Went out last night to see my friend's band, Vena Cava. Now, being a music enthusiast, I'm always willing to give the opening bands a listen. I'm open to new things. That's part of the reason I've ended up in a NZ music forum.
Oh, but watching these guys was just embarassing. I had to avert my eyes for most of their set, for fear of encouraging them to continue. They had definitely graduated from the school of "if we can't be interesting, we'll just be twice as loud," which made conversation impossible. So there was nothing to do but just sit and endure this horrible, horrible band.
Conversely, when Vena Cava played the crowd appreciated them twice as much. But then they always rock the house, and not just because their drummer pays me to say that.
So, even though I've not come across it very often, sometimes it seems that it's true: the opening band is just there to make the headliners look better. Well, I'm not quite sure why I felt the need to confess that, but I do feel better. I guess I was feeling this kind of hidden shame for hating the opening band so much, or it could be a little bit of jealousy because I can't really join in any of the gig discussions, being on the other side of the world.
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It's good that you're still paying ...
It's good that you're still paying attention to support acts - for most bands, being a support act for a while is the only way to start getting venue owners to notice you and agree to giving you your own gig.
I don't believe that a support band should be worse than the headlining band unless the headlining band feels that their own material or stage presence is weak (and will therefore shine after witnessing some atrocious band opening for them). As an audience member I wouldn't pay to see that, I like to see bands that are good. And as a band member I certainly wouldn't want a crap opening act before me in case they drove away our audience. Much better to have a good opening act - even, dare I say it, a BETTER one - this would keep the headliners on their toes and subtly hint to them that their act needs improvement.
We've had plenty of opening acts for us. Some have sucked. Some rocked. But we have opened for very few bands - in fact, there are plenty of local bands around who have played support for us and then, having established their own crowd and gigs, refuse to have us play for them. This reeks of professional jealousy to me. Comments?
[ http://www.cripple.co.nz ]
thats so harsh... its like biting the ...
thats so harsh... its like biting the hand that feeds you.
i don't think the opening act out performing the headlining act is a bad thing either, becasue you just walk away going "band x were wicked aye, but what about band y that opened for them, they were really good"
sometimes i've seen the opening act ...
sometimes i've seen the opening act totally nail it charmingly, and have really really worried on behalf of the following main headliners as to whether they could follow it ... i kinda thought that about Grinspoon (who weren't my cuppa tea, but were really good, original, and pretty damned rivetting) who opened for Pacifier (who tended to go thru the motions a little, but perhaps my expectations were too high). good bands and great bands can all go to custard on various nights, and it's often luck of the draw as to who survives in the audience's memory.
i think most of the time, the opening act is chosen because it's a bit similar but not totally the same as the headliners. often it's because the headliners want to see them themselves, i would think.
//Grinspoon Interesting. I suspect ...
//Grinspoon
Interesting. I suspect you were at the same gig as me, and I was under the impression that the singer was so drunk it was debatable whether he was going to make it through the set. Despite that, they were quite good. I'm not sure what this says about my memory, but I don't have any recollection much of the Pacifier set : (
well i will share my knowledge. the ...
well i will share my knowledge. the pacifier show in the d was the best one in the south island. timagroove was too quiet, invercargill was too invercargill, chch1 was close but no mosh action (helped by the first destruction in anger rather than to be cool that i have ever witnessed), chch2 was a poor crowd. unfortunately i cannot separate band performance from the crowd atmosphere.
however this is about the opening act. timagroove there was no crowd for grinspoon. invercargill grinspoon started slow but warmed up good. in the d grinspoon fired, and possible pulled out the best south island show also. joe put his back out. maybe this pushed pacifier on? in chch1 grinspoon were fine, chch2 they were awful. well phil grinspoon was. the others seemed to go harder to make up for it, but if the front man isnt doing it, it doesnt matter. sad but true. he apparently hadnt slept for between 2 and four days. i have good reason to suspect that he may have been near-sober. he was unappreciative of the crowd, and basically came across like an arrogant rockstar. of course he told me that i was the only one there who was worth going on for.
but were grinspoon even the opening act? as pacifiers performance may have been influenced by grinspoons, what inspired grinspoons? possibly the underpaid opening acts. timagroove was degrees k, who had everyone just standing there stunned. invercargill a few people had a little dance, and i think they put on a more lively show. the d got sativa, and they really fired up the crowd. i think this was a major factor in the night - they crowd was already moshing before grinspoon, so when they came on the crowd was ready for them. chch1 had hooster. they sucked. a few girls screamed at them, but that was about it. chch2 had fuce, which just didnt seem to work. it was pleasant but there was no crowd action. im told that pretty much all the north island shows had a semi circle of death for the opening act.
but then maybe i was influenced by the music i listened to before i went to the show.
//chch1 had hooster. they ...
//chch1 had hooster. they sucked
GROW SOME BALLS OR GET OFF THE FUCKING STAGE!!!! - some little punk behind me yelled that out during there set, harsh but I'd have to agree.
true carl - there's the Sativa factor ...
true carl - there's the Sativa factor - they really really warmed up the crowd - a great example of a fantastic opening act doing its job.
opening bands do suck, theyre there to ...
opening bands do suck, theyre there to mmake the main attraction look better
sometimes they show up the main one thou, as my band has before(as voted by crowd)...
Interesting argument. You should be in ...
Interesting argument. You should be in politics.
i know, i just contradicted everything ...
i know, i just contradicted everything i said:D
(pisses himself laughing)...
(pisses himself laughing)
ive always thought that playing support ...
ive always thought that playing support is one of the steps a bands should take to get more well known and develop a stage personality. i wouldnt want to get onstage unless i knew i could do a creditable job with a well rehearsed setlist, regardless of whether i was drunkenly regaling a mates party or playing support at a gig.
having watched a lot of stand-up comedy, i firmly believe that an m.c. shouldnt rest on his/her laurels and leave the gags for the acts. an m.c.'s job is to warm up a cold crowd, as well as introducing the acts. ditto a support band. if they do their job well,and rock the crowd out, the headline act shouldnt resent it. they should capitalise on the gift the support band has given them; a warm, excited audience with big smiles and no qualms about bouncing all over the place.
by the same token, if the headline act look bad compared to the support, they need to work harder. choosing a shite support act to make yourselves look good not only leaves the audience cold for you, but stops the gig from standing out. ditto matching genres in a gig; the have supported evermore a week or so ago, and after stoking up the wee crowd with some energetic rawk, the more melodic tunes evermore were playing lost the crowd.
gosh i talk a lot of crap....
At least you talk interesting crap, bj. ...
At least you talk interesting crap, bj. Not everyone in this forum can make that claim. And I think it's great how you make sense, and don't personally attack other forum members...
Hmm, intriguing, I know a bj who's ...
Hmm, intriguing, I know a bj who's "watched a lot of stand-up comedy"...
...he doesn't have blonde pig tails, ...
...he doesn't have blonde pig tails, though.
...he?...
...he?
lol...
lol
w00t! feeling nurtured and affirmed. ...
w00t! feeling nurtured and affirmed. *beam*
[ http://www.stand-upman-lady.com ]