What's the Most Famous Artist That You Saw Open/Backup?

Stevie Ray Vaughn opening for Bryan Adams right around this same time (Bottom Line in NYC)

 

In fairness, Herman's Hermits were still huge in 1967. The Who should've felt honored opening for them.

 

Chris De Burgh was a support act at a concert I was at in the 70s. I can't remember who the main act was, though.

 

david bowie for humble pie at liverpool empire 1969

 

Taj Mahal opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1995
Lambchop opening for The Magnetic Fields in 1997
Neutral Milk Hotel opening for Superchunk in 1998
Sebadoh and Robyn Hitchcock opening for The Flaming Lips in 1999

 

Wonder if they got any songwriting ideas there . . .

 

Peter Frampton "opening" and later sharing the stage with Steve Miller. Could have just as easily gone the other way. Both legends to my way of thinking.

 

Queen opening for Mott the Hoople 1974
Taj Mahal opening for B.B. King 1974
Santana opening for Clapton 1975

 

Los Lobos, opening for Neil Young & Crazy Horse in 2013
The Cult, opening for The Who in 2007

 

I was at that too!

Then there was Queen opening for Mott The Hoople in 1973
U2 for Talking Heads in 1980
Talking Heads for Ramones in 1977
Dire Straits for Talking Heads in 1978

 

The Black Crowes opened for Page & Plant.
The Mission and The Pretenders opened for U2.

 

Wow, I've never heard that he opened for The Who before - just the Rolling Stones.

 

Interesting one this. I saw The Proclaimers before they had released a record, open a three act show at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh (not during the Festival), the room that's now the Jamie's Italian restaurant. Next on was stand-up Bing Hitler, who later hosted the Late Late Show in the US as Craig Ferguson. Last on was Jerry Sadowitz, irreverent stand-up and world class close-up Magician. Jerry I knew.
Perhaps 20 ish people in the audience (if more then not a lot more) .... I remember thinking the Reid twins looked unusual, but in a good way, and their songs were banging.

 

Gene Clark: opening for Lindisfarne in 1985. Completely life changing. Some dreary old git (I was 15 but he seemed ancient) shuffles on stage with a scruffy looking acoustic guitar to face a generally apathetic crowd. By the end of his short set, we are all eating out of his hand & I am about to discover The Byrds and so much more. A real Road To Damascus moment.

Bryan Adams: opening for Tina Turner the previous year. He wasn't all that well known in Britain at the time. Run To You had hit the charts but that was about all. I'd somehow cottoned on to the fact he was a real talent and loved theCuts Like A Knife record so even though I didn't like Tina's music much, I managed to convince my parents to let me go all the way to Birmingham to see the show. Bri was terrific, Tina was surprisingly good and we had the added bonus of David Bowie joining her on stage for a few songs.

REO Speedwagon as "special guests" of Status Quo in 2017. Not sure how this came about but any excuse to see REO! They had an hour's set and managed to win over a very partisan Quo crowd. Huge queue for REO T-shirts at the interval! The Quo were appearing without Rick Parfitt (bless him) but Rhino & Andy Bown played a blinder in filling the void and Francis' on stage charm and swagger was evident even from the back of a very large room. Fantastic double-header!

 

Bon Jovi

Fifth on the bill of Texxas Jam 1985, behind Deep Purple, Scorpions, Night Ranger, and Ted Nugent (but after Grim Reaper and Victory).

Slippery When Wet had yet to be released.

 

Jeff Beck and the Jan Hammer Group opening for the Beach Boys around 1980 or so.

 

My band opened for Duke Jupiter once. We were famous in our own minds.

 

Peter Frampton opened for Uriah Heep in London, Oct. 1974.

 

Were there multiple nights? Setlists.fm doesn't list another one. Because I saw the Boston Garden appearance on that tour and Blue Oyster Cult was the opener. I know it for a fact because we left before BOC finished because it was so loud and the Garden acoustics were so bad, you couldn't even make out what was playing, so we never got to see Sabbath.

A couple of nights later BOC played Xaverian Bros. High in Westwood. That must have been something to see.

 

When Boston radio station WBCN went on strike in '79 to protest the new corporate owners firing a bunch of staffers, a benefit concert for the striking employees was held with Sass, The Fools, The Stompers, and the James Montgomery band.
When The Stompers finished their set, out came... The J. Geils Band, not listed on the bill.

 

Same here!

 

Conversely, I saw Tina open for Lionel in 1984. This was right on the cusp of her comeback!

 

I also saw INXS open for Go-go's summer 1984.

And I saw AC/DC open for Kiss in 1977!

 

I went to the Madonna show, mainly to impress a girl!

My car broke down on the drive there. We still arrived in time to see Madonna, but we missed the Beasties.

I did see them as the first act on a 1986 bill that headlined Run-DMC. Beasties opened for Run-DMC, Whodini, and LL Cool J...

 

Was this the 2002 tour?