the band I cared about.

either way, still cool that TP opened for Blind Melon. where did this happen?

scurtis

HughFreakingDillon said:

scurtis said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

scurtis said:

Cool thread....

I saw Blind Melon open for a Canadian band called the Tea Party

Wilco for another Canadian Band Tragically Hip - this more of a festival though, still

Was supposed to see Wu Tang open for RATM, but Wu Tang couldn't get across the border haha. Was Roots Crew instead (Jimmy Fallon's band)

Again at a festival saw the Foo Fighters play on the small stage, short set in 1998, I think Green Day headlined that one, but I was already a big fan of theirs by then, Foo Fighters that is, I've never cared for Green Day.

All I can think of for right now.

when the hell did Blind Melon open for the Tea Party?????

Haha your eight, I googled it and had it backwards. Was a big tea party fan so probably remembered them as being the band I cared about.

either way, still cool that TP opened for Blind Melon. where did this happen?

Edmonton, December 1993.

It was at a relatively small venue, the Edmonton Convention Center.

Not sure if the link to the photo will work, it's not mine...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152226250947793&set=p.10152226250947793&type=3&theater

It's a picture of the ticket stub someone must have kept.

edwho

Aerosmith, Foriegner, ACDC - Summer 1978

eeriepadave

few others which I remembered.
MGMT opening up for Yeasayer in early '08. That was a cool show cause i got the "set list" and one of their people were handing out MGMT shoelaces. Also they played a Led Zeppelin song at the end and Andrew drummed while the drummer sang.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Rkp6Secs4

and here's the set list which they threw out into the crowd and i caught it


The other one isn't too big in the US but really huge in the UK.

I saw Kasabian open up for a band called The Music in Feb. '05. I had heard "Clubfoot" on the radio and bought the import cd before the show.