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The best opening act you've ever seen & heard?

 

I have two:

 

In 1983 I went to see The Plimsouls (Peter Case’s pre-solo career band) at The Garage, a tiny little "club" on Ventura Blvd. The room had filled up (elbow-to-elbow tight), and the opening act started their set. My woman and I both looked at each other, our mouths agape. It was Los Lobos, and they were great! Their debut album How Will The Wolf Survive? had yet to be released, but I sure picked it up when it was.

 

I went to see John Hiatt at The Roxy Theater on Sunset Blvd. during his Perfectly Good Guitar tour, entering the room just as the opening act was starting her final song. The ads for the show listed her name, which was unfamiliar to me. As the song started and progressed, I was stunned; the song she and her band were performing was a great one, and I knew I had missed a quality set of music. It was Sheryl Crow, whose debut album had not yet been released. Damn it!

 

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77jovian
431 posts
 

Wow, wow, wow, so many shows here I would love to have seen!  Thanks for the memories, folks.  Among my favorites:

My first large concert on a visit to Phoenix, 1970, Blues Image, whom I’d never heard of, knocked my stuffing out, I never knew there were bands that good.  Followed by Three Dog Night.

The next year, my second large concert, another visit to Phoenix, the headliner again was Three Dog Night.  Opening act was the basically unknown band, The Doobie Brothers.

Fast forward a lot of years, there were:

Rufus with Chaka Kahn and the Charlie Daniels band opened the Stones’ show in 1975?

An unknown Lyle Lovett and a cello player opening for Bonnie Raitt

Chesapeake opening for Doc Watson

Jerry Jeff Walker opening for Delbert McClinton

 

 

 

 

jsalerno277
241 posts
 

Another post for me.  On September 19, 1980, I and my future wife saw Bob Marley and the Wailers as the opening act for the rhythm and blues band The Commodores. 75% or more of the garden was there to see Bob. Many left before the Commodores performed.  Dreadlocked youth toking God’s weed (ganja) made gave a smoky translucence to the stage view.  Great performance induced a dance bouncing to the rhythm.  If I remember my rock history, Bob was hospitalized after the series with cancer.  

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,483 posts
 

@larsman @jimijam have you seen/heard  the extensive new Camel box set?

I’m jealous of anyone who saw Camel live in their prime. That is a first class opening act for sure.

larsman's avatar
larsman
2,066 posts
 

@mapman - by the time I found out about it, they were all sold out, but I managed to get a new unopened 'Air Born' box for a very reasonable price. I love these big prog-rock box sets. I've got some King Crimson ones and the Caravan one and the Van der Graaf Generator one. I've given up on finding the big Gentle Giant box set for any kind of affordable price. 

tonyrox
30 posts
 

This doesn't really count, but Jeff Beck opened for SRV, (they were alternating headliner position).  Also Jeff Beck opened for Brian Wilson when I was working at The Pearl.  You might be able to tell I'm a huge JB fan.

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