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

Nine Inch Nails opening for The Jesus & Mary Chain....first tour and they were "flavor of the month" per the record store guy.

I have to agree about Stevie Wonder opening for the Stones in '72... was blind-sided dumb by the genius he so effortlessly displayed, and Talking Book was released a few months later. If the Stones that night had cancelled I knew I'd gotten my $7.50 worth! (Martha Reeves & the Vandellas opened first.)

Why The James Gang (Thirds tour) picked Black Oak Arkansas to open for them is a mystery....BOA was all boogie energy and the JG was drudgy narcotic.... the vibe was confusing.

Frank Zappa band with Florescent Leech and Eddie at Beloit College in Wisconsin in the 70’s

1986 - The Fixx opened for the Moody Blues at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach

1996- Pat Banatar opened for Styx (With Dennis DeYoung, original lineup except for drummer who passed)

That Styx show was epic and Pat almost stole it with her energy and voice, incredible. It was great to finally see Styx rock out!

@kqvkq9 - I was at a number of those shows - Who's Dead (I've seen them hundreds of times; at every one of those shows, they often stopped between songs and talk and tune up and all that. I don't think that was special for you, but who knows?), Mott the Hoople, BTW, and Aerosmith (I think that was my first show at Winterland after I moved here), the Who at the Cow Palace (I have some good photos from that one), and the DK's and the Clash at Kezar Pavilion with the bouncy floor; I still remember that! 

@alvinnir2 - I've got that immense Woodstock box set and was able to hear all the bands that played there in order; Santana was indeed awesome, and they were the first band there that actually ROCKED.