Warm up acts,before the main event

[davidr]

I remember reading somewhere that the Tops found following Edwin Starr and Junior Walker tough because they were such great live acts.They had to be on the top of their game,always were.

[smark21]

Be interesting to find out if people here remember shows they attended in which one of the opening acts stole the show from the headliner, no matter how good the headliner might have done that night?

[nosey]

I remember at the Uptown in Philly that the Magnificent Men stole the show from the Meters.

[stephanie]

I saw Procol Harum on a bill with someone in the 90s [[reunion concert) I forgot who it was they were the opening act and the blew the main act away! Im not saying this because I am a fan of the Harum but even people in the audience wanted to see more of them and the main act was BIG at the time. Like the Supremes ..Procol Harum has a RABID following maybe more so than the Motown fans but I will say this I would not have wanted to follow these guys Gary Brooker was on his game and he had the audience mesmerized with his voice even some of the material that the uninitiated would not have known.

[Sotosound]

I went to see the Detroit Spinners opening for the Four Tops at the Hammersmith Odeon in November 1973. Sorry to say that they were better than the Four Tops on that particular day.

In 1980, I went to see Edwin Starr opening for Marvin Gaye at the Royal Albert Hall. That was the period when Marvin was struggling with drugs, taxes etc. and he was thin as a rake. That day, Edwin put his everything in and wowed the audience whereas Marvin's mojo had clearly deserted him. He worked very hard and his voice was strong, but something wasn't right and it just didn't click. This was quite the opposite to when I'd previously seen him at the same venue in 1976 and enjoyed a really good night.

[stephanie]

Sotosound its funny Marvin is such an icon you never really hear about him doing any bad shows. Edwin Starr always put his heart and soul into his performances. Even when he did his Eye to Eye Contact and recordings where he fell into the disco scene he was supersoulful as well as his studio arrangements. I put him up there with Wilson Pickett. I think that is why the brits liked Edwin so much he never dissapointed to my knowledge.

[motony]

In 76 seein Bootseys Rubber Band & then Parliment/Funkadelic open for Chaka/Rufus.Bootseys LP & Mothership Connection had just been released "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker" was just starting to happen & they did tear the roof off the sucker & Chaka & Rufus were jus kinda tired. Then it seemed like only a few months later Bootseys Rubber Band opened for Natalie Cole, well sorry to say people were walking out on Natalie by the hundreds, us included to continue the funk party!

[stephanie]

I hate to say this but the two times I have gone to see Chaka with Rufus and once without I was dissapointed. It was like she was on another planet she was as high as a kite. I can remember her not hitting notes [[and this is when Rufus was in their prime) and missing lyrics. When I saw her with Al Jarreau she was lackluster. I love her studio tunes but I was never satisfied with her live performances. There was some show 15-20 years ago and she was on with Valerie Simpson and she was sitting on a stool and they had to hold her up it was on TV my mother and I couldnt believe what we were seeing. It was never aired again I wish I could remember the name of the show.

[motony]

stephanie, your right about that, I think Chaka is better on record for whatever the reasons are, imho.

[nabob]

In a 1968 show at Madison Square Garden [NYC], Gladys Knight & the Pips opened for the Tempts. Needless to say, the Pips were so much more entertaining than the Tempts. The Tempts were no slouchers. Tickets were provided by a neighbor's DJ grandson. The concert was on a school night and my rear end was busted for going. The concert was worth every bit of the punishment.

[paladin]

I saw Gladys and The Pips smoke the Temptations at Mill Run Theater in early eighties.........

I saw the Tempts get blown away by the Ojays at Holiday Star in Merriville Indiana in late eighties.

The Manhattans smoked the Ojays at Holiday Star......

The Time outperformed Prince and Vanity Six at the Auditorium [[ Chicago)in the same time period. That did not sit well with the Purple One.......The Time were so hot that all the shenanigans performed by Prince that night including faux masturbating with his guitar and jumping on top of the huge speakers really didn't go over well with that crowd.

Who woulda thought.......:-)

[glencro]

stephanie, your right about that, I think Chaka is better on record for whatever the reasons are, imho.

I've seen Chaka at her worst and I've experienced her in concert when she blew the roof off. New year's eve 1998 at the Fox Theater. Her voice soarded through out the place and she sang hits and rare album cuts and wowed the crowd with every number. I saw her two months ago and she put on a great free concert. However, I do know some people who are afraid to go see her a second time because they "don't know what they might get".