mismatched concerts

[Bob Womack]

Jim Coce and special guests the Doobie Brothers opened for Loggins & Messina at Knoxville Civic Coliseum, April 5th, 1973. Croce had the foulest mouth I'd heard on a stage but played well. The Doobies rocked us to our core and left us collapsed in our chairs. L&M were a profound anti-climax.

The Doobies, April 5, 1973. Photo by Dan Fong, used on the back of What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits. If you look really carefully you'll see that my friend Bill and I are just out of the shot at the upper right. See?

A few years later, on Octobere 4, 1978, the Doobies came back as the headliners and were opened for by a noisy outfit called UFO. That concert is memorable because it was the first official date between myself and the lady who would bceome my wife. We both giggled all the way through UFO.

Bob

 

[Chester Burnett]

In the ‘70’s I saw BB King and Spirogyra in Central Park. Pretty odd combo but a great concert.

 

[yegbert]

I bought Hoodoo Gurus’ Mars Needs Guitars never having heard of them, because I liked the band name and album art. And I liked them once I listened. So I was overjoyed when I saw a City Paper ad they were going to be live in DC, I think opening for another then relatively unknown band, The Bangles. But before tickets went on sale, the Bangles had a big hit. Of course they then sold out the concert immediately and I couldn’t get tickets.

 

[VintageSG]

I saw Budgie open for a few NWOBHM acts, including Saxon. Really, if you're going to follow Budgie, bring your 'A'-game. Not musically mismatched, but like The Pirates, you didn't follow Budgie onstage.
Paul Weller fell foul of this at Reading when The Pirates had worn the audience out

 

[Tarkus60]

toots and the maytol's opened for the Who in 74. We were WTF?????

 

[dhodgeh]

It's A Beautiful Day opening for The Charlie Daniels Band sometime in the 70's (my memory of that time is still a bit foggy)

D

 

[fenderfan]

A soft, solo folk guy opened for Mountain. Oh man. But he had a strong moment when someone in the crowd booed him, and he said "We know everyone is here for Mountain, but nobody came to hear you"

 

[tah1962]

The Dictators & Burton Cummings opening for Alice Cooper.

 

[Chester P Squier]

Back in the '50s and '60s, mainstream pop/rock radio was a lot more eclectic than it is now, so what may seem "mismatched" to 21st fans was not so much to fans in the '50s and '60s.

But when I saw the Beatles in 1966, it began with a fashion show. I could have slept through the fashion show, but the Remains, the Ronettes, Bobby Hebb, and the Cyrcle did all right opening for the Beatles.

It's A Beautiful Day opening for The Charlie Daniels Band sometime in the 70's (my memory of that time is still a bit foggy)

D

It was the fiddle players. It's a Beautiful Day had an electric violinist. So there was a commonality.

 

[natec]

Indigo Girls opened for Janes Addition (Birmingham - 1990)
Sisters of Mercy opened for Public Enemy (Atlanta - 1991)

Both had a unique mix of fans..

 

[4 Cat Slim]

I'm sure I've mentioned this before in a similar thread, but in 1971 I attended a
Richie Havens concert in San Antonio. Opening for Havens was (actor, comedian) Albert Brooks, doing a stand-up comedy routine.Brooks didn't go over exceptionally well. He was funny, but the audience was quite, well, I think the term is "stoned"...

 

[artdecade]

My band opened for Helmet 20 years ago... and we a funk/jam outfit.

 

[buster poser]

Type O Negative opening for NIN in '94 (Warfield SF) and getting booed offstage. Terrible pairing, but I imagine ToN weren't very good even on their best night, and this sure wasn't it.

 

[uriah1]

At first I thought it was odd. Long John Baldry opened for Uriah heep. Actually it was rather good. Don’t try to lay no boogie woogie on the king of rock and roll.

 

[24 track]

I saw Chief Dan George open for John Hammond , that was wierd , then Yes open for Jethro Tull , OUTSTANDING CONCERT ! yes was on their first NA tour and kicked ASS , then Tull topped it , wow!

 

[Dostradamas]

I saw Living Colour open for the Rolling Stones in 89'
Vancouver, BC
70k people there to see the Stones and about 50 of us stoked to see Living Colour.

 

[trancedental]

Blue Oyster Cult supported by The Jam early 1978 USA Tour, WTF?

 

[pi]

Minutemen opening for REM.

I'd go to that. That's not even a glaring mismatch--in the 80s they were both played back to back on college radio.

 

[acoustic rob]

Back in the mid '90s I saw a twin bill of Arrested Development and Bob Dylan in Champaign, Illinois. The two acts were coming through the area at the same time and the university there asked if they'd be interested in performing on the same night. They said, 'Why not?'

Arrested Development opened and kicked ass--lots of energy, really gave it 100%. Their guru came out and read us a sermon before the set, then sat on a folding chair in the back of the stage and danced on the drum riser. I went out the next day and bought their CD. Still have it. Still play it.

Dylan came out and played his set like he had a plane to catch. Everything was too loud, too fast, and sloppy as heck. The lady in front of us screamed 'We love you, Bob!' through the whole set. Really disappointing.

 

[geetaruke]

In 2003 I attended the “SARSstock” concert in Toronto with a half a million other souls.

It was a great lineup with plenty of legendary blues, rock and R&B acts.

A younger Justin Timberlake had a set halfway thorough the day. He had dozens of plastic bottles filled with urine thrown at him and he was showered with boos the entire time he was out there.