When the Rolling Stones played Soldier Field in Chicago, maybe late 1990s, Lenny Kravitz was pretty much booed off the stage. I thought he played great and remember feeling bad for him, but I think it was more a matter of people were so jacked to see the Stones they didnt want to hear anything else. His guitar playing was not out of place to lead into the main act. Edit- looks like it was Sept 1994, Voodoo Lounge tour
Glen Hansard was talked over and heckled to the point he left the stage a few years ago when supporting Eddie Vedder, I just saw him with Eddie in Berlin and Toarmina and he was treated like a hero. His set was astonishing mind but the difference in reaction is crazy.
I always dread it when Mr. Hansard supports anyone. My opinion on him has not changed over the years, including his recent support slot with Eddie Vedder in Dublin and Cork. Another one to avoid (IMO) is Sam Amidon.
In 1991 there was a summer festival tour planned with X, Fishbone, Steve Earle, EPMD, Hoodoo Gurus, Primus, and King's X. It imploded before it started so several bands launched solo tours instead. We bought tickets for a Fishbone/Primus show near Tanglewood, MA and drove down from NH. When we got to the venue there was a note taped to the door that said Primus is NOT and never WAS on the bill for this show. Needless to say we were disappointed. We soon found out that the opener was an all female rap group called BWP (Bytches With Problems). I was no rap expert in 1991, but they were no Primus. The guys in Fishbone were shooting them with water guns (in a good natured way) for the whole show. Fishbone started without Angelo who was asleep on the bus with the doors locked. He came flying in during the first tune and leapt onto the stage...quite an entrance.
The Hold Steady are one of the greatest live bands that ever walked the planet. Someone must have either caught them on a bad day or just didn't get Craig Finn!
Saw this, got angry. Wanted to post about what a great band they are live, possibly the best band I've accidentally encountered, and had an almost religious devotion by the final note. Saw this. Job done. ALL YOU SNIFFLING INDIE KIDS. HOLD STEADY!
He apparently got over it by the time they made it out here (Reno), and they had a great set despite the vocal "we want Neil!" contingent. Alas, we didn't get Social D as an opener - instead it was the underwhelming Drivin' & Cryin'.
I will leave them to others, I did not catch a band on a bad day, I caught a band that has a lead singer who sung out of tune and out of time with the music and spat all over the audience. I know they are adored by many and I tried to listen to them. I found Craig Finn pretentious and out of tune, out of time and spoiled the music that was obviously very decent, but the important thing to remember here is that the OP asked a question and I answered it honestly, my opinion is just that and no argument from others makes my opinion any less valid just as yours is your own. You rate them as "one of the greatest live bands that ever walked the planet" while I rated them as painful and disturbing to my ears. It is all so personal.
At the risk of hijacking this into a full-on Hold Steady thread (hey, at least it's not the Beatles for a change), I'll try (probably foolishly) to find some middle ground between the fanboys & the haters: Stay Positive is one of the very best albums of the Aughts. Terrific live band (at least when keyboardist Franz Nicolay is on board). As indicated in points #1 & #2 above, I definitely get Craig Finn's appeal. But his vocals make Joe Strummer sound like Paul McCartney. Somewhat limited musical palette: Like many artists, they seem to rewrite/recycle the same 2 or 3 musical ideas over & over. Flame away, boys!
Lynyrd Skynyrd opened for The Who in Dallas in '73. Absolutely pathetic. Booed off the stage. Willie Nile opened for The Who in Houston in '82. Even worse. And some godawful rap "band" opened for The Who at MSG in '02. WTF were the promoters thinking?
Oh, and Gilli Smith (RIP) opening for Richard Sinclair and Andy Ward's Caravan of Dreams in DC. 30 minutes of screeching nonsense.
Marti Jones and Amy Rigby did a short tour together (Marti's last tour due to what happened). When she showed up, Rigby had hooked up with Wreckless Eric and was madly passionately in love. She dragged him along as an opening act. He comes out and refuses to leave after 30 minutes and does the most godawful out of tune stuff you ever heard on his acoustic guitar. Incredible amount of cursing and f bombs, like a little kid who just figured out what the words were. Actually encouraged the audience to react--he'd say how many people think I should leave? Applause. Curses everyone, laughs. then I'm staying! Ha ha! He enjoyed the abuse and liked yelling. It gave him an excuse to stay on stage and curse people. Finally everyone shut up and stopped applauding and just sat there. He left, now 50+ minutes of him have passed. Wait! There's more! Rigby brings him back during their set for "one song" (she is looking at him with utter devotion). The song lasts 10 minutes, she starts talking to him onstage. Marti just stands there uncomfortably. More cursing from Eric. More audience reaction. As it's starting to revert to Wreckless vs audience again, she finally gets him to leave after 15 minutes or so.
she was VERY disillusioned with her experiences with record companies/multiple labels in the 80's. Husband Dixon kept her going, but she started to feel painting was her calling. The Amy Rigby thing was kind of her 'last chance' thing. She was willing to give it one last try: after all, two buds, alone with acoustic guitars, what can go wrong? Obviously, fate intervened and the whole thing was jinxed before it started. I've seen her several times since then in home shows, but only one offs. She now would describe herself as a painter full time.
Hey, I'm not having a go...like you say, horses for courses. As an aside, I've interviewed Craig Finn and he's one of the nicest, most unpretentious interviewees I've met
I have spoken to people who have met him and they all say the same thing, that he is a lovely down to earth guy and I am sure he is. I should say that I was not calling him pretentious, just how the performance came across.
I believe that some opening acts are poorly paired. The first group isn't "bad," at all, just the wrong audience, the wrong act to open for. I particularly recall these: The Fabulous Poodles opening for Sha-N-Na; Michael Nesmith opening for The James Cotton Blues Band; Frankie Ballard opening for Bob Seger. The most appropriate opening acts that I've seen? I would say Elvin Bishop and the Butterfield Blues Band opening for B.B. King.
Ah, an easy one. Sonic Youth opening for Neil Young. 25 years on and I still cringe thinking about that horrible noise they produced.
