Best You Ever Saw (Playing Support)

20 Apr 2010264
Lenny Kravitz, Interpol, Snow Patrol, Kasabian, Razorlight, The Fray, One Republic: depending on where you're seeing U2 this year, you'll also get to see one of the above. Last year you might have caught Kaiser Chiefs, Glasvegas, The Hours, Elbow or Muse.

And over the years some pretty fine bands have rocked the house just a few minutes before the main attraction took the stage - sometimes long before they became household names themselves.

(In fact we got so overcome at the memory of the great acts who've played with U2 that we pulled together this little gallery.)

Anyone see The Kings of Leon or The Killers on the Vertigo Tour ? Or Garbage or Stereophonics on the Elevation Tour? Public Enemy or Stereo MC's on ZOO TV ? BB King on Lovetown ? How about The Pretenders or Los Lobos or Lou Reed on The Joshua Tree Tour in the 1980's? Or Lone Justice when the band were touring The Unforgettable Fire. And, come to think of it, what about The Pixies, PJ Harvey, Patti Smith...



Was there an act you first discovered when they came out on stage before U2? Who was the best act you ever saw with them... and why? (Don't forget to include the tour or year of the show.)
Comments
264
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anniebear
Supports:
The Pretenders, Stereo MC's, The Killers and The Hours! oh happy days.........
cheerswoohoo
vegas '09
BLACK EYED PEAS!
alex81
Snow Patrol
Snow patrol in Brussels during the vertigo tour were great, in fact I'm sorry to say they were better than the real thing that night. And again in amsterdam, luckily this time The real thing was better.
soulright
pretenders
wembly 87
nicoverhelle
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie was the support for Popmart in Werchter, Belgium. My first U2-concert with a great warming up!!! Skin was great!!
spacko
Skunk Anansie
best: Skunk Anansie, Keane (Popmart, Vertigo) worst: Fatima Mansions (Zoo TV)
alex81
Snow Patrol
Snow patrol in Brussels during the vertigo tour were great, in fact I'm sorry to say they were better than the real thing that night. And again in amsterdam, luckily this time The real thing was better.
Ric Mondragon
Hawaii, L.A., El Paso...
Pearl Jam in Hawaii and Billie Joe Armstrong joined U2 onstage for Saints, Bo Dean and Pretenders at L.A. Coliseum, Public Enemy in El Paso and a bit of a twist in the early days, U2 played before David Bowie at the Us Festival outside of L.A. back in '82 or '83. This festival show was not listed in their concert listing on this website - please include it! Thanks, Ric
tomwright49
Waterboys
Saw the Waterboys in December 1984 (i think) in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom. They put on a good show and was better seeing them and U2 from the 5th row. Great show. Also Smashmouth on the Pop Tour in Minneapolis. Thought they were a pretty mellow band-they rocked. Looking forward to seeing Interpol in Minneapolis in June!!
erstein
Elevation Tour
PJ Harvey 2001 Elevation Tour first leg. She was great. Saw her solo a few months later.
SteveBest
BEP
But I do agree that Black Eyed Peas were awesome at the Rose Bowl. Wasn't particularly looking forward to them, but they totally won me over, even though I wanted to see Muse. Having Slash come on did them no harm either.
SteveBest
1985
I'll always be grateful to U2 that I got to see The Ramones supporting them (along with REM and others) at "The Longest Day"in Milton Keynes, England on June 21st 1985. Poured with rain all day, but one thing I will remember -- apart from Bono leading the band, appropriately enough, through The Beatles "Rain" when the sequencer for Bad went south -- was the frantic "1-2-3-4" to start every glorious 2 minutes of Ramones. Good times! On the minus side I was trying to dress like mid-80s Bono, and had an appalling mullet.
karenlawler
Best Act
What was the name of U2 when they dressed up like a country act during Joshus Tree?? LOVED LOVED LOVED Snow Patrol!!
lisa_usa
MUSE @ Reliant Stadium
Muse was HOT, Reliant Stadium was thier last show on the 360Tour, great energy that night,intense performance, and of course U2,they were OUTSTANDING!!! J & M & L (Adam's Girls)
cweston
Arcade
Arcade Fire in Montreal on the Vertigo Tour.
yahweh_mx
Pearl Jam
Honolulu Hawaii, Vertigo Tour
utoons
Muse
Muse was by far the best. Sorry to say, U2 have had some lousy opening acts....Buckwheat Zydeco, Los Lobos, whoever sang that "China" song; whatever that Gavin Rossdale band was during Vertigo; The Corrs sounded nice but were boring. But Muse is a totally different experience live than on record...almost metal. In a good way.
kcripps
The Arcade Fire
Without a doubt, The Arcade Fire were amazing in Montreal (2005). It was my first U2 concert and they completely electrified the audience playing to their hometown.
mobonofo
The best opener...
SIMPLE MINDS - who you should re-unite with. That would be amazing!
davidrene
Bands I would never pay to see
Black Eyed Peas; Rage Against The Machine; No Doubt & Lone Justice. These are bands that I didn't have much interest in until I saw them live. The peas blew me away. Gwen was very charasmatic. Lone Justice and Rage were both eye openers. I remeber going out and buying a Lone Justice record after I saw them open up for U2. Looking forward to Kravitz in Anaheim. I always arrive early to catch the openers. I don't always do that with other bands.
budorcas
idlewild
Sorry to be like this with so many great bands on the list but the best BY FAR was playing across the street during the all that you cant leave behind tour (I think or vertigo?). Scottish band Idlewild played at first avenue in Minneapolis across the street from target center and they were MY openning band that night. Idlewild are one of the finest bands around. U2 should take them along.
lamadeli
Muse
Saw them at Giant's Stadium about two days after the release of The Resistance. They were great. Wish they were playing on the tour this Summer.
u23604life
Black Eyed Peas
BEP was a great warm up really got the crowd amped up to see U2 great lighting hope to see U2 on the 360 tour again!!!!!!!!!!!!
u23604life
Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas great warm up got the crowd ready for U2 really want to see U2 in concert again on the 360 tour again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ivdf
Best support
Placebo on the Popmart Tour.
pheonix
that many.....
pogues,rem,simple minds,ramones,christy moore,in tua nua,ub40,bellx1,............
krdv9
krdv9
Romeo Void at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles 1981 or 1982.
HowToDismantleYourself
Skunk & Claw Boys Claw
Skunk was the BEST...Live PoPmart Kuip Rotterdam!! Claw boys Claw was before that, not so gute, but realy nice to have see them in that time :-)
jposc
Pixies
ZooTV with the greatest american band ever. U2 + the Pixies best concert I have ever seen.
pepebasabeleoz1
best suport act
Franz Ferdinand in Buenos Aires 06, Awesome. 2011: we´re waiting for the 360 in Argentina.
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