{"id":171,"date":"2020-02-28T08:28:25","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T16:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/backstagepass.concertarchives.org\/?p=171"},"modified":"2020-02-28T14:32:07","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T22:32:07","slug":"opening-bands-that-changed-our-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.concertarchives.org\/backstagepass\/opening-bands-that-changed-our-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening Bands That Changed Our Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Freshman year of college, I went with a friend to see MuteMath at Mr. Smalls Theatre<\/a> in Pittsburgh. We planned to get there just before MuteMath went on, but we happened to arrive just in time to catch the opener, Romes<\/a>. We loved them so much, we caught a Greyhound to Cleveland the next day to see them play again! Romes has become one of my favorite live bands, I’m super thankful I accidentally got there in time to see them play. Serendipity!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Discovering a new band that you absolutely love is one the best feelings in the world, so we asked 7 fans about that magical moment of falling in love with an opening band:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Citizen by Charlyne<\/em><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In 2018, I followed over half of The Story So Far<\/a>\u2019s European tour, and Citizen<\/a> were supporting. I had heard of them, but hadn’t listened to them before the first show<\/a> in Berlin. I immediately fell in love. They played \u201cThe Night I Drove Alone,\u201d and the singalongs in the venue gave me chills. The second show of the tour was a seven hour bus journey away, and I spent it all listening to them because I wanted to take part in the singalong!<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\"Citizen<\/a>
Citizen on their European tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n

By the end of the tour, I knew most of their songs by heart, and they have since become one of my favourite bands. I saw them headline a show in London a few months later, and I can\u2019t wait until they tour again. Listening to them always takes me back to my favourite European adventure, and that night in Berlin is the definition of love at first sight.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

– Charlyne<\/em><\/p>\r\n

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Direct Hit! by Aaz R.<\/em><\/h2>\r\n

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I saw Direct Hit!<\/a> open for Anti-Flag and Reel Big Fish at The Ritz Ybor in Tampa, FL<\/a>. This is still probably my favorite show that I’ve ever been to. It’s super important to me because after this night, I started making it a point to see more live music based on how much fun I had. Direct Hit! played an amazing set, and were super friendly and welcoming towards me and my little cousin (imagine two small teenage asian girls at a punk gig) when we talked to them at their merch table.<\/p>\r\n

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They played pretty accessible\/smaller gigs around Tampa, so my cousin and I did our best to go to as many as we could. They even recognized us and thanked us for making it when we saw them. I’m really glad I got into DH!, they showed me how much more intimate smaller bands can be and encouraged me to get into local music!<\/p>\r\n

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– Aaz R.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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De’Wayne Jackson by Frankie B.<\/em><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I was going to see the band Waterparks<\/a> for the first time, on the very first show of their tour<\/a>.\u00a0 I was super excited to see one of my favorite bands live. Just before the tour started, there was some drama regarding the originally selected openers, but in the end, the opener was De’Wayne Jackson<\/a>. I had vaguely heard of him before, but I had never listened to his music at the time. His set was exciting and energetic, and De’Wayne is truly the sweetest person. That show really made me fall in love with his work, and I’ve been a fan ever since.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

– Frankie B.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Wurlitzer by Brodie Normandin<\/em><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Around Christmas 2018, my friend Luke Rainsford headlined a show in Birmingham, UK and chose a local band I hadn’t heard of as the opener. The band is called Wurlitzer. We got down early to The Sunflower Lounge, a little 150-cap room beneath a bar in the city centre. A quirky 5-piece band dressed in black with white shoes<\/a> took to the stage with an assortment of instruments, including synth and flute, alongside the typical indie-rock setup. However when they burst into their debut single ‘Origami,’ they were anything but “typical indie-rock.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n