# Opening acts, yea or nay?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 30, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176 "2009-05-30T16:39:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![I-VI-ii-V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@I-VI-ii-V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-VI-ii-V)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/101 "2009-06-04T07:07:06Z")

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Lenny Kravitz for Bowie  
Primus and The Pixies for Jane’s Addiction  
Foo Fighters for Mike Watt (also saw one of the first Foo shows at Spaceland in Silverlake)  
Gun ‘N’ Roses for The Stones  
Frank Black for X  
Dinosaur Jr. for Redd Kross  
Screaming Trees for Redd Kross

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**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/102 "2009-06-04T07:52:28Z")

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> [@NineToTheSky](#):
>
> Age, nationality and interests _does_ affect awareness. Although you are correct in stating that The Guess Who were internationally famous, bear in mind that in Britain, for example, despite having two number one singles in 1969, they were not thought of as being very significant or serious. Their following album peaked at 19 in the UK, despite the two hit singles. They were forgotten pretty quickly. I would say that, today, for the majority, they would have zero impact.

I don’t think it’s much different if the U.S.

> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> It just bothers me the way people (a general people, not anyone in particular) seems to hold 70s rock up as the paragon of notoriety. And if you don’t know every obscure 70s act (whether obscure in their “heyday” or obscure due to the passage of time), you’re somehow deficient.

That’s Baby Boomers for you.

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/103 "2009-06-04T12:07:16Z")

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**Le Ministre** - well stated (and I read all the same Guitar Player articles, but only really gave Inner Mounting Flame a hard listen recently)

\*\*I-IV-ii-V \*\*- with a username like that, what do you play instrument-, gear- and music genre-wise? You threw the \*\*ii \*\*in their, so it isn’t just Chuck Berry…

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/104 "2009-06-04T16:16:29Z")

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> [@Justin Bailey](#):
>
> Hell, I imagine I could come up with a pretty decent list of 90s/2000s rock that could make the average 70s rock fan’s head spin

And if I hadn’t heard of them would that prove that those bands aren’t important or influential? Wouldn’t it instead merely show that there are some bands I’m unaware of?

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**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/105 "2009-06-04T16:47:28Z")

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> [@Larry\_Borgia](#):
>
> And if I hadn’t heard of them would that prove that those bands aren’t important or influential? Wouldn’t it instead merely show that there are some bands I’m unaware of?

That’s exactly my point. There is too much music out there for someone to know everything and short of a few key players (The Beatles, Elvis, The Stones), not knowing a band does not make one deficient in any way.

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**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/106 "2009-06-04T17:08:22Z")

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> [@Aesiron](#):
>
> I like opening acts on the whole.
> 
> I love **Rebecca Pronsky** , but she’s based in New York and her internet presence is so tiny that I never would have discovered her had it not been for her opening for **Sarah Bettens** a couple years ago.

An almost identical experience for me. I went to see Kris Delmhorst at The Center for the Arts in Natick, and Rebecca Pronsky opened.

We’re very lucky in the Boston/Cambridge area. There are a number of well loved singer/songwriters who either live locally, or play here often. Many of them gained prominence by opening for a more well known act, and they are now returning the favor. And a lot of clubs or venues (notably Club Passim) have their ear to the ground and will make these opening slots available.

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/107 "2009-06-04T21:51:52Z")

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> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> That’s exactly my point. There is too much music out there for someone to know everything and short of a few key players (The Beatles, Elvis, The Stones), not knowing a band does not make one deficient in any way.

I never said it did. I have a strange suspicion we’re in agreement more than not.

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**Author:** ![I-VI-ii-V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@I-VI-ii-V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-VI-ii-V)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-acts-yea-or-nay/498176/108 "2009-06-04T22:22:07Z")

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> [@WordMan](#):
>
> **Le Ministre** - well stated (and I read all the same Guitar Player articles, but only really gave Inner Mounting Flame a hard listen recently)
> 
> \*\*I-IV-ii-V \*\*- with a username like that, what do you play instrument-, gear- and music genre-wise? You threw the \*\*ii \*\*in their, so it isn’t just Chuck Berry…

I **–\> VI \<–** ii V (the jazz blues turnaround), my musical friend :). My main instruments are double bass and electric bass, though I’ve been learning piano and have been messing around with four-note jazz chord voicings on guitar lately. I play just about everything…rock, big band, jazz combos, singer-songwriter folk chick rock, musical theater, etc. I can’t remember if you’re a Fender or Gibson guy, but most of my basses are Fenders (76 P, 80 P, 69 P w/a fretless neck, 77 Musicmaster, Heartfield 5 string, 93 Jazz). I’ve also got a 74 Ric and a Carvin fretless acoustic electric. Yeah, way too many. I’ve been a lurker around here for years, just started posting recently.

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