I usually don't mind opening bands. In fact, I often arrive early at shows – usually to stand in front of the stage due to the fact that I’m not very tall – and am subjected to many opening bands. Most openers are fairly good, some damn good and others, well, you wish that part of your life was returned to you so you can relive it elsewhere.

Let’s take tonight’s opening band, Morningwood. Truly, one of the most awful bands I’ve had to experience this year. Female lead singer who screams at you while onstage -- “Instead of applauding when we finish a song, let’s all yell, ‘Tits’ instead.” Uh yeah…whatever. Let’s not forget her stick pony that she’ll reach over and bop you on the head with. Oh, and god forbid, if you have to experience her twice in the same week, there’s a possibility she may not have time to do laundry. She wore the same underwear on subsequent days, a red thong. One day, it was worn correctly, the next, she was wearing the same pair inside out. (Ewwww!)

I do have to admit, her band is fairly good. She’s the one I find annoying, along with her horrible shrill. I’m certain all small animals within a five mile radius steer clear of any venue she’s performing at.

How they’ve managed to score an opening slot for Gang of Four is beyond me. I don’t fuckin’ get it.

I’m being punished, aren’t I?

Are there any opening bands that haunt you?

The Big Bopper visits me in my dreams. His once-cordial greeting, "Hello, Baby", fills me with dread. The only thing I can compare it to is DDM (Dance Disaster Movement) after the second time I saw them, or any viewing of Lucero.

I usually never show up for the opening bands unless it's someone I want to see or I haphazardly end up getting to the venue early.

yeah me neither. U.S. Maple and the Fags are my worst opening band experiences ever, despite countless student alt-rock bands.

On the flip side, when I saw Will Johnson open for Vanderslice/Oranges Band, I couldn't have asked for a better spot with elbow room.

the fags are pretty gay

I love U.S. Maple

Rarely see opening bands anymore (what I mean is that I rarely go to shows but thats another story), but I definitely saw some terrible ones back in the day.

Grotus opened for Mr. Bungle on their first tour. I remember them being particularly bad.

Then again I did see The Flaming Lips and Stone Temple Pilots OPEN for the Butthole Surfers once and that seemed to put everything in perspective (for me at least, I was there to see the Surfers)

In hippie/jam rock news, I actually saw Dave Mathews Band relegated to opening for Phish one time. Not surprising at the time, but kinda funny in retrospect.

My buddy Dave in D.C. has spewed endless vitriol about the band V Is For Vendetta, who opened for Sleater Kinney a few years back. I can't remember what was so bad about them, but he wished death or STDs upon them, so it must've been terrible.

My worst was in 2002 when I went to see The Witches and the Bloody Hollies and the opener was this abominable electronic/noise/avant hip-hop act (their name has been repressed from my memory) made up of 5 members who looked like they had no clue what they were doing. One guy spent 20 minutes in the middle of the set trying to start a chainsaw that I'm assuming was meant for a use similar to what Throbbing Gristle or Einstürzende Neubauten would do. Whiney wouldn't have even liked them. I just wanted that 35 minutes back.

Best opener ever was/is The Hard Lessons, opening for The Electric Six last September. They've since become my favorite undiscovered band and I'm seeing them again in about 24 hours.

The only BAD opening band I remember is The Slammin' Watussis. That's because I saw them twice - opening for both Urge Overkill and Fishbone. Pretty bad, but not suicide-inducing.

For the most part, my experience with opening bands has been pretty damn amazing:

Uncle Tupelo (for fIREHOSE in 1989)
Drivin' n Cryin' (for Living Colour in 1989)
The Pogues & Mojo Mixon (for Violent Femmes in 1989)
Pulp (for Blur in 1995)
M.O.T.O. (for Falstaff in 1994)
Pearl Jam (for Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1991)
Pinetop Seven (for Falstaff in 1995)
etc.
etc.

Nope.
I got no complaints

Wolf Eyes and Sunburned Hand Of The Man opening for Sonic Youth.

Worst bands/show I've ever seen in my life. Throughout Wolf Eyes' entire set, my friends just said "well, at least the next band will sound great no matter what."

Then a group of homeless people with plastic flamingos and owls come on and do one thirty-minute "song" that sounds like the background music to a National Geographic special.

It was so bad that I didn't even care when SY finally hit the stage, I just wanted to go home.

Yeah, seriously. Believe it or not, thhe band that played before them here in Atlanta was even worse, although I only arrived in time to catch th elast few minutes of their set.

And whenever someone mentions Wolf Eyes in a "worst live show" sort of thread, I have to bring up the band I saw open for Wolf Eyes, a local "art" group called Wilson + Heath. I've described their schtick before so I really don't feel like going into it, but they made Wolf Eyes seem like a tight rock band by comparison.

Also, people who complain about Deerhoof being chaotic, inaccessible, or shrill should have to endure a set by 7 Year Rabbit Cycle, a band I saw open for them a few years ago. 7YRC actually happens to include Rob Fisk and I think another former member of Deerhoof, but they were so fucking awful. I was shocked to find out afterwards that they actually have fans.

Their first record reviewed by Pitchfork will probably get a 10.0 and then next thing you know - Arcade Fire and/or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-level mania!

I always try to see the support band because I'm interested in music and like hearing new things. How fucking radical is that?

I don't even mind seeing The Grease Monkeys for the 200th time since they apparently open for every band that comes to Glasgow.

Horrendous opening acts:

Laughing Hyenas
White Zombie
Lunachicks
Gene Loves Jezebel
The Mission UK
Gang Green


Tremendous opening acts:

Treat Her Right (for The Chills, although it may have been for The Fleshtones or Jazz Butcher, it was one of the three shows I saw at Ron Wood's club in NYC back when he had a club in NYC)
Dancing Hoods (for Iggy Pop)
Blue Aeroplanes (for The Jazz Butcher)
The Dragsters (for The Fleshtones)
Dramarama (for Thomas Dolby)
A House (for the Go-Betweens)
The Leather Nun (for Echo & The Bunnymen)
The Passion Fodder (for Peter Murphy)
The Returnables (for The Dictators)
Gaye Bykers On Acid (for The Cult)

I've got their CD- kinda like Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Wonder what happened to them...

I remember seeing Marilyn Manson open for NIN before they were big time. I was on acid and they were the scariest thing I had ever seen. They opened with "Cake and Sodomy" and I ran for my life.

Most of the time, i try and arrive 10 minutes before the band I want to see...

Notably recent exception....
Black Mountain Show.... only wanted to see BM, and Blood Meridian.... but got theire early enough and discovered 'Ladyhawk' who also rocked my socks off...

The only good opening acts I've seen is the Deathray Davies who opened for Pete Yorn, and the French Kicks who opened for the Walkmen.

I always like to see openers. They can make a good show great, or they can make a great show just-OK. They might have no impact whatsoever, but the chances of missing somebody who might become huge isn't worth the risk.

Plus, I like getting my choice of floor space. I don't care how short you are... if you can't bother to show up early, you don't deserve to stand up front.

Disappointing openers:
764-Hero (for Jimmy Eat World, who wasn't originally on the bill so they might have just been bitter...)
The Good Life (for Spoon)

Totally amazing openers:
Flogging Molly (Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
2 Many DJs (DJ Shadow)


Yeah, I saw that tour as well. Also saw the Lips open for Tool the following summer.

I think it's cause they have big label backing or something.

Depends on the mood I'm in, I guess. I'll usually do like Shiv, but occasionally I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised.

The real fun: playing on bills with other bands you don't know and dealing with that...oof.

Me, too. For all the horrible bands I've seen, there's been a couple that've ended up being all-time favorites.

Usually I'm never on time for shows due to the fact that my friends lag but last night I got there before the show started. Thank god for the bar and smoking patio because I couldn't take one note of that Morningwood band. And thanks for the warning too. Jake didn't believe me and wanted to check them out, and I told him, "Dude if Tania says they're not good, they probably aren't..." and then he goes up to the front, listens to the band for a minute, looks at me with horror, then walks outside. It was hilarious.

Also, Tania, remember that band that opened for Muse at the Wiltern awhile ago? I think they were called the Exit, oh wow, they were horrible.

Yeah, I've seen some surprisingly good ones, too.

Some highlights that I can remember:

-Enon opening for the Flaming Lips around the time of Believo!/Soft Bulletin

-Shearwater opening for the Mountain Goats. Just a pleasant surprise. I'd never heard them before.

-Virgil Shaw, solo opening for Angels of Light around the time of How I Loved You. This dude should always play by himself, but we actually just got lucky to see him that way. His backing band couldn't make it for some reason. His records have never impressed me, but he was a hell of a performer.