Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Not kidding. And not being disrespectful. Just stating my opinion. I had no opinion of her before I saw her, and was hoping she'd be everything people say she is. She was not, at least to me and the people I was with. Perhaps she was in the wrong environment. One man's ceiling is another man's floor...
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Billy Bob Thornton, opening for Elvis Costello in 2002. I don't know who owed whom a favor, but I can't imagine how else he got on the bill.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Peter Frampton was the opening for Skynyrd at a show I went to July 3rd. He rocked, Skynyrd sycked. heh. I don't think i've ever seen a bad opening band, I count myself lucky.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Funny you should mention Ben Lee; he's also on my list of bad openers. I endured a few sets of his as the opener on Vanessa Carlton's tour back in 2002. It was painful...then he goes and puts out an album this year, and the songs I heard are exponentially better, poppy and deep! Go figure. I almost couldn't believe it was the same guy. Dan
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Well, you have a point there. He was pretty much in full feedback mode for most of the night. My first and only Neil Young show. He was touring with Booker T. and the MG's at the time. Actually, Blind Melon opened the show before Dinosaur Jr. went on, and I enjoyed them. I have one other "weird" but not necessarily bad opening act experience. Sometime in the late 90's, I went to see the Del McCoury Band at a club in Little Rock. There was no opening act advertised. We made sure we were there early so we could get a table up close to the stage. About a half hour before Del and the boys were to start, this tall Australian geek in a leisure suit came out with an acoustic guitar and did some Jimmy Webb tunes and a few originals. The hardcore bluegrass crowd was mystified but polite, as bluegrass people always are. Anyway, the dude never said his name until right at the end. He said, "I'm Keith Urban, and my first album comes out next month." He should have stuck to that stuff...
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Wow! That was my first concert! And you're right - Virginia Wolf wasn't all that. Page, on the other hand, now that was a show!
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... I saw that show, too. NY/CH were hands down the loudest band I've ever seen, concrete-boilingly so. Social Distortion were OK. My friend called them "a punk version of the Del Fuegos", which was not a a diss. Man, did I just not get Sonic Youth(I know there are fans on here, so I'll be nice)! That whole schtick of playing Carpenters tapes and drowning them in feedback just didn't connect with me. I guess I would have to include them on my list. Dan
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Interesting, that was my first concert too!! I still have the ticket stub. April 1, 1986. I was 16!!
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Chantal Kreviazuk before the Barenaked Ladies. I don't relate to much of her music and a piano-and-vocal-only performance just doesn't work that well in an arena like our Bell Centre.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... RE the Lucinda Williams opening for Tom Petty thing... When I saw that show, it was Lucinda's last show on the tour, and she was just falling down drunk. She started some patter about how great Petty is, which then went to all the classic rock bands she used to listen to, and all the various southern towns she used to live in while listening to the bands, etc. The whole thing took - literally - 15 minutes. Then she'd do "Drunken Angel" and start another 10 spiel about how great the crew is. To her credit, she managed to get through it without passing out or falling, but she did screw something up in a song and start over. And I'm a moderate fan of hers. It was mainly just funny.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... I went to see Elvis Costello & the Imposters a few years back. I walk into the theater and who is up on stage playing? Why, it's Billy Bob Thornton! Great actor, lousy singer. My choice for worst opening act I ever saw.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Okay, maybe I'm the one who is drunk... That Lucinda Williams opening slot I was describing in the earlier post was on a Neil Young tour(Greendale). I did see her open for Petty a few years ago, and as I recall, it was pretty good, though the audience was sort of ignoring her.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... I have two candidates: Buckcherry opening for AC/DC during the Stiff Upper Lip tour. I was positive about the band from what I heard on the radio in the weeks leading up to the concert, and then I saw the band lollygagging through the 30 minute set. Mighty Mighty Bosstones opening for Aerosmith on a New Year's Day gig in the mid-'90s. The musicians could not stay in tune. The vocalist's voice was shot. Oh, the horror.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... I saw that tour and literally 3/4 or more of the audience was at the snack stands, bathrooms, or just hanging out in the mezz. The few who stayed inside seemed to be intent on abusing the band big time with some of the most creative obscenities I ever heard. And yes, to me, it just sounded like feedback/white noise as well.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... While I actually liked the band and their performance, I saw Come open for Dinosaur Jr. at the Agora in Cleveland in 1994. For whatever reason their set seemed to make the crowd very edgy and angry (must be some anxiety provoking music there!), with quite a number of people shouting "Get off the stage!". It wasn't just the fact that there was an opening act, because they had been preceded by some very dull band that made no impression at all (and I can't remember anything about them either). As I said, I liked 'em. But I'm perverse that way.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Actually, you saw a band (brand) named "Lynyrd Skynyrd". In 1977 Skynyrd opened for Frampton in Philly. To this date, "Skynyrd's" performance was the single greatest concert I've attended. Sorry for the HiJack.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... One of my worst (of trust me too many) has to be Blind Melon opening for the Stones at Mile High Stadium in Denver. The lead singer was so laoded he literally fell off the stage during the performance. He OD'd a couple of months later (probably did us all a favor).
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Mine will earn me a few enemies also. Robert Fripp opening up for Porpupine Tree. Bob played a few chords and in the background his "family" album was shown on a screen. This was a bit much for me. The lunatic in my head wanted to yell out "Freebird!!!" but I behaved and sat there with my arms folded for 45 minutes. I should have taken my wife with me - at least I could have made out with her!
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Not sure if this has been a thread before and a slight offshoot from this thread: I've seen: The Eagles open for Procul Harum Genesis open for Lou Reed Doobie Brothers open for T.Rex Huey Lewis open for Graham Parker With the exception of Huey Lewis they were all significantly better than the headliner especially Genesis with Peter Gabriel.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... At least he didn't get naked and pee on the audience like he did here in Vancouver. I'm glad I wasn't at that show.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... No question it was Motorhead. In the early 80's Lemme and company opened I think for I think it was Heart and Blue Oyster Cult at the Miami Baseball stadium. They were so bad people were throwing stuff on stage. After their set, they left the stage and had the nerve to come back for an encore. Lemme stepped up to the mic and said that the crowd didn't deserve an encore but they were going to do one anyway. Absolutely the WORST band I've ever, ever seen. SeeeeeeeeeeYa, Bruce
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... Quote: Originally Posted by jonifan One of my worst (of trust me too many) has to be Blind Melon opening for the Stones at Mile High Stadium in Denver. The lead singer was so loaded he literally fell off the stage during the performance. At least he didn't get naked and pee on the audience like he did here in Vancouver. I'm glad I wasn't at that show. Once heard that Lou Ann Barton (Texans will know) actually took a dump on stage.
The first time I saw Elton in 1976, besides having Kiki Dee open (who was very good, BTW), he had some British Comedian come on before Kiki. Whoever he was, he was terrible. John Mellencamp opening for Heart in 1982. He was obnoxious, foul mouthed, and even took shots at other perfomers. The Replacements opening for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1990. This was an ill fit, as the crowd wanted nothing to do with them. People were yelling out for Petty to come on. They did an encore(if you can call it that) that consisted of one of the members coming out alone, and whistling the Andy Griffith Show theme. I saw a Steely Dan tribute band called Katy Lied open fir Foreigner in 2002. Without a doubt, one of the worst examples of a cover band that I've ever seen.
Re: Worse Opening Act You Sat Through... I was at that show as well. The only thing I can add is that it might have actually been better for all concerned if he had fallen off the stage
