Author Topic: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen  (Read 7961 times)

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Offline hefdaddy42

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The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« on: November 08, 2016, 12:13:49 PM »
Title says it.  Opening acts sometimes suck, and sometimes save the show.  What's the best opener you've ever seen at a live show?

For me it was Alice In Chains.  They opened up for Van Halen on the F.U.C.K. tour.  Fantastic.
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2016, 12:19:13 PM »
Queensryche on The Warning tour opening for Kiss Animalize Tour in 1984.
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2016, 12:22:24 PM »
Dream Theater..opening for Iron Maiden, The Ritz, NYC 6-8-92
Accept...opening for Iron Maiden, Providence Civic Center 6-2-85
Shooting Gallery...opening for Kiss, Avalon, Boston 5-8-92
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline ich bin besser

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2016, 12:33:17 PM »
Will think about it and post tomorrow. There are quite a few, actually.

« Last Edit: November 08, 2016, 12:39:36 PM by ich bin besser »
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Offline cfmoran13

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2016, 12:58:08 PM »
Pantera (supporting Vulgar Display of Power) opening for Skid Row (Slave To The Grind) at the Meadowlands Summerstage in 1992.  Both bands were incredible.  When Pantera played "F*cking Hostile", all the metal folding chairs from the front went flying in the air.  Totally sick!  Probably the reason why the Summerstage idea quickly disappeared from NJ. 

Even better was the fact that Ace Frehley performed "Cold Gin" with both bands.

Offline TheCountOfNYC

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2016, 12:58:48 PM »
Machine Head opening for Metallica back in 2009 comes to mind.
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Offline El Barto

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2016, 01:05:43 PM »
Crimson Projekct blew DT off the stage one night (though not the second). They really floored me.
Slayer blew WASP off the stage in a co-headlining capacity (Reign and Electric Circus).
Metallica blew Ozzy off the stage around that same time (Master and Ultimate Sin).

Those are the ones that really stick out for me. Motörhead and Y&T were semi-regular opening bands down here and were always fantastic.
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Offline Tomislav95

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2016, 01:14:20 PM »
Anthrax opening for Iron Maiden. As openers they were not as loud as main act and their playing was really really tight.
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Offline El Barto

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2016, 01:23:59 PM »
Anthrax opening for Iron Maiden. As openers they were not as loud as main act and their playing was really really tight.
Which tour? Trying to recall if I saw that, other than 6 months ago, which I believe was SA only.
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Offline Tomislav95

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2016, 01:29:39 PM »
Anthrax opening for Iron Maiden. As openers they were not as loud as main act and their playing was really really tight.
Which tour? Trying to recall if I saw that, other than 6 months ago, which I believe was SA only.
2013. Maiden England Tour. IIRC Anthrax didn't do entire tour with them, I think Megadeth and/or Slayer were opening some shows.
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2016, 01:35:45 PM »
Anthrax opening for Iron Maiden. As openers they were not as loud as main act and their playing was really really tight.
Which tour? 

I was thinking the same thing. Anthrax was great in '91 opening for Maiden.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline cfmoran13

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #11 on: November 08, 2016, 01:42:16 PM »
Machine Head (supporting The More Things Change) opening for Pantera (The Great Southern Trendkill).  The energy was so killer, I actually had to leave the floor for a while to catch my breath.

Sevendust (supporting Sevendust) opening for The Nixons (The Nixons).  I picked up their album a few weeks before the show to see what they were all about.  Little did I know I had just found one of my favorite new bands from the '90's.  They were awesome!  And, they played "We're Not Gonna Take It" in honor of their manager, Jay Jay French.  Awesome show.

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2016, 01:47:30 PM »
Maiden opening for Priest on the Number of the Beast tour, '82.
Def Leppard opening for Billy Squier, '83.
Jane's Addiction opening for Alice In Chains (it was a festival, though so may not count), 2014.

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #13 on: November 08, 2016, 01:56:10 PM »
Queensryche (Mindcrime) opening for Metallica (AJFA). I think that it was either November or December of 1988 in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio Center.
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #14 on: November 08, 2016, 02:01:49 PM »
Queensryche (Mindcrime) opening for Metallica (AJFA). I think that it was either November or December of 1988 in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio Center.
I saw that tour a couple of times.
Before the Metallica leg, QR opened for Def Leppard "In The Round" and I thought they were awesome. I didn't find them nearly as interesting on the End Stage.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #15 on: November 08, 2016, 02:05:43 PM »
Def Leppard opening for Billy Squier, '83.

Man I remember that tour.  Then Billy opening for Queen which I missed in 1982 I think.  Queen was the one band I didn't get to see that I wanted to.
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So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #16 on: November 08, 2016, 02:20:47 PM »
I remember that tour too, but I hadn't attended my first show yet, which coincidentally was Def Leppard headlining that summer.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline cfmoran13

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #17 on: November 08, 2016, 02:53:34 PM »

I saw that tour a couple of times.
Before the Metallica leg, QR opened for Def Leppard "In The Round" and I thought they were awesome. I didn't find them nearly as interesting on the End Stage.
[/quote]I saw that QR/DL tour, too.  Unfortunately, I arrived late and missed all but the end of QR's last song.  I got to see Tesla open for DL on the first leg of that Hysteria tour.  They were awesome!

Offline bl5150

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #18 on: November 08, 2016, 02:57:48 PM »
I can't recall seeing a band that became big after I saw them open - just a symptom of being in Australia.

I will go for an obscure one - Aussie band Taberah opening for Nighwish.
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #19 on: November 08, 2016, 02:58:29 PM »
Yes, Tesla was great. Saw them open for Def Lep as well. The first time I saw Tesla was opening for DLR's first tour and they were awesome!!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline cfmoran13

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #20 on: November 08, 2016, 03:04:55 PM »
Yes, Tesla was great. Saw them open for Def Lep as well. The first time I saw Tesla was opening for DLR's first tour and they were awesome!!
One of the most underrated bands from that era who were (wrongly) lumped in with all the "hair bands".

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #21 on: November 08, 2016, 03:06:45 PM »
Yes, Tesla was great. Saw them open for Def Lep as well. The first time I saw Tesla was opening for DLR's first tour and they were awesome!!
One of the most underrated bands from that era who were (wrongly) lumped in with all the "hair bands".

I agree. Of course all those tours with Poison didn't help.  :lol
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Online Stadler

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #22 on: November 08, 2016, 03:07:28 PM »
Yes, Tesla was great. Saw them open for Def Lep as well. The first time I saw Tesla was opening for DLR's first tour and they were awesome!!

OOH! Another one:  Cinderella on their first tour opening for David Lee Roth.   And a recent one: Rival Sons opening for Sabbath.

EDIT:  It was Roth's first solo tour, not Van Halen.   Van Halen's opening acts that I've seen SUCKED.  I saw them on OU812 tour, and it was some act with two chicks, and they were getting no reaction until they kissed after the last song.   :(
« Last Edit: November 09, 2016, 07:54:07 AM by Stadler »

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #23 on: November 08, 2016, 03:11:13 PM »
I saw Cinderella on their first tour opening for Bon Jovi. Saw Bon Jovi on their first tour opening for Scorps.

The 5150 tour had f'n BTO opening! WTF??
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline bl5150

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2016, 03:12:55 PM »
The 5150 tour had f'n BTO opening! WTF??

On paper that sounds more reasonable than Kool and the Gang  ;D
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Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #25 on: November 08, 2016, 03:21:41 PM »
Between the buried and me opened for Coheed

They were not only incredible, but that performance is what got me into BTBAM

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #26 on: November 08, 2016, 03:25:52 PM »
I saw Tesla open for Lynyrd Skynyrd.  They were great, but it was a little while after their heyday.
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Offline El Barto

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #27 on: November 08, 2016, 03:30:02 PM »
I saw Cinderella on their first tour opening for Bon Jovi. Saw Bon Jovi on their first tour opening for Scorps.

The 5150 tour had f'n BTO opening! WTF??
I saw Poison opening for Cinderella opening for Roudness. I enjoyed one of the sets.  :lol

Coincidentally, played Excitabike with one of the Roudness guys at the 711 across the street before the show.
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #28 on: November 08, 2016, 03:35:45 PM »
Yeah, Bon Jovi opening for the Scorps in 86 was a great opening act.
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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #29 on: November 08, 2016, 03:36:24 PM »
Yeah, Bon Jovi opening for the Scorps in 86 was a great opening act.

'84 bro.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #30 on: November 08, 2016, 03:38:05 PM »
Yup  you are right  in think it was June 12.  2 days before my first final of my sophomore year.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
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Offline cramx3

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #31 on: November 08, 2016, 03:40:38 PM »
Dream Theater opening for Iron Maiden
Kamelot opening for Nightwish

Those are four of my favorite bands. (in fact, the order is Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Nightwish and kamelot isn't actually that high).

Also will add

Amaranthe opening for Within Temptation

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #32 on: November 08, 2016, 03:41:41 PM »
Yup  you are right  in think it was June 12.  2 days before my first final of my sophomore year.

June 9th in Providence. Saw Spinal Tap at the movies that weekend.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #33 on: November 08, 2016, 04:10:53 PM »
Oh the memories.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

Offline TheAtliator

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Re: The Best Opening Act You've Ever Seen
« Reply #34 on: November 08, 2016, 04:58:04 PM »
Well obviously, there's going to show for the opening act...
Dream Theater opening for Iron Maiden (I was going for both, but more-so DT)
Kansas opening for Foreigner/Styx (Kansas and Styx both equally WAY more exciting than Foreigner :biggrin: )

But being surprised by an opening act....

Bend Sinister opening for Flying Colors. FC was honestly a bit disappointing on their first night of that tour, and BS, who I had never heard of, were totally amazing and undoubtably stole the show.