09:01 AM, Friday 3/19/10 8 | | Tweet
One of the more climactic moments of any headlining show is the first five minutes as the act you’ve anticipated seeing for weeks, even months, finally takes the stage.
But what are some of the more memorable moments when it comes to concert openers? Was AC/DC’s spectacular explosions and animated clip leading into the band’s first number the best opening you ever saw? Or do you prefer even more flash, like the film montage opening Madonna’s shows or a caged Britney floating down from the rafters?
Elvis used to strut on stage to the sounds of Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra” otherwise known as the theme to “2001 Space Odyssey.” Both Yes and The Flaming Lips have relied on Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” to herald their respective entrances and KISS packs plenty of pyro, flash and special effects into the first five minutes of any night’s performance to bring even the most mild-mannered fan to his or her feet.
The first few minutes of any show can often set the stage for what’s yet to come. What are some of the more magnificent concert entrances you’ve had the pleasure to witness over the years? Bounce the concept around betwixt your ears for a few minutes and then post your thoughts in the comment thread below.
--Jay Smith
09:25 AM, Mar 19, 2010
Motley Crue's 2005-2006 tour opener was great. It build up gradually with lots of anticipation by the time they hit the stage.
www.youtube.com/watch
10:02 AM, Mar 19, 2010
come on, george michael 25live.
10:18 AM, Mar 19, 2010
Although Metallica's traditional enterance music, the theme to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", usually gives me goosebumps, the opening of the "Load" tour in 1997 was spectacular. They took the stage with the house light on, and played "So What". Half the audience was still in the coucourse, so it was insane to see everyone flood into the arena, shocked that Metallica was on the stage. The house lights remained on into their second song, Creeping Death...then there was a sudden explosion, the house lights went off, and lighting rigs collapsed (by design). It was organized chaos. That theme continued throught the show, as "crew members" were set on fire and hung from the rafters, a play on the malfunction that injured James Hetfield at the infamous Guns 'n Roses riot in Montreal.
10:30 AM, Mar 19, 2010
Balkan Beat Box - when I saw them a few years back, they entered the theatre from house left, all pounding on percussive instruments. Marched around the theatre for a few getting people all riled up. Excellent!
10:49 AM, Mar 19, 2010
Alice Cooper's "King of the Silver Screen" tour in 1977 with the giant TV screen on the stage. Alice and the dancing spiders or whatever else he had on the stage would jump back and forth through the screen. It was timed perfectly so when they would go through the screen they would be ON the screen and the reverse going from being a video on the screen and back on the stage. This was in 1977 and not using computer technology like they have now. They were timing it to a movie projector that was mounted on a tower two-thirds of the way across the arena. Most the effects you see in shows today were pioneered by Alice and the original Alice Cooper Band. But he's not good enough to be in the R & R Hall of Fame...
11:38 AM, Mar 19, 2010
Greystoke124 I saw Alice Cooper's "King of the Silver Screen" tour in 1977 with the giant TV screen on the stage. That was excellent! They showed a video of him running up to the camera and then suddenly he jumped off the screen and onto the stage! Talk about a great entrance! Another great entrance was David Lee Roth in 1987 when he rappelled down to the stage from the overhead lighting rafters. Supertramps 1983 opening with the video of the man crossing the tightrope to the drumbeat of Don't Leave Me Now before breaking into Crazy was pretty cool. And then ending the show with a video of that tightrope leading up to the man behind the bars ala Crime of the Century was cool too.
02:35 PM, Mar 19, 2010
I've seen hundreds of concerts, starting back in 1982. And so far, no grand entrance has surpassed Madonna on her 2006 "Confessions" tour. The equestrian themed video montage, followed by the singer "descending" to the stage in a giant disco ball was just an awesome, awe- inspiring overture for a spectacular show all around. I'll never forget it!
05:27 PM, May 10, 2010
There are tons of great entrances done to other pieces of music, but it is truly impressive to see an artist appear to their own composition. It takes a special amount of talent to create something with that kind of dramatic buildup, AND create the more pithy songs that pack the house. The best examples I've ever seen are Elton John appearing to the opening of Funeral for a Friend, and Genesis slipping onto stage in the dark and opening with Behind the Lines. However the two oddest and most surprising moments were:
1a-Roger Waters at the Gorge at George in 2000. Being buzzed by a Jet as the intro to In the Flesh...stunning, scary, and exhilarating. And, post 9/11, never to be repeated anywhere.
1b-Paul MacCartney's entrance in 2003 following 15 minutes of circus performers and oddities on stage, in the audience etc, and when finally everyone was totally distracted to the sides as the performers left up the aisles, a huge guitar chord and Paul's silhouette on the scrim. Hello Goodbye launched with most still greatly surprised.
www.grahambanks.com
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