Unfamiliar opening bands....

[vi5]

The band that opened for the Pixies last night (The Datsuns) was overall pretty faceless and generic. I was neither here nor there on them. The one friend in attendance with my wife and I vehemently hated them. He is in his early twenties, I am 35. This led to a discussion about seeing opening bands whose songs you don't know. My take after 20 + years of seeing live bands is that if I'm unfamiliar with the bands recorded output prior to seeing them open for another band, I am rarely impressed so I don't judge any band without having heard them recorded first. I think songwriting is one of the most important things. I have also learned my lesson many times over since the list of then unfamiliar bands I have seen open for other bands and who pretty much induced yawns on my part reads like a who's who of rock royalty from the past 15 years. Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Pearl Jam, No Doubt, Green Day and a few others are all bands who I saw open for other bands who I actually like. While I don't recall hating any of these bands at the time, I also remember just kind of shrugging my shoulders at them and not being overly impressed. I almost wish I had better stories about the time I was just blown away by these bands and how I knew right there and then they would be huge. But I don't.

Ironically enough the one band I was completely unfamiliar with and knew no songs by when I saw them as an opening band and who knocked my socks off were Radiohead, who I know find positively soporific live. But at the time they really played off the audience well, were super into performing and were just an incredibly aggressive and entertaining live act.

[jobycom]

1. Sometimes it's whether they match up well with the main act.

Prince got booed off the stage in the Superdome once, because he opened for the Rolling Stones. It was just the wrong crowd to appreciate Prince.

I've seen the reverse, too. I saw Journey once when they were hot. There opening act was the Babies. The Babies got three or four encores, and the crowd was so tired by the time Journey came out that Journey got a weak reception, and a lot of people even left before Journey was finished. Of course, it was Journey-- people may have left no matter who opened for them.

[mairceridwen]

2. I think my brother went to that show

are you in Lowell?

I got an e-mail bragging from him this afternoon.

i'm far from my brother, living in jesusland

ON EDIT: NEVER MIND, HE SAW THEM ON THURSDAY

SAID IT WAS AWESOME ANYWAY

[Bluzmann57]

3. I remember seeing Sammy Hagar opening a show

at around noon and then Atlanta Rhythym Section came on. They were decent enough, but then came J. Geils band. They proceeded to blow everybody away and when REO Speedwagon came on, people were leaving in droves. Whoever thought that REO was main event material was sadly mistaken, then and now.