Support acts that proved better than the main concert

[ridda]

Was at the Groundhogs gig. and yeah Bowie did forgot the words. but Ronson was amazing that night. there was one other band on that gig but don't remember who it was.

 

[drew]

A couple of "festival" type gigs:
Santana and Lindisfarne were better than the Beach Boys at Knebworth 1980.
Whitesnake blew AC/DC away at Monsters of Rock around the same time (I actually can't stand AC/DC, so others there may not agree!)
I also went to see Judie Tzuke as a support act to a hapless Gallagher & Lyle at the Dome

Plenty of times, I've been as impressed by a support act as the main event, but not often surpassing the band I've gone to see. For instance:
I saw Keane supporting Zero 7, but Zero 7 were equally good
Similarly, UB40 I think were supporting the Pretenders at the Top Rank the week they released their first single
QTips were awesome when I saw them support The Who at Wembley Arena

I've seen some dross support acts too, mind.....

More should have been less, Blackfoot were good, Slade absolutely set the place alight but Blue Oyster Cult put us to sleep, literally. As for Whitesnake and AC/DC, they were both great but my preference leans towards AC/DC as they have far more energy. Talking of AC/DC, I see Malcolm Young has permanently left the group due to dementia!

 

[Bold Seagull]

I saw Travis at the London Docklands Arena in 2002. Doves were in support and were amazing.

Oh yeah, and come to think of it, I saw The Bluetones at the Kilburn Ballroom in 1996, and Super Furry Animals were supporting, and to be honest, The Bluetones may as well have not bothered coming on!

 

[Blackadder]

Slade were the best act that day...

Funnily enough Slade were the first two concerts I saw in Brighton.

I wouldn't say that the support acts were better but they were very good. Suzy Quattro AND Thin Lizzy at the first and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band at the second. As a Schoolboy I had never heard of them before but Alex Harvey was excellent.

 

[Dave the OAP]

A couple of "festival" type gigs:
Santana and Lindisfarne were better than the Beach Boys at Knebworth 1980.
Whitesnake blew AC/DC away at Monsters of Rock around the same time (I actually can't stand AC/DC, so others there may not agree!)
I also went to see Judie Tzuke as a support act to a hapless Gallagher & Lyle at the Dome

Plenty of times, I've been as impressed by a support act as the main event, but not often surpassing the band I've gone to see. For instance:
I saw Keane supporting Zero 7, but Zero 7 were equally good
Similarly, UB40 I think were supporting the Pretenders at the Top Rank the week they released their first single
QTips were awesome when I saw them support The Who at Wembley Arena

I've seen some dross support acts too, mind.....

I was also at that Judy Tzuke concert ...I work with gallagher's son, paul.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Bay City Rollers supporting Showadywaddy, David Essex & the Osmonds this year.

The rollers were first on and obliterated what follows, they were awesome.

 

[atfc village]

Belly were first up, that evening - for me, they were the best of the three bands, although it was a fairly relaxed set, and people were mostly sat on the grass watching them. Blur's set was great - it was just after Girls and Boys, I think - lots of energy - lots of jumping around in the crowd.

REM, played the Monster album, and it was bang average.

There was a 4th band that day Magnapop.

 

[Tarpon]

It wasn't fair to expect them to compete really but James were really rather special supporting the Smiths in 85.

 

[lawros left foot]

Funnily enough Slade were the first two concerts I saw in Brighton.

I wouldn't say that the support acts were better but they were very good. Suzy Quattro AND Thin Lizzy at the first and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band at the second. As a Schoolboy I had never heard of them before but Alex Harvey was excellent.

Was this in about 74-75? I saw Slade one week and Sweet the next, my first two gigs but I can't remember which support was on with Slade the first time I saw them

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

Probably the band I heard for the first time as a support that I went on to like the most was The Magic Numbers, they were supporting possibly Athlete at The Brixton Acadamy, who the wife loves but I think they're pony.

 

[Blackadder]

Was this in about 74-75? I saw Slade one week and Sweet the next, my first two gigs but I can't remember which support was on with Slade the first time I saw them

The first one was definitely a couple of years earlier 71/72. I can't remember the date of the second one to be honest, but I would guess at 1972/73 as I entered 6th form in 1974 and it was definitely before then.

 

[lawros left foot]

Thinking about it ,it could have been late 73, about October November ish, and at the Dome

 

[drew]

Funnily enough Slade were the first two concerts I saw in Brighton.

I wouldn't say that the support acts were better but they were very good. Suzy Quattro AND Thin Lizzy at the first and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band at the second. As a Schoolboy I had never heard of them before but Alex Harvey was excellent.

In the words of the great Yorkshiremen, 'You were lucky'. Saw Slade early 80s at the centre. Support band were the dire Vardis and after they finished their set, there were lighting problems and Slade performed with all the house lights on!

 

[SouthCoastOwl]

Lynyrd Skynyrd supported The Rolling Stones at Knebworth in 1976 and DESTROYED them

Skynyrd also completely totalled Deep Purple at Wembley in 2003. Ian Gillan even tried a bit of empathy with his stage announcements asking at one point "what song is it you want to hear?", "well none of yours you tw*t" came the reply from the bloke sitting behind me (we'd all been standing for Skynryd)

 

[SouthCoastOwl]

Levellers chewed up and spat out 10cc at Cropredy in 2013

 

[Blackadder]

Was this in about 74-75? I saw Slade one week and Sweet the next, my first two gigs but I can't remember which support was on with Slade the first time I saw them

The first one was definitely a couple of years earlier 71/72. I can't remember the date of the second one to be honest, but I would guess at 1972/73 as I entered 6th form in 1974 and it was definitely before then.

Google is a wonderful thing. 23 November 1972 and 6 June 1973.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

In 1972 couldn't get a ticket for Worthing Town Hall to see Lindisfarne. Well, I could have seen Lindisfarne because a lot of people came out half way through, having only gone to see the support act, which was Genesis!
Also saw Jethro Tull supporting The Searchers..........

About the same time I saw the Genesis, Lindisfarne, Van der Graaf Generator concert at the Dome. VDGG topped the bill.

 

[life on mars 73]

I saw the Grounhogs at the Dome, in, I think, 1972, supported by David Bowie, Mick Ronson et al. Bowie forgot the words to "Space Oddity"

Yes, I was at that gig too, one of the very first when Bowie appeared as Ziggy Stardust. Most of the audience were big hairy greasers who had come to see The Groundhogs, and weren't much impressed with Bowie's theatrics.

Me and my mate, who had only come to see Bowie, got some very funny looks. Was probably a good idea that we decided to leave 10 minutes into the Groundhogs appalling act.

 

[bhafc99]

There was a 4th band that day Magnapop.

Always wish I'd seen Magnapop live, never did. Ruthie Morris is an awesome guitarist.

 

[lawros left foot]

Google is a wonderful thing. 23 November 1972 and 6 June 1973.

Cheers, was the 73 one I went too