cursed opening acts?

[the edges plec]

I was lucky enough to see Lou Reed supporting on the Joshua tree tour at wembley, i was unlucky enough to see the stereo mc's for the zooropa tour they were awful every song sounded the same

 

[Dutch Partygirl]

Kelis at the Elevation Tour was awful, just as the Fatima Mansions (or whatever they were called) during Zoo TV in Dortmund. I liked the Stereo MC's though...

 

[bravoland]

i actually thought Third Eye Blind was pretty decent on the third leg of Popmart


Rage & Fun Loving Criminals were both Ok.


PJ Harvey Blew Chunks
Garbage i thought was very good as was no doubt.

 

[OldTimerU2Fan]

Where are they now? Maria McKee and Lone Justice

Last thing I heard from Maria McKee was some solo music (and a track on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack).

I was totally enamored with Lone Justice before the Joshua Tree tour, and was very excited to see them live (opening for U2). But the crowd (Chicago) was awful to them. This was a band that had tons of critical acclaim, but not a lot of exposure..

U2 fans are a pretty rabid bunch - it's either "I want my U2" or "go home" I'd like to think it's just because everyone is so freakin excited to see U2... sort of like having to endure a church service before opening presents on Christmas as a kid.

 

[OldTimerU2Fan]

Where are they now? Maria McKee and Lone Justice

Last thing I heard from Maria McKee was some solo music (and a track on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack).

I was totally enamored with Lone Justice before the Joshua Tree tour, and was very excited to see them live (opening for U2). But the crowd (Chicago) was awful to them. This was a band that had tons of critical acclaim, but not a lot of exposure..

U2 fans are a pretty rabid bunch - it's either "I want my U2" or "go home" I'd like to think it's just because everyone is so freakin excited to see U2... sort of like having to endure a church service before opening presents on Christmas as a kid.

 

[Bono's shades]

Last thing I heard from Maria McKee was some solo music (and a track on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack).

I was totally enamored with Lone Justice before the Joshua Tree tour, and was very excited to see them live (opening for U2). But the crowd (Chicago) was awful to them. This was a band that had tons of critical acclaim, but not a lot of exposure..

U2 fans are a pretty rabid bunch - it's either "I want my U2" or "go home" I'd like to think it's just because everyone is so freakin excited to see U2... sort of like having to endure a church service before opening presents on Christmas as a kid.

I find this attitude in some U2 fans to be very irritating and embarrasing. It always shocks me that people who like such a great band would be so close-minded about other bands and artists. Treating opening acts like crap is disrespectful not only to the act themselves, but to U2 since the act is their guest. It is also disrespectful to the people in the audience who might like the opening act and don't want the experience spoiled by a bunch of idiots.

(And I agree, Lone Justice were a terrific band! I've never heard anyone with a voice like Maria's - she's truly unique.)

 

[bollox]

anyone who slags pj harvey is a fucking idiot.

 

[ZigZag]

I've been to one U2 concert, and the entire place was filled with middle aged, white men.

Maybe why Garbage didn't get much of a reaction. And didn't Moby open up for U2 once?

Either way, I think U2 should open up for themselves posing as "The Hype".

 

[zoo99]

I must be a fucking idiot because pj harvey was boring and ignored when I saw her, little fish little fish swiming in the water... man someone please put a bullet in my head.

on the other hand third eye blind was okay, public enemy was okay, fun lovin criminals may as well have been the P.A. system.
And I would have to say garbage was outstanding even though I'm not really into them, of course I realize it extremely difficult for a band to come on before U2 kinda like having to watch a peewee hockey game before watching an N.H.L. game.(of course thats all we CAN watch now !.)

 

[jumpmanst]

Didn't Coldplay and The Red Hot Chili Peppers kinda in a sense open for U2 at that Slane Castle gig?

 

[s_tielemans]

Kelis was a terrible opener for the Elevation tour. Stereophonics was great (same tour). Best in my opinion was Skunk Anansie for the Pop tour (but they broke up too!)

 

[s_tielemans]

Oh. Coldplay and RHCP were indeed at the Slane gig. They kicked ass as well

 

[Harper]

I liked the Stereo MC's though...

I really liked them too. They had an album out that year that everyone I know seemed to posses and they have a lot of energy on stage. The problem for any opening act is that they're usually playing to a fairly empty stadium in broad daylight.

I also saw PJ Harvey and Bjork on the same day during Zooropa. Bjork had just released Debut and her voice is amazing but I can't stand PJ Harvey and she was really boring. Big Audio Dynamite played the same Zooropa date as Stereo MC's, and it was good to hear Mick Jones perform after so long, even if I was the only person there who seemed to remember them!

I know I saw the Longpigs at Popmart, and didn't think they were much cop, but even though I went twice I can't remember any of the other acts.

Did anyone see Pearl Jam when they opened for ZooTV?

 

[POP-ROMANCER]

Kelis was awful in the UK on the last tour, would've prefered JJ72.

The Dalton Bros. made the best of a bad job I thought during the 80's...

Yeah I agree. Kelis covered Smells like teen spirit, but than in rap & R&B. Ridiculous!

 

[POP-ROMANCER]

the best opener ever........ireland v. holland at slane II (just ask the lads!!)

Only the score, that was a pity..

 

[s_tielemans]

Yeah I agree. Kelis covered Smells like teen spirit, but than in rap & R&B. Ridiculous!

I saw that too, in Arnhem. Nothing short blasphemy. Deserved every boo they got...

 

[promenade1138]

Utah Saints - Cardiff, 1993: indescribably bad. The Stereo MCs looked like musical geniuses alongside such tripe.

Public Enemy - Oakland, 1992: great (and intense) opening act. The Sugarcubes also played, and I seem to remember them getting booed (even though I thought they were okay).

The Silencers - Cardiff, 1987. Whatever happened to them? The Pretenders also played (and were pretty dull), as did The Alarm. I remember a huge army of Alarm fans walking out in defiance after The Alarm's set had finished. Those were the days...

 

[corner]

The Pretenders also played (and were pretty dull), as did The Alarm. I remember a huge army of Alarm fans walking out in defiance after The Alarm's set had finished. Those were the days...

Indeed...long gone are those days! The old Alarm fans didn't know how lucky they were! These days, the Alarm have been supporting Status Quo around Britain.
Defiantly walking out of a gig before Status Quo takes stage, wouldn't have quite the same impact as the olden days with the main act being U2!

 

[promenade1138]

Yes! "Where were you hiding when the storm broke?" Ah, I see - you were behind Francis Rossi.

 

[U2dork]

I posted this last night in B&C about something different but I think it fits in nicely here. This is a quote from an interview with Curtis Crowe and Michael Lachowski of the band Pylon who opened for U2 way back when. They broke up for the first time shortly after.

CURTIS: We did a few tours, we played with U2 and Public Image Limited and Talking Heads. Of all the bands to open up for, U2 were probably the hardest. It was like opening for Jesus Christ. Their fans were the singularly most rabid rock and roll fans I've ever seen. There were girls in TEARS out in the crowd. It was like opening for the Beatles. It would have been a fantasic learning experience (ED NOTE: Pylon didn't stay on for the whole tour) and probably gotten us some exposure. At the same time, you would probably be boo'd off the stage four nights out of five doing that (opening for them).

We were actually starting to get out there and be a band. I think that it was one of these things that none of really intended to be in a BAND. It was kind of something that we did while we were in college to entertain ourselves. We never really took it seriously, the whole being-in-a-band business. It started looking too serious for us and we all just decided to bag it. (laughs)

MICHAEL: When I found out about the U2 tour, we were all pissed off and no one wanted to do it. I told him (the booking agent) that and he said 'then what the fuck are you doing? why are you in a band? what are you trying to do?' Being asked those things just proved that we couldn't go on forever saying 'we're just doing this 'cause we wanna have fun.' There were just too many decisions to make and you can't make them all with that kind of statement of purpose. Having those kinds of conversations were driving us crazy. That wasn't the kind of thing we wanted to do. I don't think anyone at the time could care less if that was our living.

http://www.furious.com/perfect/pylon.html

Anyway, my point is isn't be easy for these bands to get out there and play for us. I have a feeling that many of them think it's a great idea for exposure but don't realize what they're getting themselves into. It's 'make-or-break' opening for U2. Unfortunately, there are a lot that don't make it.