# What Track 1 songs would NOT be good concert openers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282 "2006-10-04T17:30:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282/1 "2006-10-04T17:30:59Z")
Several times I’ve had the treat of hearing a band’s album, thinking of the first track “gee, that would sound great as their opening song, too!” and actually hearing it that way in concert! This thread is not about those tracks. What (_otherwise good_)songs open up an album but would make bad concert openers? Note, I have never actually seen these as an opening song live: Endemoniada - Fields of the Nephilim. Sure, the 7 minute long prog-metal song has a great buildup but would it be that great to just sit around for the first 5 minutes hearing frogs croaking rather than the Goth Metal we came there for (an exaggeration of course.) My Paper Heart - All-American Rejects. If just for the fact that it’s their best song and I wouldn’t want them to blow their wad right away 🙂 Shine on You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd. See first entry. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282/2 "2006-10-04T17:40:00Z")
As a corollary, there are some songs that open albums that simply shouldn’t be. The first song on an album should be punchy and uptempo, not some bleepin’ dirge. The best example I can think of at the moment is _Outside World_ leading off **Midnight Oil** ’s brilliant album, _10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1_. It’s a good song and all, but it is a synth wank that never gets moving, even though it threatens to, (songus interruptus). And I wouldn’t want them to open a show with it, either. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282/3 "2006-10-04T17:57:36Z")
Genesis used Mama as the opening song on their Invisible Touch tour. I don’t think it was a particularly good choice. I like the song, but it takes a while to get going. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282/4 "2006-10-04T19:04:48Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] Shine on You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd. [/QUOTE] This (all 9 parts) was the show opener for the 1987 “Momentary Lapse of Reason” tour. This actually got the most crowd response in the first half of the show, as they proceeded to play nothing but new material until after the intermission. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282/5 "2006-10-04T19:16:13Z")
The Band chose “Tears of Rage” as the opener for “Music from Big Pink” specifically _because_ it was slow and dirge-like. Not a typical concert-opener, either. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282/6 "2006-10-04T23:17:05Z")
“Closing Time” would have been a bad choice for Semisonic to open with. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-track-1-songs-would-not-be-good-concert-openers/375282/7 "2006-10-05T00:42:22Z")
I’ve never seen the band Garbage in concert but every time I cue up their first album and “Super Vixen” starts off, I think “It sounds like they’re having a sound system malfunction”