Kings of Leon impressed the hell out of me. Probably the best opener I've seen at a PJ show. Way better than that Tim Robbins crap during VFC.
Ben Harper and th IC were the best openers for PJ. Ted Leo and Kings of Leon sucked and Sonic Youth bothers me. My Morning Jacket were pretty cool too.
"All the rusted signs we ignore throughout our lives"--Ed
I usually try to check out opening acts. I may not necessarily like them, but I like to give everyone a chance. I ended up not liking MMJ, but it is clear to me that they play well. However, I became a fan of Mindless Self Indulgence after I saw them at Projekt Revolution, and a fan of the Street Dogs, when I saw them open for Tiger Army. Sleater-Kinney grew on me after seeing them 8x on a PJ tour. Am looking forward to seeing Does it Offend You Yeah open for NIN.
What people don't remember is often the main act picks openers depending on what they think is good, and it seems only fair to give them a chance at least. PJ and NIN are my favorite bands, but I like to stay open to new music (and discover old acts that I never got around to).
I liked Ted Leo enough that I'll check them out on itunes and myspace. It was loud sure, but that's why earplugs are invented.
R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
Kings of Leon were great. That said Robert Pollard was horrible in 06. Sparta in 05 horrible, Tim Robbins in 04 horrible. Any of the shows earlier than that, I skipped the openers. (96 and 98) 92 was Lolla, so it was all good.
i ALWAYS catch the opening acts at least once a tour. if it's a band i do not know at all, or not too well, i am always interested in checking em out. if it's a band i love, total bonus. only time i won't give the time of day is if i KNOW it's a band who's music i cannot stand. so, needless to say first show this tour hubby and i were there to check out ted leo. hubby HATED them. i didn't feel that strongly one way or another, but certainly no love. i was bummed that none of the shows i was attending were KoL opening b/c i got to see them and incubus open for pj in nijmegen - best openers EVER for pj imho - and would have LOVEd to see em again, and would have every night. so then, hubby disliking them so, we did try to avoid em at both MSGs altho still managed to catch a few tunes each night. then up in hartford and mansfield, i far rather hang out with far-flung tour buddies i only see on tour then sit thru a band i dislike.
personally, i think that is the case for most. many, many people do multiple shows on a tour. if you don't enjoy a band, why would you subject yourself to it? i know for the euro tours it was a bit rough b/c you HAD to stand thru all of it to hold your spot on the rail...and yea, THAT much MMJ is just cruel and unusual punishment for me. haha.
so basically, i think most fans DO give openers a shot, i know i always do...but yea.....if i dislike your stuff i far rather socialize with friends than sit there. i do try to be supportive of acts as much as i can...but if i don't like your music, i just don't like it. thus, if i can avoid it, i will.
if the opener is a band i dont like, why would i want to get there early to see them? this thread makes no sense to me.
why doesn't it make sense? I talk about people not knowing a band throughout my posts and being close-minded to music they aren't familiar with. if you've never seen em live or never heard of em, my logic is that you should give em a shot. after that, if they suck, then so be it.
2003 Mansfield III 2004 Boston I 2006 Boston I 2008 Bonnaroo, Hartford, Mansfield I 2010 Hartford 2013 Worcester I, Worcester II, Hartford 2016 Bonnaroo, Fenway I, Fenway II 2018 Fenway I, Fenway II 2021 Sea.Hear.Now 2022 Camden 2024 MSG I, Fenway I, Fenway II
I always check out the opening bands. You already paid for it might as well take advantage. Who knows you may end up enjoying it.
PJ 2003 Tampa 2004 Kissimmee 2007 Chicago 2008 West Palm Beach, Tampa, Columbia 2009 Toronto, Chicago 1-2, Philadelphia 3-4 2010 New Orleans 2011 PJ20/East Troy 1-2 2012 Atlanta 2013 Baltimore 2016 Miami, Greenville 2018 Boston 1 2020St. Louis2022 Nashville, St. Louis 2023Noblesville, Austin 1-2 2024 Chicago 1-2 2025 Atlanta 1-2 EV 2009 Atlanta 1-2 2012 Jacksonville
Ted Leo is a great performer and he has put out great albums for a while now, its just hard to gauge a performance when they place is half empty. Check out some of his stuff on youtube, he knows how to play for an audience. I cant wait to check them out tonight since i missed out on Saturday.
I try to attend the opening band at every show. I think it must be very difficult for a band to play to an empty venue expecially when the seats near the front are empty (as they were for almost every show I attended on this tour). And, even though I go to multiple shows on each tour, it often takes me a few listens to warm up to the music anyway, so I try to give every band a serious chance before ruling them out. I am oftentimes pleasantly surprised by the openers. I am definitely going to check out Ted Leo's albums, and I love MMJ as a result of the '06 tour.
I used to be real big into checking out openers back in the day, but not so much now. Last week we went to see REM, and my friends came up for the show. My girlfriend didn't get out of work until 4:00, and my friends were obsessing over seeing the national. They kept asking me when she was going to get home, they were whispering to each other about it all day. It got to the point where I finally said, "Why don't you guys go on ahead and we'll get there when we get there." It drove me crazy, and I'm sure I pissed them off too. But I refuse to let a show that starts in the evening get in the way of my responsibilities during the day. I saw no need for my girlfriend to lose a day's pay, or even half a day's pay so my friends could see the national.The bitch of the thing was, the week before we flew down to florida and stayed with them. My friend and I went to the Tampa show together, and he wanted to go directly after he got out of work to save gas, so that meant I had to get up at 6:00am the day of the show and hang out at his office. That was a pretty big pain in the ass but I was gracious about it, he should have behaved the same way towards us.
I saw Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins when they opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1991.
It almost always pays to check out the openers....
here's a list of opening bands I've seen in my lifetime
U2
PJ
REM
Pixies
Faith No More
White Stripes
STP
Guns and Roses
Wilco
MMJ
Tool
Sonic Youth
Soundgarden
Alice in Chains
Social Distortion
Green Day
Midnight Oil
All I can say is that if I could have seen the Jacket opening for Pearl Jam that would have been fucking incredible! Two amazing live acts back to back! I dream that PJ would ask them to tour with them again, but at this point, at least in America, MMJ is getting big enough that they probably would only be the headliner....
I saw Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins when they opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1991.
It almost always pays to check out the openers....
here's a list of opening bands I've seen in my lifetime
U2
PJ
REM
Pixies
Faith No More
White Stripes
STP
Guns and Roses
Wilco
MMJ
Tool
Sonic Youth
Soundgarden
Alice in Chains
Social Distortion
Green Day
Midnight Oil
Great Post- I could add a few to that list:
Metallica (for Ozzy Ozbourne)
Crosby Stills and Nash (for the Dead)
Supersuckers and Nashville Pussy (for the Reverend Horton Heat- a week ago!)
Ted Nugent (for Aerosmith- my first real concert)
Sonic Youth (for PJ)
I'll listen. If I like it, I like it. I won't ignore the band and be rude and talk to my neighbor while they're playing or something. That's just wrong.
FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE!
www.wm3.org
9/13/98 Hartford,CT - 9/18/98 Columbia,MD
8/23/00 Jones Beach (Wantagh,NY) - 7/8/03 NYC (DVD show)
9/28/04 Boston,MA (VFC Benefit-10C) - 6/23/06 Pittsburgh,PA
6/27/08 Hartford, CT
I take exception to your assumption that this is somehow only related to Pearl Jam fans. This is common for every major touring act. The opening bands never fill the seats like the headliner. Unless of course it is a duel-headlining show.
i actually became a fan of mmj based on how great i thought they were opening for pj. . .ted leo was ok, out of the 4 shows i went to i saw him 2x, would have seen them all but the people i was with the 2 other times wanted to hang tailgating/ at bars
i have wished for so long, how i wish for you today
JEFFREY ROSS ROGERS 1975-2002
Sorry to those that like these bands but I have to say as far as my music tastes go I've not been that fortunate with PJ's opening bands, The Fastbacks (96), X & Zeke i(98), Monkeywrench (Gimmie Mudhoney any day) & Dismemberment Plan (00), Sleater Kinney and the Buzzcocks (03). If festivals count, Live, Bush and Counting Crows at Rock Im Park in 2000 was pretty sweet. I'm usually pretty good at watching support bands and giving them a go and like some of you I've discovered some great bands from seeing them open for my fav bands.
My PJ shows:
London 28/10/96, Las Vegas 11/7/98, London 29/5/00, Nurnburg 11/6/00, Prague 14/6/00, Salzburg 18/6/00, Verona 20/6/00, Milan 22/6/00, Zurich 23/6/00, New York 8-9/7/03, Boston 11/7/03, Reading Festival 27/8/06, Shepards Bush 11/8/09, Berlin 15/8/09, Manchester 17/8/09, London 18/8/09, Dublin 22/6/10, Belfast 23/6/10, London (HRC) 25/6/10, Alpine Valley (PJ20) 3-4/9/11, Manchester 20-21/6/12, Leeds 8/7/14, Milton Keynes 11/7/14 To be continued....
The opening act is usually a band that Pearl Jam likes (in most cases), and since I like Pearl Jam's music than I give their recommended bands a chance too. Sleater Kinney blew me away as the opener in Philly 05 and I immediately bought their album after that and it was great. I thought Ted Leo was pretty good, his sound is probably better suited for smaller venues.
MMJ was great when they opened for PJ (got me into that band, eally dig them) but I understand if some people thinks it boring to hear them do exactly the same set again and again (which they did when I saw them)
But the Black Crowes was the opening act for Neil Young in 2001, one hell of an opening act imo.
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
I take exception to your assumption that this is somehow only related to Pearl Jam fans. This is common for every major touring act. The opening bands never fill the seats like the headliner. Unless of course it is a duel-headlining show.
I didn't say that anywhere in any of my posts. I'm just viewing it in relation to Pearl Jam because that's where I have been several times as of late. I get a sense on these boards that some fans who have been following the band for a long time and have seats in the very front as senior members show up five minutes before the show starts without even batting an eye at the opening act, and based on some of the posts here, i'm not completely off-base. i understand if you have seen the band before and hate them, but i'm just trying to get to the root of why people in general wouldn't see someone that they are unfamiliar with the possibility of a tremendous upside to the deal. And I know it's common for every headliner -- i've been to many shows -- I see how it is.....I just think it's insane in this specific case with 10c seats being such an advantage for us, why more people wouldn't show up early to take in the atmosphere a bit and get to know a band they have never heard before.
When I get responses like someone skipping robert plant simply because they don't see opening acts, it just makes me curious -- that is all. I guess I can't comprehend something like that because I like music too much to not give someone a chance.
2003 Mansfield III 2004 Boston I 2006 Boston I 2008 Bonnaroo, Hartford, Mansfield I 2010 Hartford 2013 Worcester I, Worcester II, Hartford 2016 Bonnaroo, Fenway I, Fenway II 2018 Fenway I, Fenway II 2021 Sea.Hear.Now 2022 Camden 2024 MSG I, Fenway I, Fenway II
I got the opportunity for the first time to sit close to the band, with my 10 row back from center stage seats last night in Mansfield, and it boggled my mind to see so many empty seats up front........are people who have been in the 10c so long so tired of seeing shows that it becomes a chore to get there early? i saw a ton of people arriving just as the show was about to start, and directly after ted leo was over. i guess arriving early and more spread out would have alleviated some of the headaches with the hartford show the night before as well. I got there as doors opened and had no problem picking up my tickets. forgive me for saying this, but if you've never seen a particular opening act before, i'd consider it an added bonus. if you get there and they suck, so be it, but it boggles my mind as to why some people would pass up a prime seating location (like the one i had last night) to see an act that is just as passionate about their music as some of the bigger tier acts, if they are uninitiated with the band. the showing was ridiculously paltry for ted leo.
This is all well and good but obviously you are in the minority since there is no one there. Not sure how its mind boggling. It boggles my mind that you dont understand Ted leo doesn't have as many fans at a Pearl Jam concert as Pearl Jam.... I mean if Ted Leo could fill the place they would not be opening for Pearl Jam to begin with so dont feel bad for them. I'll tell you what... if they start letting me bring in my cooler and food for the opening band or give away free beer then I'll go. Your comment about.. well if they suck then they suck doesn't quite explain it. At that piont you are stuck in there paying 10 beers because they wont let you leave and come back. Its fine that you prefer to go but weird that you are labeling others as closedminded. Maybe you are closedminded if you can't even see the majorities point of view?
This is all well and good but obviously you are in the minority since there is no one there. Not sure how its mind boggling. It boggles my mind that you dont understand Ted leo doesn't have as many fans at a Pearl Jam concert as Pearl Jam.... I mean if Ted Leo could fill the place they would not be opening for Pearl Jam to begin with so dont feel bad for them. I'll tell you what... if they start letting me bring in my cooler and food for the opening band or give away free beer then I'll go. Your comment about.. well if they suck then they suck doesn't quite explain it. At that piont you are stuck in there paying 10 beers because they wont let you leave and come back. Its fine that you prefer to go but weird that you are labeling others as closedminded. Maybe you are closedminded if you can't even see the majorities point of view?
That's another thing I don't get - drinking before a PJ show being some mightily important tradition. I'd prefer to experience live music in all its glory, rather than missing the opening act, and being at less-than-full capacity for PJ.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
Comments
Ben Harper and th IC were the best openers for PJ. Ted Leo and Kings of Leon sucked and Sonic Youth bothers me. My Morning Jacket were pretty cool too.
What people don't remember is often the main act picks openers depending on what they think is good, and it seems only fair to give them a chance at least. PJ and NIN are my favorite bands, but I like to stay open to new music (and discover old acts that I never got around to).
I liked Ted Leo enough that I'll check them out on itunes and myspace. It was loud sure, but that's why earplugs are invented.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
10-4-96 \ 5-6-10
9-6-98 \ 5-7-10
4-19-03 \ 9-22-12
10-6-04 \ 7-19-13
6-24-06 \ 12-6-13
10-1-14 \ 4-16-16
\ 4-26-16 \
personally, i think that is the case for most. many, many people do multiple shows on a tour. if you don't enjoy a band, why would you subject yourself to it? i know for the euro tours it was a bit rough b/c you HAD to stand thru all of it to hold your spot on the rail...and yea, THAT much MMJ is just cruel and unusual punishment for me.
so basically, i think most fans DO give openers a shot, i know i always do...but yea.....if i dislike your stuff i far rather socialize with friends than sit there. i do try to be supportive of acts as much as i can...but if i don't like your music, i just don't like it. thus, if i can avoid it, i will.
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
why doesn't it make sense? I talk about people not knowing a band throughout my posts and being close-minded to music they aren't familiar with. if you've never seen em live or never heard of em, my logic is that you should give em a shot. after that, if they suck, then so be it.
2004 Boston I
2006 Boston I
2008 Bonnaroo, Hartford, Mansfield I
2010 Hartford
2013 Worcester I, Worcester II, Hartford
2016 Bonnaroo, Fenway I, Fenway II
2018 Fenway I, Fenway II
2021 Sea.Hear.Now
2022 Camden
2024 MSG I, Fenway I, Fenway II
2003 Tampa 2004 Kissimmee 2007 Chicago 2008 West Palm Beach, Tampa, Columbia 2009 Toronto, Chicago 1-2, Philadelphia 3-4 2010 New Orleans 2011 PJ20/East Troy 1-2 2012 Atlanta 2013 Baltimore 2016 Miami, Greenville 2018 Boston 1 2020 St. Louis 2022 Nashville, St. Louis 2023 Noblesville, Austin 1-2 2024 Chicago 1-2 2025 Atlanta 1-2
EV
2009 Atlanta 1-2 2012 Jacksonville
It almost always pays to check out the openers....
here's a list of opening bands I've seen in my lifetime
U2
PJ
REM
Pixies
Faith No More
White Stripes
STP
Guns and Roses
Wilco
MMJ
Tool
Sonic Youth
Soundgarden
Alice in Chains
Social Distortion
Green Day
Midnight Oil
I can never go.
although I did go see rogue wave open for death cab recently and they were very good
Great Post- I could add a few to that list:
Metallica (for Ozzy Ozbourne)
Crosby Stills and Nash (for the Dead)
Supersuckers and Nashville Pussy (for the Reverend Horton Heat- a week ago!)
Ted Nugent (for Aerosmith- my first real concert)
Sonic Youth (for PJ)
4/26/03 Pittsburgh 5/3/03 State College 7/12/03 Hershey 10/1/04 Reading 9/28/05 Pittsburgh 5/20/06 Cleveland 6/23/06 Pittsburgh 6/22/08 DC
friends don't let friends listen to good charlotte
www.wm3.org
9/13/98 Hartford,CT - 9/18/98 Columbia,MD
8/23/00 Jones Beach (Wantagh,NY) - 7/8/03 NYC (DVD show)
9/28/04 Boston,MA (VFC Benefit-10C) - 6/23/06 Pittsburgh,PA
6/27/08 Hartford, CT
JEFFREY ROSS ROGERS 1975-2002
9.10.98 NYC / 8.23.00 JONES BEACH /4.30.03 UNIONDALE / 7.9.03 NYC /5.12.06 ALBANY/ 6.1.06 E.RUTHEFORD/ 6.3.06 E. RUTHEFORD/ CAMDEN 6.19.08/ NYC 6.24.08/ NYC 6.25.08/ HARTFORD 6.27.08/ CHICAGO 8.24.09/ PHILLY 10.31.09/ HARTFORD 5.15.10/ NEWARK 5.18.10/ NYC 5.20.10/ CHICAGO 7.19.13/ BROOKLYN 10.18.13/ BROOKLYN 10.19.13/ HARTFORD 10.25.13/ NYC 9.26.15/ 4.8.16 FT. LAUDERDALE/ 4.9.16 MIAMI / 5.1.16 NYC/ 5.2.16 NYC / 8.5.16 BOSTON / 8.7.16 BOSTON/ 8.20.18 CHICAGO/ 9.2.18 BOSTON/ 9.4.18 BOSTON/ 9.18.21 ASBURY PARK
finally, FUCK TICKETMASTER
JEFFREY ROSS ROGERS 1975-2002
9.10.98 NYC / 8.23.00 JONES BEACH /4.30.03 UNIONDALE / 7.9.03 NYC /5.12.06 ALBANY/ 6.1.06 E.RUTHEFORD/ 6.3.06 E. RUTHEFORD/ CAMDEN 6.19.08/ NYC 6.24.08/ NYC 6.25.08/ HARTFORD 6.27.08/ CHICAGO 8.24.09/ PHILLY 10.31.09/ HARTFORD 5.15.10/ NEWARK 5.18.10/ NYC 5.20.10/ CHICAGO 7.19.13/ BROOKLYN 10.18.13/ BROOKLYN 10.19.13/ HARTFORD 10.25.13/ NYC 9.26.15/ 4.8.16 FT. LAUDERDALE/ 4.9.16 MIAMI / 5.1.16 NYC/ 5.2.16 NYC / 8.5.16 BOSTON / 8.7.16 BOSTON/ 8.20.18 CHICAGO/ 9.2.18 BOSTON/ 9.4.18 BOSTON/ 9.18.21 ASBURY PARK
finally, FUCK TICKETMASTER
London 28/10/96, Las Vegas 11/7/98, London 29/5/00, Nurnburg 11/6/00, Prague 14/6/00, Salzburg 18/6/00, Verona 20/6/00, Milan 22/6/00, Zurich 23/6/00, New York 8-9/7/03, Boston 11/7/03, Reading Festival 27/8/06, Shepards Bush 11/8/09, Berlin 15/8/09, Manchester 17/8/09, London 18/8/09, Dublin 22/6/10, Belfast 23/6/10, London (HRC) 25/6/10, Alpine Valley (PJ20) 3-4/9/11, Manchester 20-21/6/12, Leeds 8/7/14, Milton Keynes 11/7/14 To be continued....
But the Black Crowes was the opening act for Neil Young in 2001, one hell of an opening act imo.
I didn't say that anywhere in any of my posts. I'm just viewing it in relation to Pearl Jam because that's where I have been several times as of late. I get a sense on these boards that some fans who have been following the band for a long time and have seats in the very front as senior members show up five minutes before the show starts without even batting an eye at the opening act, and based on some of the posts here, i'm not completely off-base. i understand if you have seen the band before and hate them, but i'm just trying to get to the root of why people in general wouldn't see someone that they are unfamiliar with the possibility of a tremendous upside to the deal. And I know it's common for every headliner -- i've been to many shows -- I see how it is.....I just think it's insane in this specific case with 10c seats being such an advantage for us, why more people wouldn't show up early to take in the atmosphere a bit and get to know a band they have never heard before.
When I get responses like someone skipping robert plant simply because they don't see opening acts, it just makes me curious -- that is all. I guess I can't comprehend something like that because I like music too much to not give someone a chance.
2004 Boston I
2006 Boston I
2008 Bonnaroo, Hartford, Mansfield I
2010 Hartford
2013 Worcester I, Worcester II, Hartford
2016 Bonnaroo, Fenway I, Fenway II
2018 Fenway I, Fenway II
2021 Sea.Hear.Now
2022 Camden
2024 MSG I, Fenway I, Fenway II
This is all well and good but obviously you are in the minority since there is no one there. Not sure how its mind boggling. It boggles my mind that you dont understand Ted leo doesn't have as many fans at a Pearl Jam concert as Pearl Jam.... I mean if Ted Leo could fill the place they would not be opening for Pearl Jam to begin with so dont feel bad for them. I'll tell you what... if they start letting me bring in my cooler and food for the opening band or give away free beer then I'll go. Your comment about.. well if they suck then they suck doesn't quite explain it. At that piont you are stuck in there paying 10 beers because they wont let you leave and come back. Its fine that you prefer to go but weird that you are labeling others as closedminded. Maybe you are closedminded if you can't even see the majorities point of view?
That's another thing I don't get - drinking before a PJ show being some mightily important tradition. I'd prefer to experience live music in all its glory, rather than missing the opening act, and being at less-than-full capacity for PJ.
Come on, Ted Nugent? How can you not dig him?
I went to three shows and I saw Ted Leo all 3 times, I didn't like them. But I did give them a chance.