The Daily Page | Madison, Wisconsin • View topic - Most over-qualified opener I've ever seen

by **Henry Vilas** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:54 pm

Reading another post, I got this idea for a discussion. The most over-qualified opener I've even seen was Muddy Waters - twice. Once opening for Bonnie Raitt at the Field House and then later opening for Clapton at the Coliseum.

So what's yours?

by **depinmad** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:39 pm

redd kross opening for presidents of the united states of america

redd kross opening for hoodoo gurus

by **RockOfTheArts** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:08 pm

In the late 70s the then-unknown AC-DC with Bon Scott opened for Head East on several Midwestern dates in the Wisconsin and Illinois area. Can you imagine the "Never Been Any Reason" guys getting blown off stage every night. Ouch!

by **The Center Square** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 6:33 am

depinmad wrote:
redd kross opening for hoodoo gurus

Now THAT depends on what era of each band you are talking about!

Although, I would have killed to see that bill regardless of the order.

by **Michael Patrick** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:08 am

Van Halen opening for Santana at the Aragon Brawlroom in Chicago.

Motorhead opening for Mercyful Fate at the Aragon.

I'm sure there are others, I just need a couple of cups of coffee to clear the cobwebs...

by **depinmad** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:09 am

The Center Square wrote:
depinmad wrote:
redd kross opening for hoodoo gurus

Now THAT depends on what era of each band you are talking about!

Although, I would have killed to see that bill regardless of the order.

well it was Neurotica era Redd Kross. I had never heard of them, I was there to see the Gurus, they were touring for Blow Your Cool.
The Gurus were great, but with Redd Kross it was love at first sight.

by **rrnate** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:40 am

Two immediately come to mind.

* The Pixies opening for Weezer @ Summerfest - I had never seen the Pixies before and caught them on this late-ish leg of their reunion tour. So very, very awesome. Weezer was at the height of their "meh" stage, touring on "Make Believe". (That being said, their more recent tours look a lot more fun.)

* Cheap Trick opening for Stone Temple Pilots - This was at the Alliant Energy Center in 1995 or so and I went mostly to see Cheap Trick. (I was in high school and most of my friends were interested in STP, who were also actually pretty good.)

by **Right Bower** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:58 am

Jackie Greene on the "B" stage at Blues Fest several years ago, and opening for Robert Cray at the Orpheum (I think). That could just be because I'm a huge fan.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd for Van Halen (late Haggar years) at Alpine.

Melissa Etheridge for the Eagles on their Hell Freezes Over tour at Alpine. I was pleasantly surprised. She was great live.

by **charliedon'tsurf** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:23 am

Slayer opening for Slipknot for the Tattoo The Earth tour several years back that I actually attended cause I had free tickets.

Motorhead and The Melvins playing on a side stage in the early afternoon at Ozzfest several years ago while a bunch of shitty, yet popular, nu metal bands played the main stage and later in the day. I did not attend out of disgust regarding this insulting arrangement to two of the finest and most influential acts metal has ever produced. That and I tend to avoid hanging out with tens of thousands of drunk rednecks and Hot Topic children.

by **dave esmond** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:47 am

The first one that comes to mind is Guns and Roses on their first US tour opening for Alice Cooper. My roommate and I were really into GNR, he'd seen 'em in LA and brought back their first EP. I think Ace Frehley canceled.

They were great. Even with the last minute addition of the drummer from Cinderella. Adler had broken his hand in a fight the night before in Chicago. We hung out right up front and watched Duff and Izzy. Truly great band at that point. Axel was Axel before it got old.

Alice had GuyManDude on guitar. We left after 3 songs. Sad as I really loved Alice Cooper when I first discovered him. By this point it was just kinda sad tho'.

The there was XTC opening for the Police at the Civic Center. The Police were far from bad, but XTC had an energy that I now know was probably more like pure panic for Andy, but it came across as a good thing.

Oh yeah one more. Pops and the Staples singers opening for the Ohio Players at the House of Blues in Chicago. Up close enough to Pops, pretty much just my friend and I too, no one seemed to know who he was. Pops had to sit down but he could still bring it. And when the sisters started in behind him it was like going to church. The OP's were actually pretty darn good too, just not in the same league.

by **NMFD** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:51 am

Red Hot Chili Peppers opened for Oingo Boingo at Red Rocks in the early nineties. Chili Peppers killed it and Flea puked behind his stack a few times trying to get used to the altitude.

by **scratch** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:06 am

From the WayBack machine:

It's a Beautiful Day opening for Neil Diamond in Iowa City for homecoming in 1970. A few days before that a friend hitchhiked to IC to get tix for the It's a Beautiful Day/Neil Young concert. He left very disappointed. A very large portion of the crowd walked out before Diamond came out. Today, of course, Diamond would be a much bigger draw, but in Fall 1970 with the antiwar demonstrations and all, he wasn't what the crowd was interested in.

by **David Blaska** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:11 am

Didn't see it but it's well known that the Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for the Monkees in the summer of 1967.

by **fisticuffs** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:52 am

Anyone who has ever given a speech directly before Sarah Palin.

by **Henry Chinaski** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:08 pm

I was @ the Gn'R /Alice Cooper show. It was my 1st 'real' concert. Guns definitely blew my 14 year old mind.
Note: Alice’s guitar player was Kane Roberts. A crazy steroid freak with a machine gun shaped guitar that shot rockets ala Ace Frehely.
If I remember correctly they had half the Coliseum closed off and even then the place was only half full.