A friend of mine told me that he saw Nirvana live before their commercial success. Did you have a chance to see someone before they got famous? Tell us your story

my brother saw Nirvana too before they became famous (the were a supporting act for another band). He always tells the story like: After Nirvana's set people look and each other saying: "quite nice, but nothing special" and not too many expected to hear about that band again…

ACDC



ROCKMAN

Lenny Kravitz

I used to hang out with the Flaming Lips

UB40: Saw them at college when they were supporting the Pretenders. At the time the Pretenders had No.1 records both sides of the Atlantic (Brass in pocket). UB40 blew them away.
Saw Def Leppard on a double bill with Iron Maiden at Newcastle Mayfair(2 quid to get in, if I remeber correctly) : Def Leppard had just released their own label first EP, Iron Maiden still had their original singer Paul Dianno (sp?).

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, saw them in Santa Cruz California at a half full club around 1984-85?

And I saw U2 play a free concert at San Jose State University, It was right after Boy came out so ther were kind of known by then but still a relatively small act.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-05-29 12:58 by Ket.

Did a MUSE interview in 1999 when they were just 3 cute lil lads...

U2 - Marquee London 4 times in 1980
AC/DC - Marquee 1976
The Ramones - supporting Flamin' Groovies at Roundhouse, London July 4 1976
The Stranglers - supporting Pink Fairies at Marquee 1975
Went to college with Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten 74/75
REM - Marquee and Dingwalls 1983

Squeeze (already famous in UK - not famous in US), 1980
Dinosaur Junior (bizarre outdoor party New Year's Eve), 1986-7
Pixies (small show in Boston and at party), 1986
Camper Van Beethoven (tho never got huge), 1987
Morphine (tho never got "huge" ), 1991
Breeders (tho ppl already knew them because Kim Deal had been in Pixies), 1992
Radiohead, 1993, 1996 (still not huge)
Beck, 1993? 94?
Liz Phair (tho' she had just released her first album so kinda famous already?), 1993
Sleater Kinney (tho they never got "huge" ), 1996
Built to Spill (never got "huge" ), 1994
Pavement (never got "huge" )
Thievery Corporation, 1995 or 96 (my neighbors in DC)
Arcade Fire, late 2004/early 2005
.....................

I think a bunch more...

swiss



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-05-29 15:16 by swiss.

I could also list a few acts I have seen before they got huge, then never got huge.

Impressive list Silver Dagger.

AC/DC, U2 and the Stranglers would be top ones for me.

I saw Led Zep in 1972 and 75 at Ally Pally and Earls Court, but they were big, big back in them days.

Also The Who a couple of times at Wembley Arena back in 70's with Keith Moon in the band.
Just remembered Joe Bonamassa at Boom Boom Club Sutton in February 2006.
Great days. ><








Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2015-05-29 14:46 by crawdaddy.

Linda Lovelace



ROCKMAN

Nobody. I like to see artists who've been around awhile and have an extensive catalog from which to compile their setlists. The idea of seeing someone play every song on their first and as yet only album has never really appealed to me, no matter how good they may be.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-05-29 13:48 by tatters.

A Dutch band called Skik,
I played with them one time as a stand-in drummer at a small gig.

A few years later they played as support act for the Rolling Stones here in the Netherlands....

Stevie Ray Vaughan @ Paradiso
Roy Buchanan @ Paradiso

Became more famous after they died ...

Andrew Roachford presenting his debut album at the Docks in Hamburg 1988

Quote
Silver Dagger
U2 - Marquee London 4 times in 1980
AC/DC - Marquee 1976
The Ramones - supporting Flamin' Groovies at Roundhouse, London July 4 1976
The Stranglers - supporting Pink Fairies at Marquee 1975
Went to college with Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten 74/75
REM - Marquee and Dingwalls 1983

That's cool, Mike! How were they?

Ben Harper

Some great lists out there!

So to all those who put their lists: what were your impression after the shows? Did you feel that you'd just seen someone important or was it just another show for you, or maybe it was awful?

I saw The Flaming Lips back in 1994. At the time it seemed like I was going to see them after they became famous. Because they'd been around for a little while but they'd just started getting some serious radio play with She Don't Use Jelly. But in hindsight that wasn't nearly as famous as they'd become after The Soft Bulletin and all the mainstream success of the 00's and 10's. I like them, but I'm not a big fan or anything. At the time I just liked that song, and we went to the show, then I didn't remember hearing anything about them for a long time. As far as I knew they were just some one-hit-wonder from the mid-90's. Then in the early 2000's I heard they were all the rage, although with a somewhat altered lineup and sound than what they were doing in '94.

I saw Verve before they added the The to their name. Supporting The Black Crowes November 1992 at Newcastle City Hall.

AC/DC opening for KISS at the Capital Center, Landover MD 1977. It was my first big concert.

Saw The Stones the next year at The Warner Theatre, WASH DC (SG/Out on Bail Tour)

Or was it just my imagination once again, running away with me?

Quote
NoCode0680
I saw The Flaming Lips back in 1994. At the time it seemed like I was going to see them after they became famous. Because they'd been around for a little while but they'd just started getting some serious radio play with She Don't Use Jelly. But in hindsight that wasn't nearly as famous as they'd become after The Soft Bulletin and all the mainstream success of the 00's and 10's. I like them, but I'm not a big fan or anything. At the time I just liked that song, and we went to the show, then I didn't remember hearing anything about them for a long time. As far as I knew they were just some one-hit-wonder from the mid-90's. Then in the early 2000's I heard they were all the rage, although with a somewhat altered lineup and sound than what they were doing in '94.

I was in a hardcore punk band in the early/mid 80's & we played in Norman , Tulsa & Oklahoma City quite often. The girl who functioned as our promoter/road manager at the time was dating Wayne Coyne & they would open for us in OKC & we would open for them when they came to KCMO. We stayed in Waynes apartment when we were in Oklahoma & they stayed at my apartment when they were in KC.

Other bands that we hung out with that have since become well known:

Dead Kennedys
Black Flag
Circle Jerks
Replacements
Husker Du
Misfits
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Bad Brains
Minor Threat



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2015-05-29 15:18 by keithglimmer.

AC/DC (Opening for Kiss 12/12/77)
Flaming Lips (My band opened for them, Athens, GA, 1989)
Primus (opened for my band in Lexington, KY 1988 I think)
Afghan Whigs (opened for my band in Lexington, KY 1986 I think)
R.E.M. Nashville 1984 (War Memorial Auditorium)
Jason & the Nashville Scorchers (Cantrell's, Nashville, 1983)
The Replacements (Cantrell's, Nashville, 1985)

U2 in 1979 at Stokvishal, Arnhem, Holland. 700 people attended.

Jeroen

REM, in Athens, GA

Brooce and the E Street Band at Stony Brook U in 73 or 74 I forget, just before the second album came out. Free for students, the gym was half full. He made many fans that night.

I grew up in the southwest of England and know a couple of people who saw Muse when they were just starting out as a local band in Teignmouth during the 1990s.

Quote
crawdaddy

Also The Who a couple of times at Wembley Arena back in 70's with Keith Moon in the band.

"Before they got famous". No-one headlines Wembley Stadium unless they are famous - it's a definition of fame!

To the best of my recollection they were famous by then!

I did see The Who in a tiny tiny venue (Assembly Rooms Worthing) in a pre-tour warm up gig that was advertised only in the Brighton Evening Argus in 1972. That was more than interesting.

As my substantive pre-fame I'll drop in seeing Cream when I was at university - about a month after they formed. Loud.