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Support band stole the show

Have you been to a concert where, to your surprise, the support band stole the show?  What tales have you got of the warm up turning out to be even better than the bill toppers?  
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  • Manics and The Prodigy at Knebworth over Oasis. 
  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,331
    Chas and Dave blew Status Quo away at the O2 a few years ago.  And, a few years before that, C&D were themselves supported by Buster Shuffle, who absolutely ripped it up. 

    Also, in 1983, I saw The Police with a support band "to be announced".  Turned out to be The Animals, reformed only that year.  The concert was recorded, released and they disbanded again. 
  • Thunder supporting Whitesnake.  Wembley Arena 2013
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,595
    Chas n Dave came close to it when I saw them supporting the mighty Quo at the o2 a few years ago.

    The Charlatans supporting Oasis at Finsbury Park in 2002.
  • blackpool72
    blackpool72 Posts: 23,668
    The Who at charlton back in the 70s. 
    It was raining and the atmosphere was pretty flat. 
    Alex Harvey transformed a docile crowd into a proper crowd.
    Not saying they outshone the who but they certainly got the crowd worked up enough to make the who's job easier. 
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,595
    Chizz said:
    Chas and Dave blew Status Quo away at the O2 a few years ago.  And, a few years before that, C&D were themselves supported by Buster Shuffle, who absolutely ripped it up. 

    Also, in 1983, I saw The Police with a support band "to be announced".  Turned out to be The Animals, reformed only that year.  The concert was recorded, released and they disbanded again. 
    Beat me to it on Chas n Dave! 

    I had that animals concert on video years ago, they were superb.
  • Salad
    Salad Posts: 10,189
    The Killers supporting Stellastar at the Electric Ballroom, 2004 - hadn't heard of them but they were incredible, already had their great early songs
  • Addickted
    Addickted Posts: 19,456
    Black Sabbath's 10th Anniversary Tour (1979). Only two of us got tickets for the Hammersmith Odeon gig, and then they announced an extra night the day before at Lewisham Odeon on the Friday night. I swear half the school were there.

    On come some American band as the support group for their first gig in the UK, with half the audience in the bar.

    "Lewisham - the Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World" screams the lead singer.

    Van Halen blew Sabbath off the stage that night, so much so, that I bought their album the next morning and (in my mind) learnt all their songs for the Saturday night gig at the Hammy.

    They blew Sabbath off the stage that night as well.
  • da18
    da18 Posts: 176
    Went to see Example in 2010 and Ed Sheehan was the support act, blew him away even then!
  • Late 1976 at the Marquee.

    Headliner Little Bob Story was nothing compared to the support band.

    Three kids in suits from Woking called The Jam.

    LSE early 80s. One of the Specials going solo was meh.  The support band had this guy with an acoustic guitar and great songs. Aztec Camera.
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  • BalladMan
    BalladMan Posts: 1,112
    Two examples I can think of:

    Chas and Dave (again) supporting the Libertines @ Kentish Town Forum (2005)
    Franz Ferdinand supporting Hot Hot Heat at Highbury Garage (2003)
  • cafckev
    cafckev Posts: 2,914
    Two spring to mind.
    Went to see showaddywaddy in Croydon with Alvin Stardust was far better.
    Also went to see Lordi and the although were brilliant, Turisas was simply amazing. 
  • sam3110
    sam3110 Posts: 21,257
    Chizz said:
    Have you been to a concert where, to your surprise, the support band stole the show?  What tales have you got of the warm up turning out to be even better than the bill toppers?  
    Went to a Pussycat Dolls concert with the missus (don't ask) and Lady Gaga was the support act, at the time a complete unknown, but she was 1000x the performer that they were
  • iainment
    iainment Posts: 8,039
    In 1976 went to see Little Feat at the Hammersmith Odeon. They were supported by The Outlaws, whose music I hadn't heard. Wasn't expecting much but they were blinding. 
    The bonus was that Little Feat were brilliant but just not as good as The Outlaws that night.
    Brilliant night, 2 exceptional performances.
  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,331
    sam3110 said:
    Chizz said:
    Have you been to a concert where, to your surprise, the support band stole the show?  What tales have you got of the warm up turning out to be even better than the bill toppers?  
    Went to a Pussycat Dolls concert with the missus (don't ask) and Lady Gaga was the support act, at the time a complete unknown, but she was 1000x the performer that they were
    That's great to hear about your missus.  But how good was Lady Gaga? 
  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,331
    cafckev said:
    Two spring to mind.
    Went to see showaddywaddy in Croydon with Alvin Stardust was far better.
    Also went to see Lordi and the although were brilliant, Turisas was simply amazing. 
    The demographic group of people who are fans of both Showaddywaddy and Lordi is, I suspect, quite small.
  • Neil Young had that collaboration with Pearl Jam and came out to Prague on the tour. Support band remained "undisclosed", and the low key way the Levellers sauntered on suggested they were a last minute call. Big mistake by Neil's gang. The Levellers were at the peak of their career and already very popular in Prague. Neil was grumpy throughout, seemed to almost pick a fight with one of the Pearl Jam guys, and made a dodgy comment about Budweiser. Embarrassing.
  • Uboat
    Uboat Posts: 12,195
    Stereo MCs supporting EMF. Hardly a surprise and quite a few were only there for the support.
  • Uboat
    Uboat Posts: 12,195
    I saw Radiohead support The Frank and Walters. I preferred the F&W but with hindsight it's an odd one. 
  • Huskaris
    Huskaris Posts: 9,846
    Dead Confederate at Dinosaur Jr.
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  • Franz Ferdinand supporting Oasis in Bangkok
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 20,842
    Bob Dylan mid 80s at Wembley Arena - supported by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Southern Accents hadn't long been out and Petty was awesome.
  • Didn't Townshend admit that the Specials blew them off stage in the early 80's? 
  • Kasabian supporting Embrace in 2004, a couple of months after debut album came out. Absolutely incredible! 
  • _MrDick
    _MrDick Posts: 13,103
    Thunder supporting Whitesnake.  Wembley Arena 2013
    Thunder supporting Mott the Hoople at the 02 in 2014
  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,331
    Didn't Townshend admit that the Specials blew them off stage in the early 80's? 
    I don't think we should be discussing that sort of thing on this thread, thank you very much. 
  • I went to see a band in the 90's called Saint Etienne at Southsea Parade Pier the support band was Pulp, Jarvis and the band were superb. Everybody leaving was talking about them rather than the main act you just knew they were going to make it big. 
  • Greenie
    Greenie Posts: 9,172
    The Tramshed about 87ish 
    The band I was in at the time supported The Climax blues band. A cracking band.
    We had a Roadie called Trumpet, now he was called Trumpet because he used to roll huge joints that looked like Trumpets, he smoked em like ciggies.
    My band was playing our support set (TBH we were young kids who weren’t the best) and Trumpet was having a Trumpet backstage when two of the guys from The Climax blues band decided to partake with him, however it was rather well loaded, and by the time they started their set they were hammered (allegedly), they made us look like gods!
    Dont do drugs kids! 
  • Not quite the same but I went to a small festival down in Devon a few years ago and was really excited Seasick Steve was headlining (and he was very good), but one of the support acts I'd never heard of went down really well, little ginger bloke called Ed Sheeran. 
  • Saw Arctic Monkeys at a one off gig at Brixton for the humbug album, support act kept secret, them crooked vultures