Bands that you saw as an Opening-Act before they became "Big"

Cheap Trick opening for Utopia at the Long Island Arena Commack LI during the In Color tour...1977

 

Korn opening for Megadeth in 1995
Deftones on the side stage of a Houston radio station festival (Buzzfest maybe)
Marilyn Manson opening for Nine inch Nails pre-Sweet Dreams single
Queens of the Stone age opening for Ween at Stubbs

I feel like there are others but I am spacing them out right now.

 

R.E.M. opening for The English Beat
Guns 'n' Roses opening for Aerosmith
Michael Bolton opening for Heart
The Go Go's opening for the Police
Goo Goo Dolls opening for...not sure, but it was a small club. They were kind of bad Replacements clones at the time, so I was pretty shocked at their megahit ballads years later

 

I saw Fear Factory open for Ozzy on the Ozzmosis tour. They were amazing. I bought "Demanufacture" and "Soul of a New Machine" the next day, and have been a huge fan ever since.

 

The Who open for Hermans Hermits

 

I saw Vampire Weekend open the day on Sunday at Pemberton Music Festival in 2008. There were probably 20 people there. Two years later, they performed to thousands on the main stage at Sasquatch as the second-to-last act.

 

Crap, forgot that one. They were 2nd in a triple bill with The Jim Rose Sideshow at the Worthen Arena on the Ball State University campus.

 

I saw the Eagles open for Yes in Charlotte NC, 1972, October I believe. Yes brought them out for the encore, Yours Is No Disgrace. They basically stood around and tried to clap along. I remember Bernie Leadon striking one of Alan White's symbols with a tambourine.

 

Was there for that show. Surprised the hell out of me when she did a cover of "I've Got a Feeling". Otherwise I don't remember being impressed. I do know CH complained that she got more promotion on that tour than they, the headliners, did.

 

Bryan Adams, opening for the arena-era Kinks. B-O-R-I-N-G, generic, paint-by-numbers, beer-commercial, Disney-automaton, default setting readymade rock. Of course he hit big.

 

Jethro Tull opening for Led Zeppelin, summer of '69.
Ticket price was $5.00.

 

Saw Deer Tick open for Jenny Lewis
Also saw Deer Tick open for Phosphorescent
Saw Dawes open for Deer Tick
Saw My Morning Jacket open for Pearl Jam (MMJ had already made a pretty good name for themselves in indie rock circles, but hadn't made it huge just yet).

 

Ha! I remember her during that song now! Yeah, I wasn't impressed either. Watching her perform was like watching someone try to move a very heavy appliance. Kinda uncomfortable, I thought.

 

believe one of oddest opening act ever saw was The Ramones opening for BOC at the Nassau colliseum Feb 77
Patti Smith broke her leg and The Ramones filled in lol they werent quite ready for an arena gig