The Worst Opening Act You've Ever Seen

[Prog Snob]

In the spirit of hate, let's hear your worst experiences seeing an opening band.

Mine was undoubtedly Sonic Youth. They were opening up for Pearl Jam. Side note to that - Pearl Jam was pretty horrible, too. I fell asleep at the concert.

[TheCountOfNYC]

New Medicine opening for Halestorm. Oh my god. Horrible musicianship, terrible lyrics, and the subject matter of their music was the same stuff as the pop music from today that I hate (sex, drugs, drinking, and partying). I call their style bro rock because it's what a group of douchey guys who only formed a band to try and pick up chicks would sound like. Absolutely abysmal and I was truly ecstatic when I found out that they broke up because the world is honestly a better place with them no longer making music.

[Tomislav95]

When I saw Ensiferum in 2012, Profane Omen and Amoral opened for them. Profane Omen played first, there were less than 50 people in by then but they killed it. Amoral, not so much, generic and bland as it gets (and their audience was much bigger). I didn't expect anything from any of them but they were advirtised as fun band..., and they were boring. 

[krands85]

A local band called Smoke Jaguar who were supporting Mono a few years back in Glasgow. As far as I remember, it was just 2 guitarists creating noise - feedback/reverb or whatever. I think my ears would have started bleeding if I'd listened to any more.

To be fair, they were just doing what they do and I'm sure if you liked that sort of thing it would have been fine - it wasn't like they were purposely putting in no effort or anything. Still, not something I'd want to listen to again 

[ReaperKK]

I've seen some really bad opening acts. Not that the music was terrible, it may not be my taste, but I can appreciate a band who is not well rehearsed. That said, TrustCompany was terrible when they opened up for Korn years ago. So was this band called Torche who opened up for dredg.

Actually come to think of it dredg had a great talent for picking one amazing opener band and one terrible opener.

[Elite]

I've seen some really bad opening acts. Not that the music was terrible, it may not be my taste, but I can appreciate a band who is not well rehearsed.

You can appreciate a band who it not well rehearsed? I hope that's a typo and that it should say 'can't' instead.

[ReaperKK]

You're right I haven't fully woken up yet

[ReaperKK]

I've seen some really bad opening acts. Not that the music was terrible, it may not be my taste, but I can't appreciate a band who is not well rehearsed.

You can appreciate a band who it not well rehearsed? I hope that's a typo and that it should say 'can't' instead.

[Skeever]

Anyone who's ever opened for Symphony X. Saw them twice, and both times the openers were Adrenaline Mob-tier acts (except worse). Also, Scale the Summit opening on Prog Nation. Used to love their music, but even when I still did there was hardly a less interesting stage performance you could find.

Mine was undoubtedly Sonic Youth. They were opening up for Pearl Jam. Side note to that - Pearl Jam was pretty horrible, too. I fell asleep at the concert.

This might be the worst Opening Post I've ever seen 

[Train of Naught]

I don't know Sonic Youth but if they opened for Pearl Jam I will probably not think of them too highly. I mean, they're better than Nirvana but that doesn't say much.

/grungerant

[Tomislav95]

Sonic Youth > Pearl Jam

[romdrums]

Type O Negative opening for Queensryche in 1995.  Just not a good fit.  Also, Pist-on opening for Queensryche in 1997.  Even worse.  The worst though was whatever band Muse had opening for them on the first leg of their Black Holes and Revelations tour in 2006.  So, so bad.

[Zantera]

Sonic Youth > Pearl Jam

This guy gets it.

As much as I like them, Katatonia opening for PT left a really bad impression on me. Sound was muddled, stage presence non existent and overall just underwhelming. But I got into them after that and the two times I've seen them as headliners, they were great. When I saw Swans there was this Asian woman opening for them and I believe she played a violin. I forgot the name but it was really weird (even for my taste) and I didn't like it at all.

[Stadler]

Too many to mention?

Coney Hatch on a triple bill with Fastway and Iron Maiden on the Piece of Mind tour (it didn't help that Maiden was SOO FLIPPING GOOD that show).

Wang Chung opening for the Cars.

Some no name band opening for Cheap Trick; the bass player kept ogling my girlfriend and she was smiling back and it egged him on.  What he didn't know was that her and her friend were making fun of him because he had the same hairstyle she had just gotten rid of (sort of a short, Madonna-like haircut. Very new-wavy). 

Some band with two chicks who opened for Van Halen on the OU812 tour. 

Rusted Root on one of the H.O.A.R.D.E. tours.

[King Postwhore]

Mountain opening for Triumph.  They were fighting onstage.  Throwing drumsticks at Leslie, Leslie smashing his kit at the end of the show.  They sounded terrible.

[Architeuthis]

When Dream Theater opened up for Iron Maiden!   Oh wait just kidding,, that was awesome!!!

[bosk1]

As far as bands I can actually remember, two immediately spring to mind:
-Korn opening for Megadeth
-Kill Hannah opening for Lacuna Coil

Both were just awful.  I thought it would be tough to top how bad Korn was, but Kill Hannah took awful to a new level.

[pogoowner]

I've somehow been forced to witness Between the Buried and Me as an opening act on three separate occasions, and I've been both bored and annoyed all three times. Now, I recognize that they're very talented musicians, but they do absolutely nothing for me.

[Metro]

Pinkish Black opening for Ghost earlier this year.
Slow as molasses, uninteresting songs that all sounded the same, and no stage presence. They sucked, and everybody in the venue knew it. One guy even yelled for them to get off the stage, which was met with cheers from me and several other people. It was  depressing just how bad it was.

Fallujah opening for BTBAM and Devin Townsend.
I will admit they are some talented guys, but the music is not my cup of tea. It was death metal with some occasional synth passages that just sounded like the intro to Shine on You Crazy Diamond. In addition, their live mix was muddy as hell and every song sounded the same.

[Train of Naught]

Between the Buried and Me

For me, probably one of my most recent shows. Two bands opened for Alter Bridge, a band from New Zealand called Like A Storm and Living Colour. Living Colour was wicked, Like A Storm was pure horseshit. They came across as radio hardrock/metal with some edgy teen emo metalcore elements, really cringy performance and music. When they started playing a cover of AC/DC's "TNT" I knew it was time for a bathroom break.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Didn't care for Baby Animals opening for VH on the Carnal Knowledge tour.

[Mladen]

Whitesnake opening for Judas Priest.

Yes, I went there. 

[axeman90210]

Fripp/Belew opening for Porcupine Tree, total snoozefest. Honorable mention goes to The Mars Volta opening for System of a Down, just because the singer was acting like a pretentious douche the whole time (sample between songs banter: "For everyone out here supporting us, thank you. For everyone else, enjoy buying all your music at fucking Wal Mart").

[OpenYourEyes311]

I saw Best Coast open for Green Day a few years back on the Trilogy tour, and they were so bad. It wasn't just me, though, as at one point the lead singer (who was a female that just mumbled through her lyrics it seemed) said "this is our first time playing here..." to which some guy near me yelled back, "AND IT WILL BE YOUR LAST!"

[Anguyen92]

For me, probably one of my most recent shows. Two bands opened for Alter Bridge, a band from New Zealand called Like A Storm and Living Colour. Living Colour was wicked, Like A Storm was pure horseshit. They came across as radio hardrock/metal with some edgy teen emo metalcore elements, really cringy performance and music. When they started playing a cover of AC/DC's "TNT" I knew it was time for a bathroom break.

That's a bit of a bummer that you didn't like Like a Storm.  They opened when I saw Alter Bridge in LA.  I thought they did all right for the 35 minutes they got.  I also liked their latest album, Awaken The Fire.

On topic though.  I can't say I had a bad share of bad opening acts, but I've only been to four shows in my life.  Thought Like a Storm and California Breed was good when they opened for Alter Bridge.  Shinedown was all by themselves when I saw them at the LA County Fair.  Gary Clark Jr. was tolerable, when he opened for Foo Fighters, but his style is not a style that I enjoy listening too much. 

I will say that I did not like Charm City Devils when they opened for Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.  Train of Naught, if you did not like Like a Storm, Charm City Devils is much worst in that stance.

[El Barto]

Steve Harris's daughter's band was pretty rough. I got subjected to that twice. It's not that they weren't any good. They just played awful, awful music.

Saw Jackyl open for somebody; no idea who. God damn those people are annoying.

Mountain opening for Triumph.  They were fighting onstage.  Throwing drumsticks at Leslie, Leslie smashing his kit at the end of the show.  They sounded terrible.

Dude, you gotta learn to appreciate stuff like that. I'd have enjoyed seeing that far more than if they'd done a great Mountain show.

[Stadler]

Can Lauren Harris sing?  Not to be a pig, but I think I'd rather watch her play awful songs, than, say, Coney Hatch or Charm City Devils (yeah, I forgot I saw them too, open for Slash.  Not good.  The band that opened for Cinderella last time wasn't all that good either). 

[romdrums]

Fripp/Belew opening for Porcupine Tree, total snoozefest. Honorable mention goes to The Mars Volta opening for System of a Down, just because the singer was acting like a pretentious douche the whole time (sample between songs banter: "For everyone out here supporting us, thank you. For everyone else, enjoy buying all your music at fucking Wal Mart").

Oh god, I forgot about the Mars Volta!  I saw them open for A Perfect Circle in Chicago back in 2003/2004 (when APC was touring on Thirteenth Step).  I was super stoked to see them and they were absolutely fucking awful.  They played 2 songs in 45 minutes, and it was the noisiest wank fest I've ever seen.  Cedric was just running around the stage, throwing lighting par cans around, and occasionally screaming into the microphone.  It was so bad I ended up with a nosebleed.

[kaos2900]

Defheaven. Good lord they were the worst band I have ever seen period.

[pogoowner]

I saw Best Coast open for Green Day a few years back on the Trilogy tour, and they were so bad. It wasn't just me, though, as at one point the lead singer (who was a female that just mumbled through her lyrics it seemed) said "this is our first time playing here..." to which some guy near me yelled back, "AND IT WILL BE YOUR LAST!"

That's a shame, I kind of like Best Coast. Almost went to see them recently. They have a very limited style, though, so if you don't like one song, you're probably not going to like any of them.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Defheaven. Good lord they were the worst band I have ever seen period.

Yes!! The only one I can think of that was equally as bad was La Dispute opening for Thrice 

[King Postwhore]

Steve Harris's daughter's band was pretty rough. I got subjected to that twice. It's not that they weren't any good. They just played awful, awful music.

Saw Jackyl open for somebody; no idea who. God damn those people are annoying.

Mountain opening for Triumph.  They were fighting onstage.  Throwing drumsticks at Leslie, Leslie smashing his kit at the end of the show.  They sounded terrible.

Dude, you gotta learn to appreciate stuff like that. I'd have enjoyed seeing that far more than if they'd done a great Mountain show.

Oh I was laughing but they sounded so bad it just added to how shitty they were.  Triumph made up for it x infinity.

[TAC]

The all time worst opening act I have ever seen was Jesse Camp, who was an MTV VJ. I saw him open for Alice Cooper at the Trump Marina in Atlantic City in late '99. Damn, what a fu#%ing mess.

Faster Pussycat opening for Alice Cooper at the Garden in November '87.
Autograph opening for Van Halen in Providence, '84.

-Korn opening for Megadeth
 

Oh no question. Saw that tour as well. Horrible. Bunch of noise. Saw them again about 8 months later opening for Ozzy and they sucked then too.

[Kotowboy]

Clutch opening for Therapy?

Too loud. No definition. All Bass. Bleurgh.

[Zydar]

Unexpect opening for DT on PN09 (along with Opeth and Bigelf). I'm sure they're a great band, but it was just random chaos for me. Not my type of music at all.