What bands did you see back in the day before they exploded onto the scene?
Posted by Philhughes_85@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 243 comments
I’ve got two completely different bands at the opposite ends of music.
I saw Keane play at a Newcastle university gig long before their first album came out. Then saw them multiple times in arena tours.
I have a signed cassette sleeve from American Head Charge from the mid 90s when they were a support for Rammstein. I actually hung out with them at a chip van after the gig and chatted a while.
Jessperado@reddit
I saw Blind Melon open for Lenny Kravitz at the USF Sun Dome in 1993.
Patient-Mortgage-883@reddit
Billy Strings
Door_Number_Four@reddit
I remember my friends boyfriend was opening for someone at Empty Bottle in Chicago in 1998 or maybe 1999.
I was unimpressed with the headliners. I thought they were just recycling Zeppelin riffs for hipsters who believed there was no rock music before Nirvana.
Those headliners were The White Stripes. Shows what i know.
edasto42@reddit
Radiohead at an in store performance to maybe 50 people.
Jawbreaker, sleater-Kinney, and Stabbing Westward at a tiny all ages club in the far south suburbs of Chicago.
My Chemical Romance opening for the Used at a 800 capacity venue for $1.
Borderline addition of NIN on the first lollapalooza. They were known but weren’t anywhere close to the heights they’ve gone to.
No-Gas5342@reddit
Radiohead played at my school and that was just incredible
edasto42@reddit
When I saw them at the in store performance, they were doing autographs after. I remember my friend asking if I wanted to get one, and I said something like ‘eh I don’t want to wait around for a one hit wonder.’
No-Gas5342@reddit
Omg nooooo 💀 I did get my ticket autographed that day but idk where it is now 😭 but seriously you can’t compare seeing them now to seeing them in the mid 90s.
edasto42@reddit
A few weeks after that performance I saw them again opening for REM to a half filled amphitheatre.
And you’re not wrong. Kid A I always felt came out at a time to grab the hype that it might not normally have had if released just a year off in either direction. I was 23 when it came out so it’s ‘weirdness’ was not really new as I had been exploring outsider music for awhile by that point. But I then look at folks a few younger than me who were just shaking off the grasp of boy bands, pop princesses, and pop punk into more earnest music, and Kid A was there. This was many people’s first drift into ‘weird’ and serious music so it held a different place for them.
fermentedradical@reddit
Sleater Kinney ❤️
araisingirly@reddit
Sleater Kinney!
BigManWAGun@reddit
NIN Lolla pretty awesome!
Philhughes_85@reddit (OP)
MCR for that price would be fantastic
edasto42@reddit
I’ve seen them 3 times since then and it’s never been the same. All three of them have been during this reunion cash grab, so it’s a different energy that I don’t care for.
The night that I saw them for $1 it was the night they signed to the big leagues and were extra on fire. They were even selling their own merch. They hit on my gf (now wife) as they signed her copy of the first album.
DrewBaron80@reddit
I saw Blink 182 several times before they ever had a song played on mainstream radio. They opened for Less Than Jake a couple times and were part of Warped Tour.
Yrch1@reddit
Less than Jake is my jam
Odd_Advice_1092@reddit
This is the old dude Harry J Reynolds.
Brilliant-While-761@reddit
Losing Streak is a perfect album
DrewBaron80@reddit
They're the band I saw the most. Probably 10 times between '96 and '01.
Just-a-Guy-4242@reddit
I used to watch them at SOMA in San Diego, when they were just “Blink”…
cointerm@reddit
Yep, saw Blink 182 opening for No Use For a Name in London (England) in '97. Think I paid 7 pounds.
loudribs@reddit
I was at that gig! It was at the LA2, wasn’t it?
Brain_Glow@reddit
My first real show was Lagwagon and No Use For A Name in 97. Had a blast
Caliastanfor@reddit
same here, saw Blink at First Avenue in Mpls a few times before they had anything on the radio. I think 'Josie' or 'Dammit' had yet to make it to MTV. They came out after the show and chatted with people around the stage. Also saw them at one of the really early Warped Tours. I think Limp Bizkit was at that same show, and nobody had any idea who they were.
dos_passenger58@reddit
I remember paying $5 to see them open for 7 seconds and unwritten law, prob 95
DrewBaron80@reddit
I grew up near Chicago. There was a venue called Metro (I think it still exists) that held around 1,000 people. They had punk, ska, emo, etc. shows every weekend. Tickets were $10-15. So many great memories.
dos_passenger58@reddit
Yeah our little town in FL had every skate punk act come through it, from 92 till around 99. I'd go to multiple shows a week
SquirrelEnthusiast@reddit
So like everyone else in the room honestly, warped was mainstream before blink made it
BugEquivalents@reddit
I saw Blink at the Warped Tour too, they weren’t even on the second stage
Philhughes_85@reddit (OP)
That’s amazing
Melodic-Mistake-7695@reddit
lady gaga when she opened up for New Kids on the Block
k41n_x@reddit
Saw Staind when they were still playing the local stage at HFStival 98.
Geoff-Vader@reddit
Train in 1998. Think they had been in town to record one of those 'Live in the X Lounge's sessions earlier in the day and then played a small venue that night.
The 'Live in the X Lounge' sessions at 107.7 the X gave Birmingham a disproportionately large presence in the alt music scene in the late-90s and early-00s. We had tons of rising artists passing through for those and they'd often play a gig in town afterwards. I know I saw Cowboy Mouth and Sister Hazel around then and I'm fairly sure those were related to that. And while I never saw him John Mayer would drive over from ATL and frequently play small gigs in Bham.
LKayRB@reddit
What venue was that show at? 5 pts?
Geoff-Vader@reddit
I think so? It's been a minute and was a fuzzy night. I know it wasn't Zydeco for sure. Although I did see Cowboy Mouth at Zydeco. And definitely Sister Hazel. How I still have hearing after going to shows at that tiny room is a miracle.
LKayRB@reddit
Right?? For a solid four year period I don’t think I missed a show at 5 Points. I even went backstage for Fuel and Local H.
For that Train show, one of the guys in the band gave me flowers. 😍
telos2020@reddit
Jimmy Eat World at the Living Room in Goleta. They were already packing clubs in LA, but was cool to stand five feet away from them right after Clarity had been released.
chronicnerv@reddit
Spice Girls in late 90's, They were touring the big weekends and singing to people who were visiting on small stages. I'm assuming this was tour preparation and just experience for them to sing to crowds. I was in Cardiff and thought to myself what the hell is this shit at the time.
Total over achievers that grabbed the opportunity and never let go. Well done to them I say because they never looked or sounded like anything special that day.
Philhughes_85@reddit (OP)
Yeah for those 18 months they absolutely dominated the UK pop scene
Traditional_Ad_1547@reddit
I saw system of a down open for limp biscuit (lol). Sugar hadn't ene come out yet, and they were to worst live act I've seen. Maybe they got better.
Also I cell Chevelle open for Filter. They were so new I bought Point #1 at their merch booth.
thehousewright@reddit
Neutral Milk Hotel. They played at our student union to an audience of about 15 people. This would be been Spring of '96.
Swiftlocalvandal@reddit
Damn, that’s pretty cool.
thehousewright@reddit
It was! If I recall correctly the opening band was Bunny Grunt.
ohmeursault@reddit
I am insanely jealous!
LoveYerBrain2@reddit
That sounds amazing!!!
drklib@reddit
New Found Glory is from my hometown so we would see them play before they got big.
adamkissing@reddit
trexcrossing@reddit
Saw destiny’s child open for boys 2 men in 1997ish. They were the first of several opening acts-the one who opened while a lot of people were still arriving. I think there were 4 members of destiny’s child at that point.
odin_the_wiggler@reddit
Back in 2000, Ralph's in Moorhead (RIP) had this oddball two piece band called The White Stripes
InfidelZombie@reddit
I saw them around the same time at a free show in a park in Madison.
GrumpyOldHistoricist@reddit
My ex got hit on by Jack White outside of no fewer than three different White Stripes shows back when they were still playing tiny venues. Each time he did not remember her from the last time. Yes, she was pale, dark haired, and had a kinda retro look. The man has a type.
dark_lord_of_theSith@reddit
I saw the black eyed peas before they had Fergie
SensitiveArtist@reddit
Me too. They opened for No Doubt and Lit.
JLLIndy@reddit
I saw this tour in Pontiac MI summer of 2000.
Aware_Policy_9174@reddit
They were so good before Fergie. Then I was embarrassed to say I liked them because most people didn’t even know they existed without her.
timidusuer@reddit
Same!
nelmski@reddit
I saw Maroon 5 on a side stage at a festival in the UK before they blew up. I thought they were mid and wouldn't amount to anything.
Unlucky-Monk-8045@reddit
Limp Bizkit at a venue that looked like someone’s basement. Saw a kid in the mosh pit that got thrown into a support pole and was knocked out.
TheVonSolo@reddit
Green Day at a small club show. Back when they toured in the bookmobile.
dz1087@reddit
I saw Pink at a free university concert. About a year before she started getting a lot of radio play.
percephony@reddit
Backstreet Boys - their first mall gig ☆
Plumeria9798@reddit
My sister would have a stroke if she saw this…
Speaking of them, I chaperoned her going to their Millennial tour in Las Vegas in 1999 and we saw Mandy Moore open for them before she was a name of any kind. So I have that one too I guess.
percephony@reddit
Yessss Mandy Moore is such a good one!
Philhughes_85@reddit (OP)
Ah wow that’s fantastic
Tight_Cheetah_4474@reddit
I saw System of the Down opening for Kid Rock, Korn and Metallica in 2000. It was when there first album came out. They were so good and had such high energy. Been a big fan since. I'm going to see them in Oct.
WoefulKnight@reddit
I caught Maroon 5 and Evanescence before they blew up. Lots of one hit wonder rock bands too, but nothing like those two.
premi3_m0m@reddit
Saw Maroon 5 open for John Mayer
Plumeria9798@reddit
I also saw them open for John Mayer. I thought they were so good that I got their album as soon as it was out. That album still hits.
TabsAZ@reddit
I remember Mayer talking about them in a guitar magazine interview before anyone had heard of them before saying they were going to be the next big thing.
Somone-Who-Isnt-Me@reddit
Jewel at a coffee shop in San Diego before her album.
Boetheus@reddit
If it was on Turquoise St in PB I might have been at that show!
Somone-Who-Isnt-Me@reddit
It was in Pacific Beach area for sure
KopitarFan@reddit
I grew up in Orange County, CA in the 90s. I’ll give you three guesses
Plumeria9798@reddit
Hahahaha, No Doubt.
Plumeria9798@reddit
I think the only time this happened to me was seeing Maroon 5 open for John Mayer right before they got gigantic. There might be others; I saw so many concerts in my 20s, but that’s the one that I remember off the top of my head.
Adolfo1980@reddit
Ive seen New Found Glory play high school Battle of the Band shows, Against Me! play a small warehouse in a bad neighborhood, and Dashboard Confessional play a dive bar in West Palm Beach.
Growing up a punk kid in 90s/esrly 00s South Florida was a blast.
Twisted_paperclips@reddit
Kasabian played a lot of local shows before being signed. Had the unfortunate experience of staying with a friend who lived next door to one of them. Genuinely awful and Tom was an utter cnut.
Easy Life on the other hand have always been a bunch of genuinely nice lads, Lewis used to work with me, and I would authorise his days off to go pitch to record labels 😂
Philhughes_85@reddit (OP)
That sounds awesome for Easy Life and I’m not surprised about Tom
SideGlad1503@reddit
Used to see the black keys open for people all the time at the beachland ballroom
shakeyshake1@reddit
I went to see Bush, and Veruca Salt was the opening band in 1994 before Seether was a huge hit.
One of the few shows where I liked the opening band better than the main act.
Mac_A81@reddit
Bush was my first concert. Nosebleed seats, pretty sure we were in the absolute last row. It was my friend and I… and my parents. I was so embarrassed. My dad was 40 when I was born and people always mistook him for my grandpa, so here I am at the concert with my “older” parents listening to them laugh about the weed smell and reminiscing about their younger days. But I was just excited to be there.
shakeyshake1@reddit
I think it was my first concert where my parents didn’t come in with me and my friend! They dropped us off and picked us up.
I was in my early teens and I suspect you probably can’t do that anymore.
The-Good-Bad-Place@reddit
I saw them play together too, but it was like 97, I believe!
NoodleBurp@reddit
My band played with War On Drugs at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA in ‘08/‘09. “Played with” and not “opened for” since they were the touring band and the custom was to put them on second so the audience wouldn’t just leave after seeing the locals.
They had a terrible time and I felt really bad. They played acoustic guitars through the house PA and were having tons of feedback issues with the monitors and were super frustrated about it.
Ok_Juggernaut_2253@reddit
System of a Down
hyzerKite@reddit
Marilyn Manson at the Cats Cradle in Carrboro, NC. It was legitimately scary. One of the best performances I have ever seen.
hatevalyum@reddit
I saw Shinedown at a shitty little bar in Knoxville in 1996 or 97 when they were still called Dreve. Technically, Brent was the only member that made the jump to Shinedown, but he wrote most of the songs so their first album was all very similar to the demo Dreve album I bought back then (burned cd). Even then, it was completely obvious that Brent was a fucking rock star.
LogicWavelength@reddit
This only half counts because they were already touring to promote their first album but hadn’t blown up yet.
In Sept of 2003 I was walking down a street in Boston and saw a band unloading their tour van. These 2 people were standing there - a guy smoking a cigarette and a hot chick and they both were dressed like goth/emo-ish. I said to the chick, “who is the band?” And she said, “we are.” I asked what kind of music, they said hard rock/metal, which I replied was my favorite genre. They then said the time of the show, and that we should come. I replied I already had plans (which was true) and wished them luck.
The band was Evanescence.
TheDuster@reddit
I saw John Mayer at a bar in Rochester, NY in 1999 or 2000 and there were maybe 20 other folks there. He was meant to open for Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket), but Glen canceled due to illness.
I was there for John anyway. I had heard about him through tape trading. After that show, I knew he was the real deal and was ls going to be a star.
Mac_A81@reddit
Omg I’m obsessed with Glen Phillips. I met him over the winter and I think it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.
Mac_A81@reddit
MonkCherry@reddit
3 Doors Down
My freshman year of college, I was playing in this rock band and we booked a gig to open for 3 Doors Down at a bar in Long Island. This was early January of '00 before Better Life dropped and Kryptonite was just starting to get some serious radio time.
NewPrescottBush@reddit
I’m pretty sure it was Warped Tour 98 where Eminem was there and it was right around when his first album dropped. We weren’t sure what to make of him when he first came out, so we had to check him out. He had a Suicidal Tendencies shirt on. Same show, Godsmack was on the local stage. It was in Northampton, MA, hence the local stage. The singer of Godsmack moved all over the stage and played every instrument at least once. I was so impressed that he could do everything. To clarify, there was a complete band, he just took a turn on everything. Then they blew up. I was able to catch Blink 182 in Worcester when I was like 15-16. Dude Ranch was out, but they weren’t that big yet. I still prefer that version to everything that came after. Last, I was able to see Jay-Z on a really small stage. I think in Worcester too maybe. He was fairly big at the time, maybe Hard Knock Life era? But it was such a small venue and those days were soon over.
Unlikely_Ad11@reddit
Yeah, this is what I was going to say too. Eminem at Warped Tour in Northampton. It was ‘99 though, not ‘98. Black Eyed Peas were there too, I think that was before they were famous.
https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/van-s-warped-tour-1999--2
NewPrescottBush@reddit
Ah, I definitely combined 98 and 99 in my memory
tylenol3@reddit
I was gonna mention this one as well. It felt like I was one of the very few people who knew who he was on the day and he put on a great show, but it’s kind of surreal to remember that I was at the front barrier for Eminem, but at the time he was generally lumped alongside ICP as “novelty shock white rapper”. I was also probably one of the only people that was thrilled when Ice-T came out and a did a handful of Bodycount songs with Suicidal Tendencies.
I was really into Blink after Cheshire Cat and was sad I didn’t get to see them until after Dude Ranch came out. Also saw Deftones at lollapalooza and it was wasted on me. I wish I had gotten into them before I saw them, but it took at least another decade. Festival lineups were pretty random back then; it was such a grab bag of who you might happen to catch.
Aplos9@reddit
I’m late to this, and the is more “recent,” but the New Kids on the Block did their revival tour or whatever and an unknown Lady Gaga opened for them. They didn’t give her any money for stage lighting or effects and it showed. But was cool to say we saw her before she broke. We also saw Fiona Apple open for counting crows before criminal really took off.
Musubi0420@reddit
Tea leaf green…. A bunch of times at my local pub…. Then a few years later they had Huge! crowds at a Music festival, everyone was singing and into their set, blew my mind
PotentialPlum4945@reddit
I saw Arcade Fire play a bar with maybe three hundred people right after funeral came out. My old roommate was a bar tender at the Hampton Inn. This band stayed their on their first U.S. tour. My roommate hit it off with them. They put him on the list for their show the next night. That was Portugal, the man.
stilettopanda@reddit
My friends and I hung out with the band out back after the show. Now I’m cool with the kids. Haha!
KibboKift@reddit
I saw the White Stripes and the Strokes in the same bar a month or so apart. Total audience was probably about 100.
Hedgehogosaur@reddit
I'm pretty sure I saw Muse supporting the band Live in Leeds around 98/99
esk726@reddit
In 2004, I saw Maroon 5 at a tiny venue in London before they blew up. They fucking killed it! Was so bummed when Adam Levine sold out and did The Voice.
Eastern-Joke-7537@reddit
Maroon 5 played at my college 2 years in a row. 2002 and 2003. It could have been 2001/2002 though.
Twizz8@reddit
I went to see Mudvayne a few times when they were just a local band, before they got signed.
123BuleBule@reddit
Saw Radiohead at a small club for $5.
MommaOfManyCats@reddit
Not rock but country. Kenny Chesney was the opening act long before he hit it big. The guys behind us were screaming that he tucked, no one wanted to see him, and he needed to get off the stage. I think it was about 3 years later that he exploded. Pretty sure those guys tell the story of seeing him before he was big.
Punknerd333@reddit
Saw sleater-kinney in 2003 at an all ages show in a small bar, the opening band was the black keys, also saw Christina Aguilera in 1999 at Lillith Fair in Pittsburgh playing a side stage.
ssaall58214@reddit
Sara barielless with about 10 people. Dua lipa
naz666@reddit
I saw sublime at soma in San Diego in the 90s. Had never heard of them before. All they did was play bad religion covers lol. I think they opened for no use for a name, strung out and pennywise. I was like, who the fuck are these fucks playing bad religion lol.
admode1982@reddit
The sublime story is so fucking cool.
admode1982@reddit
I saw papa roach open in a bar in chico for floater (floater's dope, btw). The next year a saw them play with limp bizkit, xibit and Eminem at arco arena in Sacramento.
iputmytrustinyou@reddit
Breaking Benjamin. I had no idea anyone else not from Scranton/Wilkesbarre knew who they were because they were a local band that played shows in the area. People at my college were passing around cds ripped from somewhere, but there wasn’t an actual album release, yet. One day I was talking to a gamer friend about music and said, “Oh, I know this band you might like, Breaking Benjamin.”
“I love Breaking Ben,” she said.
Cue my confusion as she lived in the Midwest (also, in my defense the internet was still a baby compared to now).
That was when I realized they were no longer just a band that played locally at Tinks, ect. Still love them and see them as often as I can.
_R_A_@reddit
NEPA crew checking in!
nochumplovesucka__@reddit
I actually played with them at Bens house. My friend used to play bass for them. I went to a practice with him. Their original drummer was running late. I sat in and jammed with them until he showed up.
So I can technically say I played with Breaking Ben. This was at Ben's house in Selinsgrove. I know they claim Wilkes Barre/Scranton because thats the next biggest place. But they are actually from the Selinsgrove/Sunbury area. And they sounded like this back then. Before they got huge. I used to watch them play at the Lewisburg community center and down around Harrisburg at coffee shops and stuff. Little indie shows people would put on.
My friend quit the band and said "they were going nowhere".... they blew up within the next few years.
iputmytrustinyou@reddit
That’s pretty cool!
z3rba@reddit
I saw The Used, Fall Out Boy, Hawthorn Heights, Hit The Lights, and Plain White T's at various points when they were starting to tour while still smaller and hitting up venues around Toledo, OH or Detroit, MI.
I remember The Used on this venue's small stage, while my friend's band (a local band that was getting big at the time) was on the main stage that night. The next time I saw them (a year or two later) they were on the Taste of Chaos tour at much bigger venues.
Hung out with the Plain White T's a big after they opened for my friends band. They were all pretty cool and pretty chill. Next thing I know I'm hearing Hey There Delilah on the radio several months later. I can't forget seeing them live though because Tom would constantly point/stab the air with his hand like this (🫲) over and over while singing.
gravteck@reddit
I saw Fall Out Boy for the first time in Cincinnati, I believe '04ish, and I was able to talk to the guys out back. The bass player went to high school with one of my best friends from college.
Turned my ankle diving off a table. Driving home with my brother on a 2x2 highway, I am in the left lane and people are getting over to the right berh quickly. I very quickly see that someone is barreling in on us doing the wrong way. My chemistry teacher lost his whole family this way. I got over, and we were both more pissed than shook up. Close call, but I felt like we had it.
PhDg81@reddit
Greenday at the lintfabriek in Kontich Belgium, right before the release of Dookie.
_R_A_@reddit
Grew up in the area Breaking Benjamin was from (the original lineup, of course). Got to see them a few times before they went major label, still have the copy of the first major label album signed from the release show.
Also saw Chevelle open for someone back in the day. All I remember is they didn't live up to their namesake, still didn't care for them today.
DuranDurandall@reddit
I saw System of a Down as the opening act in a bar.
Fairymask@reddit
Honestly most of the bands I saw had already made it. The one one I can claim is Papa Roach because I went to high school with them.
ChrisAplin@reddit
I used to book a small venue in a suburb of Seattle in the early 2000s. Acceptance, Hawthorne Heights, Gatsbys American Dream, Senses Fail, Thursday, countless Tooth and Nail and Drive Thru bands.
spookyhellkitten@reddit
A lot that have already been mentioned, Blink 182 and such. AFI got sort of popular for a while, I saw them like 2 dozen times before that. A Day To Remember, Eighteen Visions. I don't know, Salt Lake had a really good underground music scene so we saw a lot of bands before they got big.
If anyone is into metal and likes Gaza/Cult Leader they aren't mainstream but they are popular amongst those that enjoy metal. I didn't see them before they exploded per se but I knew one of the members before he was in those bands. He was in a band called Nemtobor (robot men spelled backwards haha) and xsustenancex which were Christian hardcore bands, believe it or not. I saw those bands a lot.
nrek00@reddit
Saw No Doubt open for Let's Go Bowling in Riverside ages ago
Crabcakefrosti@reddit
Macklemore
araisingirly@reddit
Letters to Cleo and Rise Against. In Portland, OR. Not at the same time.
tarravin@reddit
I was at this show!
Impossible_Habit_248@reddit
I had no idea Boris the Sprinkler played with Dookie Era Green Day.
LandOfLizardz@reddit
Bosstones, they hit with "impression" suddenly everyone loved em.
HotgunColdheart@reddit
Green Day, Papa Roach, Disturbed, Blink, and Colter Wall. Caught them all very early during their rise and nothing like what they peaked at.
Kittie and Otep were fairly early too.
Almost forgot, Paramore, I was asked to shoot some B roll of their concert as a promotional piece my buddy was hired for. That was the most random shit. I had no real experience, but did pretty solid.
a_d3ad_cat@reddit
Saw White Stripes play in a basement in Ypsilanti in late 90s. My friend who attended EMU lived in that house with a bunch of people… I remember one of the guys had a pet flying squirrel. Anyway, good stuff.
Werftflammen@reddit
Acda en de Munnik
SyllabubWeak@reddit
Went to a UMBC quad fest with a pre nationally recognized Outkast and Soul Coughing. The sound setup was awful and the 3rd band was a local group called Laughing Colors that sounded better than the other two. They made it big and for some reason Laughing Colors did not.
Post college, it would probably saw Gary Clark Jr. at the 8x10 in Baltimore
Inevitable-Local7847@reddit
Was this the same year George Clinton & P funk was performing?
I think I was there for that
BadWolf7426@reddit
Debbie Gibson before her first release at a local community college. New Kids on The Block at a county fair, 88 or 89.
Zero_Imacat@reddit
Singer P!nk when she was the opening act for *NSYNC during the summer of 2000.
mischievous_misfit13@reddit
I booked the locals for a lot of pop punk/emo bands like fallout boy, Hawthorne heights, bayside, etc.
Living-Video-3670@reddit
Im not into country these days, but I saw Garth Brooks at the Texas State Fair in 89 or 90, and there were maybe 200/300 people in the audience. He was still doing autographs at the time. I have a picture with me and him from that night. I was a wee lad at the time.
lillychr14@reddit
I saw Katy Perry play a Halloween party in Charlotte before she got really famous. That’s the best I got 😂
PlagueDrWily@reddit
System of a Down and Incubus in 1998; both bands were opening for Soulfly and it was one of SOAD’s first Canadian shows (and my first proper concert). After the show we met both bands, everyone was super down to earth and it made for a memorable first show.
Warped Tour 99 was memorable for seeing pre-fame/pre-Fergie/pre-suck Black Eyed Peas, Blink 182 and Eminem as a last-minute replacement for Cypress Hill after they got turned back at the border.
A few years later I saw Mastodon playing a tiny side stage at a festival; by the third time I saw them they were opening for Iron Maiden.
GrumpyOldHistoricist@reddit
SOAD must have been working overtime in 98.
I saw them on tour with Clutch and Slayer that summer.
PlagueDrWily@reddit
Yep Soulfy was in July, the Slayer tour came my way in June that year.
a42N8Man@reddit
Oh gosh so many!! I grew up in Detroit and St Andrews was always getting acts that ‘made it big’ a year later. In no particular order: Nine Inch Nails twice before Pretty Hate Machine was released; Jesus Jones on their first tour; Maroon Five before they were signed; a ‘nobody weirdo’ named Marilyn Manson opening for Nine Inch Nails (that show was at the State Theatre); Poe (who played The Shelter, a 200 person standing-room-only bar in the basement of St Andrews); but probably the most memorable was GWAR at Blondies around 1988. I was dating one of the bartenders and she invited them back to her place for an after show bonfire so we all got to hang out with GWAR. Cool guys. Insane, but cool.
bbqthrowaway@reddit
Sick. RIP Oderus!!!
JobThis3167@reddit
I saw Macy Gray at a small club before I Try blew up. Incredible show.
Dr___Mantis_Toboggan@reddit
i saw kanye west open for U2 in melbourne australia…
SquirrelEnthusiast@reddit
I'm from New Jersey, so basically every punk and ska band in the early 90s. Asbury Park and the stone pony was the big drop.
I'm not a huge fan but saw my chemical romance at the starland.
Saw saves the day in a basement. By accident.
Ended up on NOFX tour bus just hanging out at warped.
GrumpyOldHistoricist@reddit
STD is one for me too. I saw them open for Hands Tied in DC and because nobody had heard of them the flyer compared them to Lifetime.
JobThis3167@reddit
I remember seeing them right when the first record dropped and everyone there just said “Ok. baby Lifetime.”
SquirrelEnthusiast@reddit
Right saw lifetime a bunch too
Primary-Strawberry-5@reddit
I saw Limp Bizkit in 1997 first playing a small club then a few months later opening for Primus
Rubik842@reddit
The Prodigy, in a warehouse rave. Sound system was so big they had a massive generator screaming away on the back of a truck out the front. It rained during Dreams by Quench (either before or after the prodigy) and the sound pressure was so high it was pumping the water in the edges of the roof sheets, there was straight lines of water falling through the lightshow. Quench didn't really get big, but their set was great.
Quench song mentioned. https://youtu.be/MXlp_6s5LkI
Shortbus_Playboy@reddit
O.A.R. Played the front lawn of my frat house in 1999.
bbqthrowaway@reddit
Haha that tracks
GrumpyOldHistoricist@reddit
SOAD in 98 before they blew up. They were opening for Slayer so they were about to get big. Serj watched Slayer from a balcony that was visible from the floor but only accessible via backstage. I was a hardcore kid so I noticed his Victory Records shirt.
I saw every band that fed into Fall Out Boy multiple times and was acquaintances with Pete and Andy. Saying we were friends would be overstating it, but I was friends with their friends. The vegan straightedge scene in the Midwest wasn’t exactly huge.
Dropkick Murphys in a 300 cap room that wasn’t sold out. Back when they were an actual oi band and not a sports bar TouchTunes staple. I think they were opening for the Business. The audience mainly knew the Cocksparrer cover they played. It was the sort of show where it was totally okay and expected that a bunch of us jumped on stage and sang it with them.
I have a ton of these but I’m not remembering all of them right now.
tylenol3@reddit
I was gonna mention this one as well. It felt like I was one of the very few people who knew who he was on the day and he put on a great show, but it’s kind of surreal to remember that I was at the front barrier for Eminem, but at the time he was generally lumped alongside ICP as “novelty shock white rapper”. I was also probably one of the only people that was thrilled when Ice-T came out and a did a handful of Bodycount songs with Suicidal Tendencies.
I was really into Blink after Cheshire Cat and was sad I didn’t get to see them until after Dude Ranch came out. Also saw Deftones at lollapalooza and it was wasted on me. I wish I had gotten into them before I saw them, but it took at least another decade. Festival lineups were pretty random back then; it was such a grab bag of who you might happen to catch.
TyeMoreBinding@reddit
Sublime
Kira_sparkle@reddit
I saw Keane January of 2005 in a very small music venue in Charleston SC. It used to be a movie theater so it was called the Plex.
realRavenbell@reddit
I saw 30 Seconds to Mars open for Puddle of Mudd. I also saw Three Days Grace open for Trapt.
When I was a teenager, the city would host a summer concert series at the Riverpark. The Dixie Chicks came through back when there were still 4 members and 0 hits.
TabsAZ@reddit
Band I was in was a local opener for 30STM on their first tour. Jared was a pompous ass to us and the other bands, but I still love that first album they did with the dark sci-fi prog type stuff. They never really went back to that sound and at this point I’m not even sure they use guitars anymore haha.
CoyoteDown@reddit
Slipknot at ozzfest 3rd stage. Clown got off the stage and into the pit with us.
Melechesh@reddit
Muse. Saw them a couple times in a small venue for $20, they were fairly unknown in the US at the time, then one of their songs was in a Twilight movie...
TabsAZ@reddit
Same - saw them right before they really started to blow up in the US, amazing seeing a band like that in such a small venue.
pinkohondo@reddit
Tool on a small side-stage at a Lollapalooza in 1993. We were all so close. I had never heard of them, but had followed a friend over. Had to be less than 100 people. Absolutely blew me away. The crowd's response to "Sober" was like no other.
veggiebikebook@reddit
Avett Brothers, Grace Potter, O.A.R., Dispatch
niccia@reddit
Snoop, Tupac, Sublime, Blink 182. Grew up in SoCal.
Eric848448@reddit
Muse in 2007. They were already big in the UK but this was right before they exploded here.
That-Jeweler-Girl@reddit
Queens of the stone age. My boyfriend at the time had won tickets from a radio station in 98-99, right before they fried their first single
tracingtime@reddit
I also saw Keane at the USC campus, maybe 2005 - they were just singing outside to a small group of students. I just happened to walk by and was like WTF? I was big into British bands at that time and couldn't believe how small the crowd was. It was incredible.
I saw Outcast on the steps of Columbia College maybe 2001? Also just happened to walk by. OMG was it amazing!! They were so electric and their outfits!!!
And I saw Muse back in 2004 (maybe 2003) before they were big in the US (but big in my eyes!) I was up close and remember Belamy had a hard time, it seemed to me, really engaging with the audience. Still awesome! (And couldn't get tickets when he played in Stadiums years later in LA!)
And I happened to work on a film that got a private very intimate (like 10 or so of us in the room including the band) unplugged concert by Imagine Dragons in like 2011. That was impressive.
defective_toaster@reddit
Matchbox 20 at Slater Slammer in fall of '96. Free admission to a band that had a song that just came out on the radio.
whyisthissticky@reddit
Smoked a joint with black eyed peas pre-fergie after a college town show. Saw Fallout Boy open for Mest in 2005 at a college show. Linkin Park at House of Blues right before they blew up. Shows used to be so cheap. I have the ticket stub for LP and it was $13.50.
Dog_Baseball@reddit
The Black keys. When they were playing tiny bars in Akron ohio. Before they were even called the black keys.
dragons_roommate@reddit
I saw the White Stripes in 2000. They played on a weeknight. I remember Meg White sat by herself in a booth near the bar and just seemed like a quiet person.
JHerbY2K@reddit
Arcade fire a week before they played Coachella in 2005. Had a drink at the bar with Richard Reed Perry before he headed up on stage.
McCale@reddit
I went to '97 Warped Tour where Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit were on stage C.
nickd1980@reddit
With Scott Raynor drumming? That must have been cool see him beat those drums to death.
OldManTrainwreck@reddit
Some friends of mine were in a goth band around North Texas. They played at a coffee shop in Arlington right before Drowning Pool went on there (if you can consider Drowning Pool as "blowing up"). There was like 15 people in the shop LOL.
...and to follow up what someone else said I remember seeing Marilyn Manson go on before Nine Inch Nails back in '94 too. He definitely wasn't my vibe at the time.
Therealfern1@reddit
Foo Fighters in summer ‘95
At the roxy(?)on the sunset strip. Pretty sure it was the Roxy.
They opened for shutter to think and a couple other bands. I think it was like a five or 6 song set.
BenZoate42@reddit
Slipknot, the first show they played out of Iowa (the state). Wasn't for me, but I knew they were going to be a big deal.
brokenman82@reddit
I saw the Black Keys open for Sleater Kinney in 2003
timidusuer@reddit
Black Keys at Austin City Limits Fest 2003
BigManWAGun@reddit
Dang I thought I was sorta early at 2008 Lolla.
GerlockADUS@reddit
I saw Blink 182 and a couple weeks later I called my local rock station and asked to play a song from them and they laughed and said “who??”
meizhong@reddit
I saw Erykah Badu at the fair grounds in Alabama in 96' before her first album was released. There was only like 50 people watching. I was mesmerized! She was so good!
MeatPopsicle10@reddit
Regina Spektor was playing in a restaurant in Midtown Atlanta so we only paid for the food & drinks
jRok57@reddit
I ran into Kid Rock on Gratiot before he exploded.
I know he's not a very liked person, now. But he was kind of a big deal in the early 2000's
MetaPhalanges@reddit
Not as a performer but a patron, I saw Kid Rock (and Little Joe) at a strip club in West Lafayette, IN about a year before he blew up.
Intrepid_Glove8636@reddit
I saw Kid Rock open for Monster Magnet in a little club right before he blew up.
Shortbus_Playboy@reddit
Monster Magnet is the fuckin shit.
Jrmelancon@reddit
Saw Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy in the early 2000’s (2003ish?). Everyone rolled up in shitty vans and FOB was the opener. Wild to think back on that show because FOB exploded almost immediately after.
ashleysaress@reddit
The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Faint - most of the hipster scene bands before they became popular.
Artistic_Alps_4794@reddit
I saw Deftones play at a music store outside of Baltimore called Record and Tape Traders. At the time I had no idea who they were.
Hammerhandle@reddit
I was going to say deftones too. Caught them on Warped Tour 96. 7 Words was on sparse rotation on 120 minutes at the time, but they were still pretty unknown. They killed it! Then saw them again on Warped Tour 98 after Around the Fur kind of hit big, and they were one of the main attractions. But even that pales in comparison to their popularity now.
Artistic_Alps_4794@reddit
96 or 97 sounds right. That was the time when nu-metal was just starting to become a little more mainstream, primary because of Korn. Deftones might have been the second band from that scene to break nationally.
CharliePinglass@reddit
None of these bands were that small at the time, but my second ever concert was Incubus opening for Primus featuring Buckethead into feature act Limp Bizkit during Three Dollar Bill Y'all era. Medium size venue. Still bought the tickets at the Ticketmaster counter in the grocery store.
Aaeolien@reddit
DMB at Lupo's in Providence way way way back in the day. 1995 I think it was.
mommiecubed@reddit
Kara’s Flowers I mean Maroon 5 and Magnified Plaid I mean MxPx
supergooduser@reddit
My claim to fame is seeing Marilyn Manson opening for Nine Inch Nails in 1994.
They played Sweet Dreams 18 months before the video dropped on MTV.
lifeat24fps@reddit
Same era but they were headlining club dates. My friend took me. Super weird. Wasn’t my thing. I think even at 16 it was too edgy for edgy’s sake. HOWEVER I did The Lunachicks opened for them and they were 1000% my jam.
BeerFunky@reddit
Same, he was mostly naked on the stage. Very weird performance, but one of my all time faves now!
inthevelvetsea@reddit
Same! And yes, so much nudity! And fellatio!
intensenerd@reddit
Saw Foo Fighters on their original tour. $13 for a ticket. Lot of us really wondered if Dave could pull it off.
jtho78@reddit
I saw Pink Martini in 1998 play a local college for Halloween
uzernaimed@reddit
Eminem on the warped tour. Still to this day the craziest audience I have ever been in. I got crushed by teenage girls.
mcaffrey81@reddit
I met Leslie Feist in 1999 when she was playing a coffee house in Syracuse, NY. I think there were maybe 12 people there in total. I bought her album (Monarch) which she signed for me, and in talking with her turns out we have the same birth date (she’s 7 years older than me).
Fast forward a few years and she completely blows up, has songs on Apple commercials etc…so I want to see her perform in Philadelphia. Much different experience; she packed the venue but still made time to talk to fans afterward.
I caught up with her and chatted briefly and reminded her of the time we met in Syracuse and our shared birthday. She was still so very cool.
No_Bar2541@reddit
Kanye West opening for Talib Kweli and Gangstarr in Chicago a year or so before the college dropout was released.
jesteryte@reddit
I saw Marilyn Manson open for NIN, and we tried to book MM off the stage
LoudAd1396@reddit
I saw Nickleback as an opening act in a tiny venue in Charlotte, NC in 2000ish
Alternative-Wish-441@reddit
Not necessarily cool by most standards, but Nickelback. I lived in Fargo and it was the winter before their breakthrough album was released. It was being talked about as one of their final times playing smaller venues ahead of the show. I only remember them as being vaguely fun to watch.
vitaoptima@reddit
I saw John Legend do an acoustic show in 2003, during the early days of his career. An up-and-coming Kanye was also there in his LV backpack to introduce him.
instant_ramen_chef@reddit
I was a bouncer at a rock club in socal, back in the early 00s. There was a band that would play every few weeks. They would play the small room, and would maybe get a dozen or so attendees. It was so boring, that being scheduled to work their show was used as a punishment. Then, one day they were booked for the big room. There was a line almost around the block. We were dumbfounded. That band was Papa Roach.
OG_Cryptkeeper@reddit
Definitely was in to Papa Roach before they exploded.
I had two boxes of these from an early promo website that I handed out to everyone in school. They blew up about 6 months later.
johnd0ez@reddit
Saw and met disturbed before their first album System of a Down, static x, slipknot before their first album, limp bizkit when they just had 3 dollar bill, crazy town, link in park, at the drive in, dope, seventies, flamin lips, space hog, monster magnet, local h, stabbing westward, basically if they played in Chicago in the mid 90s to late 90s I saw them
nochumplovesucka__@reddit
I saw Green Day open for Social Distortion and Reverend Horton Heat in 1992 when they were touring for Kerplunk! Well before Dookie blew up and they got huge. It was an awesome show, I was 15 years old.
Sad_Apple_3387@reddit
I saw Green Day in what I think was 1993 (it might have 92) to a crowd of less than 500 people. It was a show not a concert (no seats), I was literally 2 feet from the stage.
Searchlights@reddit
I saw Korn open for Ozzy right as the first album came out
_____AMOK_____@reddit
Back in 1998-99 I went to a Halloween show. Some skinny guy dressed like a cholo had pipes that blew me away. Found out a few years later it was Chester Bennington and a side band or whatever
clicktrackh3art@reddit
Grey daze!! They were from our rival high school!!
supergooduser@reddit
Grey Daze. They went back and recorded all their original stuff that Chester did vocals for and it's kinda like new Linkin Park.
iputmytrustinyou@reddit
Oh my god. ❤️
Prudent-Lake1276@reddit
Not quite before they exploded, but I saw Counting Crows play to like 200 people in a gymnasium at (I think) UMass Amherst right around when Recovering the Satellites came out.
esocharis@reddit
Caught Evanescence a couple times in little joints in Little Rock(RIP Juanita's).
Last time I saw them was just a few weeks before Fallen came out and they blew up. I still maintain they absolutely murdered My Immortal with the Fallen album version. The version from their first album is SO much more beautiful and minimalist.
Amy is really short. She gave me a hug once. lol
Also caught Chevelle before they blew up, also at the aforementioned Juanita's in Little Rock. There were MAYBE a dozen of us at that show.
Lots of other, more obscure bands that made a name for themselves in their specific genre niche, but the public at large probably wouldn't place them. I was at probably a couple shows a week for a few years there in the early 00s, mainly metalcore/mathcore type stuff.
TehPatch@reddit
I saw nickelback at a promotion show for 4.95… you paid 5$ and got a “nickel” back.
If I’m not mistaken their opener was Chevelle
Street_Narwhal_3361@reddit
Wolf Parade. I saw their first show sheen I was in university in Montreal and to this day it’s one of my fondest memories
One-Earth9294@reddit
Not really a band I'm a fan of but I saw Creed at Summerfest in Milwaukee about a year before they blew up.
no_clever_name_yet@reddit
I saw Phantom Planet at an AFTERNOON SHOW before they got picked for The OC theme song.
Other than that... I haven't seen anyone "before they got big". I live in the Twin Cities so I see bands MUCH too big for the venue they book. Namely, First Avenue. They book there because of the history, not caring how many fans can get in.
WhatTheCluck802@reddit
Not really back in the day as in when we were young, but I saw Tyler Childers at Higher Ground in Burlington VT for like $25 and it wasn’t even sold out. Fantastic show.
Also just remembered I saw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Nectar’s in Burlington VT well before she hit the big time.
Wak3upHicks@reddit
Evanescence. One of the only cool things about being near Little Rock
mmd5y7@reddit
Used to work at a local casino and they had a restaurant/lounge area, I worked the room one night for Black Eyed Peas show. There weren’t a lot of people there. To be honest I don’t remember much about the show itself because I didn’t know who they were and was just doing my job. Not much longer their song let’s get “it started” blew up.
ArickxEightOne@reddit
System of a Down at First Ave in Minneapolis, I'm guessing 96 or 97. I was memorized by them. They were loading their gear out a side door we were smoking by and I offered Daron my bowl as he walked by. He kindly declined.
DrSheetzMTO@reddit
I saw Rusted Root (not really exploded), Imagine Dragons (exploded), and some other smaller acts (e.g. Nora Jones) before they were popular.
BeerFunky@reddit
Saw Flaming Lips in Oklahoma City in early 90’s. They played in a small alley venue.
LoveYerBrain2@reddit
Side note: I've never heard of Keane or American Head Charge
East-Kaleidoscope132@reddit
Matchbox 20, I would see them at all the local dives.
NoIncrease299@reddit
I was driving dudes from The Killers to gigs back in the day when we'd be on the same bill.
audiate@reddit
I saw The Shins before they were famous. They were awesome, and opened for The Flaming Lips, who absolutely sucked. Dude can’t find pitch to save his life, but Wayne walked on the crowd in his hamster ball, so everybody loved it.
mofrappa@reddit
Not proud of this one, but kid rock. Opened for limp biz kit. I was like, what the fuck is a kid rock.
ericwbolin@reddit
Saw Interpol play a Cornell University cafeteria in 2003 for $6.
louisbarthas@reddit
Paramore in a warehouse in Oakland around 2005. They were incredible.
Philhughes_85@reddit (OP)
That must have been a fantastic gig
louisbarthas@reddit
Oh ya, Hayley was about 15 years old and maybe 85 pounds but just belted it out. I knew right away they would be huge.
just321askin@reddit
Saw Radiohead, Tame Impala, and Ghost multiple times at small club shows before they eventually went on to play arenas.
Quiet_Molasses_3362@reddit
Evanescence, saw a few times in mid to late 90's.
Current drummer for Primus. Saw a few times when playing with dirtfoot.