Bands you saw in concert before they were famous

speaking of Edwin McCain... the first time I saw him was in a little bar in downtown Augusta, couldn't have been more than about 75 people there. One of the greatest shows, music wise, I've seen.

Gavin DeGraw opened for Sister Hazel, and if you can count them, Sister Hazel ...

 

Saw Liz Phair play a coffee shop in probably 1992 or 1993. I was mesmerized. I think this was just before Guyville came out.

 

I saw the three in bold many times.

 

I have seen The Roots, who have never been as famous as they should be, live when they released Do You Want More.

They aren't very famous, so they probably don't count.

 

Sirs, Madames,

I saw the B-52s with less than 40 people--and we went as a group of ten--at the Edge before they had an album out.

I climbed in the window at the Edge to see the Police--house max was not even 200--their first album was just out.

I saw REM at Larry's Hideaway (now a vacant lot on Carlton) before they had an album.

I saw Bachman-Turner Overdrive at the Victory Burlesque with less than 100 in attendance. They played a high school dance the night before.

I guess Rush would count ... at the Gasworks on or about the time their first album came out ... I think I had satin pants and platforms.

o-<

 

Hey baby, it's a quarter to eight, I feel I'm in the mood...

 

saw U2 open up for the J. Geils band in 81 or 82. October tour. Alumni gym, University of Tennessee. Saw them blow it out with 150 or so people, left before J. Geils b/c Rod Stewart was playing the same night at the coliseum.

 

Would've loved to have seen that. Guyville is one of my favorite albums. Must've listened to that record at least a hundred times. Sadly she kinda fell off a cliff with her later stuff.

 

I grew up in Athens, so I saw just about everyone that was coming along in the 80s and early 90s. REM's practice space used to be across the street from my dad's office and we'd open the window and listen to them practice.

 

Most of the bands I listen never have been and never will be famous.. But ff we use getting on mainstream radio and/or MTV as a sign of success, then I guess I've seen a few.

I saw Dashboard Confessional on his first tour (and saw him with Further Seems Forever before that). He managed to get on a tour with his South Florida pals New Found Glory, but the crowd was completely bored, booed him, and the sound guy cut him off mid-song when his 15 minutes were up. No, you can't even finish your song, he told him. Twice. Two years later, he was selling out a venue twice the size across town as the headliner.

I saw Coheed & Cambria right after that Second Stage Turbine album was released, whatever it's called, came out. They played for about 20 people, 19 of whom were there to see the headliner, River City High.

I saw Rilo Kiley at 20- or 30-person shows a couple times before they got pretty popular. My friend asked their guitar player some questions about what it was like being on Salute Your Shorts and he yelled at us. Now he must get it 100 times a night when they're on tour.

I saw Against Me! a handful of times when it was still a two-person thing. Judging by the backlash against them on the music boards I read, they're getting some radio play and have some videos on television now.

I spent the night hanging out with Atreyu when they stayed at a friends house. They were on what I think was their second tour and opening for Snapcase. They were getting paid something like $200 a night and were complaining Snapcase was getting $5,000. They are now packing shows with silly looking teenagers.

 

I saw No Doubt open for someone - maybe Fishbone - when Gwen Stefani was the backup singer and was still in high school. That was about eight years before Tragic Kingdom came out.

Saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a bar the week their first album came out.

This sort of fits - saw a band called Psi Com open for Fishbone. They were terrible I learned later that they only played like two shows. The lead singer shuffled the band and changed the name to Jane's Addiction.

 

Count me in with those of you that saw DMB in the early 90s. The were the first of eight bands to play the main stage of the HORDE tour in 1994.

I also saw White Zombie in 1995, before Rob branched off.