Support Bands

Motley Crue

With Diamond Head as Megadeth's support at their Ambassador and Ulster Hall gig and The Datsuns as Velvet Revolvers support, as well as New Found Glory possibly being Green Day's support in the Point, would you agree that the support slot on high profile bands tours has to be filled by another reasonabily high profile band?

John

No I wouldn't agree they have to be filled by a high profile band. It will sell more tickets, especially if the bands tend to have the same fans, it would push those who wouldn't buy a ticket for one of the acts but would buy a ticket to see both.

I have gone to a few gigs just for the support act, went to RHCP twice to see the support (New Order, PJ Harvey and QOTSA). Went to see Amen who were supporting the Wildhearts.

Doctor J

Support bands I have seen:

Sanctuary, Nuclear Assault, Danzig, Crumbsuckers, Meliah Rage, Alice In Chains, The Almighty, Pantera, Loudblast, Xentrix, Masters Of Reality (flew to London to see this support band), Death, Prong, Faith No More, Von Bondies, Wolfsbane, Turin Brakes, Fu Manchu and countless others I can't recall at the moment. To me, the support band is as important as the main band. The gig is the event, it's a celebration of the music I love and todays support could very easily be the main band of tomorrow. To dismiss a band merely because they are not the specified headliner of the night is total ignorance and the sign of a cretin who is more interested in appearing to be into a band because it's trendy and makes them feel socially superior rather than someone who actually likes music. I react with hostility to assholes who interfere with my enjoyment of a support band through idiotic shouting and pointless slagging.

The fact is this, there is no band out there who haven't played support to somebody. Metallica got their biggest break by supporting Venom FFS! Don't be a ****head and give grief to the support band just because they're the support band, you're the kind of twat who'll probably be paying through the hoop to see them in the near future claiming all the while that you've been a fan for years.

goin'_to_the_PS

why wouldn't you, if freddy mercury was alive and was supporting britney spears i'd still go

Ro: maaan!

Agree with Doctor J.

I've done it a few times. It is expensive, and they don't play for very long, but it's usually worth it.

John

Doctor J wrote:

To me, the support band is as important as the main band. The gig is the event, it's a celebration of the music I love and todays support could very easily be the main band of tomorrow. To dismiss a band merely because they are not the specified headliner of the night is total ignorance and the sign of a cretin who is more interested in appearing to be into a band because it's trendy and makes them feel socially superior rather than someone who actually likes music.

Um, was that just a rant or was it directed at anyone. I didn't think either of the two posts before yours (mine and Motley Crue's) were implying that support bands were a waste of space. I think Motley Crue was only asking for an opinion, not giving one.

And the Von Bondies show you saw, was that Dublin Castle with the Dirtbombs and the White Stripes? I thought the Von Bondies were deadly that evening. I don't know if you saw it but at the front there was a guy who was crowd surfing for about two foot before giving up, he caused no trouble (ie no one got a boot to the face or any such idiocy) but the pikey bouncers at the front decided he had to go and not only punched the crowd surfer while pulling him out but punched one of the people caught between the barrier and the crowd surfer. The lead singer of the Von Bondies spent the next few songs staring the bouncer out of it. An unpleasent experience I thought.

Doctor J

Wasn't directed at anyone in general, especially you my friend, we both posted at 22:21, I hadn't read yours while writing mine. Twas a rant, rooted in previous posts I've seen on these Boards by young uns spouting out with glee about giving support bands a hard time just for the sake of it. Down with that sort of thing

dregin

I was at The Wildhearts purely to see Amen aswell. I'm thinking of going to Taking Back Sunday just to see Fightstar.

John

Doctor J wrote:

Wasn't directed at anyone in general, especially you my friend, we both posted at 22:21

Phew, didn't want to incur your wrath, you being 6'8.5" tall and all

dregin wrote:

I was at The Wildhearts purely to see Amen aswell. I'm thinking of going to Taking Back Sunday just to see Fightstar

Amen were the **** that night, well worth paying the money to see them alone. Did you see them the first time they played?
I don't know who Fightstar are. Don't like Taking Back Sunday at all though.

dregin

Nah, noone I knew would travel up with me from Cavan to see either them or at the drive-in around the same time I saw them play with the original line-up at Reading festival and saw them in leeds a few years back. Recorded that gig actually. Casey said "don't listen to Amen" into the recorder as an intro for my recording :P Every time I've seen them they've been absolutely deadly. I got a live DVD of a Manchester show in HMV was over €40 but well worth it.

Fightstar are the band the tall guy from Busted (Charlie........yes I know his name ) was in before he joined Busted. They're pretty much still only startin off but I've liked some of the stuff I've heard.

http://www.fightstarmusic.com/

Motley Crue

Thats rather interesting actually. Ive been reading back over some of the posts and I do think then that people tend to go see bands for the support just as much as for the main act. I once talked to a guy who told me he saw Guns N Roses in Slane in 92 and perferred Faith No More and My Little Funhouse!!!!!!

Personally, the first gig I ever went to was for the support band (Our Lady Peace supporting Avril Lavigne in the Point March 03) and i went to see Chimaira for Every Time I Die (in the Temple Bar Music Centre Feb 04, and ended up loving Chimaira just as much). I also went to see Fireball Ministry (supported CKY in the Ambassador, brilliant chaps, really ****ing good). Planes Confused with Stars (played with the Ataris in the TBMC last Feb 17th 04) were ok, but a little mismatched with the Ataris.

Also seen The Darkness (as support to Metallica and then headlining Ireland's major festival in less than a year), Linkin Park, The Lost Prophets, Slipknot, Mastodon and Hatebreed (Slayer/Slipknot tour), Shadows Fall, God Forbid, Twisted Brown Trucker Band (supporting Kid Rock in Canada) and all the ones mentioned above as well as a few others I cant remember (oh yeah, Blanche, Peaches, Mundy and the New York Dolls).

Im also going to see The Datsuns (with Velvet Revolver), Diamond Head (with Megadeth), whoever supports Green Day and Killing Joke (with Motley Crue in Manchester in June).

Static-SC

I went to the last Korn gig to see Static-X.. They put on an even better show than Korn who played much longer than them...

Mr. CooL ICE

Yeah, for Metallica in '03, i wasn't a bit happy that Linkin Park were supporting, but I made the most of it, and spent lots of time moshing. The good thing about them was that the songs were so predictable, that you knew when the song was going to change so that suited the moshing perfectly.

Come to think about it, I think i abused Metallica and left Linkin Park alone! I didnt shout anything during Linkin Park, but when Hetfield asked "So, do you like the new album", I just roared "Yeah, it's f*cking sh*ite". The people in front of me just turned around and said "Fair nuff!".

But yeah, abusing support bands is wrong, but is justified for headlining sellouts

It wasn't me!

Went to RHCP primarily for the Pixies. So good. I hate the idea of abusing a support band. After all, put yourself in their position. You're starting out. You're not good enough to have your own slot. You're taking everything you can to get the experience under your belt. You're playing a show with a band much bigger than you and you may feel a little out of place with the majority of the people in the audience not caring about you. The last thing you need is some ignorant gob****e who thinks just because he bought his ticket he owns the place to sit there giving you grief just because he didn't come to see you. That's the kind of crap bands just don't need.

AngelofFire

I got free tickets for metallica in 03 but went mainly to see linkin park, i was outraged by the ignorant scum, in long hair and leather jackets who only wash themselves every second sunday who were throwing missiles. If you don`t like the band get out of the arena while they are on.

eoin5

Heh Maiden in dec '03 and funeral for a friend opened!
why? no solos, no visual spectacle, would have made as much sense having Twink up there.

We got caught in a similar scenario when we opened for pinhead (ramones tribute), and us being a young alt-rock group in front of 40+s wanting to relive their punk adolescence... well we didnt exactly connect.

smackbunnybaby

i would definitley go see a concert purely for the support.i have before.

one thing bands have to watch thou is bringing a support band on tour who might show them up!!!!
and it does happen.........

dregin

smackbunnybaby wrote:

i would definitley go see a concert purely for the support.i have before.

one thing bands have to watch thou is bringing a support band on tour who might show them up!!!!
and it does happen.........

haha. Like when Mixtwitch "showed up" Finch.....................ahem.

John

smackbunnybaby wrote:

one thing bands have to watch thou is bringing a support band on tour who might show them up!!!!
and it does happen.........

On one of System of a Down's tours they got the Dillinger Escape Plan to support. Having seen both bands I know that Dillinger would show SOAD up but due to the fact that the majority of SOAD fans would not like Dillinger (who I admit are an acquired taste) Dillinger managed to just piss off the crowd every night. In an interview they said that by the end of the tour they were doing their best to make the audience regret turning up early.