When I go to a show I make a point to catch the opening bands. I’ve always been baffled by the people who casually roll in the door ten minutes before the main act starts playing, especially at a general admission event where location is key. It’s like skipping breakfast! Openers are always excited to be on stage and that means you can count on a good show. I decided I should pay some respect by making a list of the five most life-changing opening acts I’ve personally seen live.

Radiohead for Alanis Morissette, August 1996 @ Great Woods, Mansfield MA

I bet you’re thinking, “Woah, Radiohead opened for Alanis Morissette?!?!” I myself had to double-check the tour history to make sure I wasn’t remembering something that didn’t happen. It’s the truth though. This was my first major concert event. I was in the fifth grade. Truth be told I HATED Radiohead, whom I’d never heard of before the show, and thought they were just a big mess of noise. I mean come on, I was in fifth grade and going to see Alanis Morissette. What did I know?

I didn’t put Radiohead on my list because I enjoyed them but because I can think back and appreciate what a unique occasion this show was.

Queens of The Stone Age for Foo Fighters, November 2000 @ The Palladium, Worcester MA

QOTSA made this list based solely on the drumming of Gene Trautmann. I couldn’t stop watching him. He wore a dark hoodie that mostly obscured his stalky frame, literally drooling as he beat the drums into a coma. I had been drumming for about a year and I thank Gene for a serious increase in volume after that show.

Photo by José Calvo

Austin TV for Café Tacuba
November 2007 @ The Roxy, Boston MA

I’m not sure how many Mexican instrumental acts there are that perform live in dinosaur masks, but Austin TV has to be my favorite out of all of them. It’s rare that I get that excited by an instrumental band. Everything they did was perfect to me; their aggression was palpable but not over the top. To me they were dinosaurs! After the show my friend and I found one of the band members in the lobby, still wearing his mask, and struck up a conversation. I was excited and nervous to chat with him in Spanish… he could tell and switched to English after trying French as well for some reason. I asked which CD was their latest and bought it. Unfortunately, I don’t think their live show can be topped and I didn’t listen to the disc as much as I thought I would. Either way it was still worth the money for their album art, which was an impresively long and detailed storybook complete with sketches and journal entries.

The Veils for Liam Finn, October 2007 @ The Paradise, Boston MA

The Veils put on one of the most honest shows I’ve seen. Frontman Finn Andrews’ unpredictable dynamics made it impossible to turn away while bassist Sophia Burn swayed rhythmically behind him. She was probably unable to see him at all through the chaotic mess of hair she never stopped to sweep out of her face. Both seemed capable of breaking down at any moment. It’s not worth going on with explanation because time spent reading about this band is time that could be spent listening to them. Taking in their live show is like crying without knowing if you’re sad or happy; you just know it’s making you feel better. The Veils’ new CD Sun Gangs comes out April 6th.

Burma live.

Mission of Burma for the Pixies, December 2004 @ UMass Amherst

Mission of Burma has been my favorite band since I saw them play this show. It wasn’t surprising that I had never heard of them before; the band had just reunited after a 20 year hiatus. I wasn’t born yet when they originally called it quits. Though I’ve read the reviews and know many people would disagree, I think they blew everyone else out of the water that night. I was so busy being caught off guard and thinking, “What just happened?” that I didn’t even pay that much attention to the Pixies. I’ve seen Burma 7 or 8 times since then as headliners and can’t wait until their new album comes out, hopefully later this year.