How many have opened for Big headed bands?

Time Consumer · #1 07-30-2008, 04:57 PM

I bring this up cuz last week my bro had a show this weekend opening for Blind melon in Chicago, if you dont know who they are, I dont blame you. They are a one hit wonder from the 90's, my girlfriend had to play their hit for me cuz i had no idea who they were, but im sure you've probly heard it somewhere. Anyway, they were total assholes, even though my bro and his band didnt get to talk to them. Thats precisely why they are a-holes, when my bro's band showed up, their manager told them not to bother the band and when they come out, dont try to talk to them. I was like, who the hell do they think they are, U2, I had no idea who they were till my girl played their crappy song that I'd heard on the radio and on some tv commercial a couple times. The real kicker was, they wanted his band to pay them to open for them, the only reason they made a profit was that they let my bro's band sell some tickets to cover the cost. So anyone else have stories of opening for some big headed band with no reason to be big headed.

Nigel Rahmshard · #2 07-30-2008, 11:48 PM

Theyre singer shannon hoon sung some background vocals and was in a video with guns and roses, i think he died of the heroin in the mid 90's. Whoever singers currently has no reason to have a big head.

skiscem · #3 07-30-2008, 11:50 PM

dont cry video

Sahm · #4 07-31-2008, 12:05 AM

Wow, I guess technically they are a one hit wonder, but I wouldn't have thought of that until this thread. When they did hit, they were huge, as I suppose most one-hit wonders are at the time, but I think the difference is, it seemed like they were going to last, until their singer OD'ed. I wasn't a fan or anything, but they had such a market presence at the time, they probably would have been right up there with STP or Smashing Pumpkins ( go ahead, flame away STP and SP fans!). So, maybe they're all bitter because their meal ticket left them high and dry, so to speak! Of course, there's a possibility that it's all the manager. The band possibly wouldn't have mind chatting, but the manager wanted to keep the "air of greatness" around them!

Doc Labyrinth · #5 07-31-2008, 12:06 AM

yeah i do like that song no rain or whatever it's called, but their lead singer is dead they haven't done anything in at least 10 years, those jerks.

Nasnederis · #6 07-31-2008, 12:10 AM

Blind Melon was such an amazing band with a great singer, great bassist and a pair of great guitars. They released a new album with another singer wich is very good. You have to check the Soup album. Incredible, as someone says, they will be big right now. Blame the manager for your brother thing.

modulusman · #7 07-31-2008, 08:05 AM

They probably figured your brothers band was a bunch of losers since they paid to open for them. I would not want to talk to your brothers band either.

DudeistMonk · #8 07-31-2008, 11:05 AM

Blind Mellon is awesome... they have that great jam rock feel and Shannon was a great vocalist when he was still kickin.

They are such talented musicians, made it to the top, their vocalist couldn't keep off the needle and now they are back doing clubs. I would be a little bitter too, me thinks. Plus the band was never mean to anyone in your story, only their management, and last I checked that sorta comes with being management.

BassScum · #9 07-31-2008, 11:20 AM

Your young age really shows on your comments. Blind Melon was great. Unfortunatly with Shannon Hoons passing they will never be what they were. I'm not sure if they have the original bassist but he was great. His bass tone and lines really stood out in the mix. If you listened to the other songs on the No Rain album (i think that was the name of the album) you would probably appreciate their talent. I saw them in concert with STP and Neil Young in the early 90's and they were great.

RSJ4STRING · #10 07-31-2008, 11:21 AM

I like Blind Melon back in the day. So whose the new singer?

lowendgenerator · #11 07-31-2008, 11:22 AM

Lolz! I was supposed to go to that show. Blind Melon and Fastball playing for free @ Lincoln Park zoo, downtown Chicago? I bet it was friggin sweet.

Telling the local support not to bother the bands is standard procedure. I heard the same line when we opened for Killswitch Engage. "Do not initiate contact with the band. Do not make eye contact with the band blah blah blah."

Who is your brother and what band is he in?

txbasschik · #12 07-31-2008, 11:25 AM

It was probably the manager. Managers can ruin a perfectly nice band. Used to be friends with this young guitarist...good-looking guy, hot player. His management has turned him into this creature...stuck-up, can't give us the time of day anymore. Sad.

As far as Blind Melon making your bro's band pay to open for them...why did they ever agree to such a thing? NEVER pay to play!!! Its a horrible practice, and I wouldn't do it even if it was the Stones I was paying to open for. It is never worth it. We get paid to do what we do...we don't pay other to let us, you know?

I'm sorry your bro had such an experience. I once opened for Dee Day and the H-Bombs, who were my punk heroes back in the late 70's/early 80's. In '81, Dee came to play a show in McAllen, and my band was to open for them. We were told to appear to sound check at 4 p.m. We did. The bar was closed. We finally found the manager, who said that, due to Dee's contract, no one was to be allowed in the bar until 7 p.m., at which time she would have her sound check, and then we could set our stuff up and have ours.

We were supposed to play at 8 p.m.!!! We had no time to set up, sound check, nothing. My drummer's kit started to come apart, because we'd just thrown it together. I'm standing there, singing (I fronted back then), tightening wing nuts.

I was PI$$ED!!! She was nasty and arrogant to us, and cost us our sound because she was selfish and stuck up.

So...I did all her hits. I had elected not to do those covers, out of respect to her. But, since she didn't respect us, I decided to repay her in kind. I did every, last one of the songs of hers that I knew. Danged near her whole set.

It pays to be nice, it really does!

Cherie

gonzorob · #13 07-31-2008, 12:00 PM

+1 for everyone who says the manager is to blame here.

I went to see Blind Melon last winter and the band was VERY accessible/approachable. I talked to everyone but the drummer at length and can say from my experience that they are class act guys and great to shoot the shat about music with.

Tell your brother that dealing with douchebags is all part of growing up.

dukaruk · #14 07-31-2008, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txbasschik

So...I did all her hits. I had elected not to do those covers, out of respect to her. But, since she didn't respect us, I decided to repay her in kind. I did every, last one of the songs of hers that I knew. Danged near her whole set.

That is frickin hilarious. Nice work!

txbasschik · #15 07-31-2008, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukaruk

That is frickin hilarious. Nice work!

Thanks! I was pretty proud of it. Her reaction was *priceless*! OMG, her face...oh, I wish I had a picture of that face when I opened my show with "Too Young To Date"!

She was madder than a wet cat. But that's what she gets for making her opening band wait out in the cold rain in their van for three hours while she played punk diva.

She bought and paid for that show, she surely did. I hope she learned to treat her sisters better. An angry, cold, and wet punk girl singer who didn't get a sound check is nothing to trifle with.

Cherie

UncleBalsamic · #16 07-31-2008, 02:41 PM

Nice one Cherie

txbasschik · #17 07-31-2008, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleBalsamic

Nice one Cherie

Thanks! Mama taught her little girl well.

Cherie

mrokern · #18 07-31-2008, 02:56 PM

It's the manager. I no longer bother listening to artist management when I'm working audio gigs unless I'm working for the artist.

I got the "Don't make eye contact" crap from Britney's (yeah, her) manager back in the day when she was still a teenie bopper. I just laughed and went back to plugging in mic lines. I was the monitor tech at the festival, what was he going to do, run without a monitor rig?

I got the "nobody goes near my star" garbage at an Alan Jackson show a few years ago when I was working local crew. Pathetic, especially since AJ himself can be a really nice guy. The steward was kind enough to tell the manager that unless he wanted his star to fall off the stage before he even got to perform, it would be in their best interest to let me finish securing the ramp to the back of the stage.

-Mark

txbasschik · #19 07-31-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrokern

It's the manager. I no longer bother listening to artist management when I'm working audio gigs unless I'm working for the artist.

I got the "Don't make eye contact" crap from Britney's (yeah, her) manager back in the day when she was still a teenie bopper. I just laughed and went back to plugging in mic lines. I was the monitor tech at the festival, what was he going to do, run without a monitor rig?

I got the "nobody goes near my star" garbage at an Alan Jackson show a few years ago when I was working local crew. Pathetic, especially since AJ himself can be a really nice guy. The steward was kind enough to tell the manager that unless he wanted his star to fall off the stage before he even got to perform, it would be in their best interest to let me finish securing the ramp to the back of the stage.

-Mark

Yeah, Alan Jackson got a reputation for being stuck-up and what-not, totally undeserved and totally cultivated by his management. I hope he's got better people around him now.

Cherie

mrokern · #20 07-31-2008, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txbasschik

Yeah, Alan Jackson got a reputation for being stuck-up and what-not, totally undeserved and totally cultivated by his management. I hope he's got better people around him now.

Cherie

I was one of them who thought that, since all my dealings had been of the negative sort. I finally got to spend some time around some of his crew (and him in passing) at a show later on away from the handlers, and he was very funny and engaging.

-Mark