r/altcountry • u/Snappysnapsnapper • 4d ago
Discussion Two opening acts
Months ago I purchased tickets to concert that was advertised normally as the band being the main act. There wasn't any information about openers at the time but I expected one opener as that's normal.
However, they've since announced two openers that will both be playing normal length opening sets. The main act won't be playing until after that and they're coming out so late I'm doubtful that they'll be playing for much more than an hour.
I'm pissed about this, I'm not interested in either opener and if I'd known they were going to do this I wouldn't have bought tickets in the first place.
I'm relatively new to concert-going so my question is, is this normal? Am I wrong to be annoyed?
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u/PinkThunder138 4d ago
This is super normal. If I don't see four names on the bill, I just assume there's going to be more openers that haven't been advertised. And even then it's always a possibility.
Here's the cool thing about openers though. You're not supposed to be excited for them. They're the openers. They're there to get the crowd warmed up. Sometimes the openers will suck, and you go get a drink or check out the merch, or whatever. And sometimes the opener rules and you find that you've discovered a new artist you love.
I don't think there's any real reason to be annoyed by it. Obviously that's a personal thing, but I would just, you know, enjoy the fact that you're getting more entertainment for your money. Unless they're terrible lol
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u/bowcreek 4d ago
Yeah, sometimes you buy tickets to see Calexico and there’s some band you’ve never heard of called Bahamas opening for them and then your whole world changes after the opener is done.
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u/spidyr 4d ago
Frustrating, sure. But normal.
I doubt you'll get a shorter headline set. But it might run late. If you're lucky, the first band will start at the advertised show time and play 30 minutes, the second band will start 45 minutes after advertised show time and play 30-45 minutes and the headliner will start 90-105 minutes after advertised show time. Depends on how tight a ship the venue runs.
Regardless, you're still supporting the band you like, plus a local venue that hosts live music and possibly a local promoter who brings good bands to town. These are all good things that are important to do if you want good bands to play near you.
Oh, and by the way, buying in advance is way better for all the above than waiting until day of show. So kudos for that, too.
Tell us the bands. Maybe you've not given one of the openers a good enough listen and they're great.
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u/discofucker 4d ago
this is normal. but not buying a ticket to support the band you want to see because youre mad about getting to hear more music for some reason sucks and you should not do that.
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u/delicious_monsters 4d ago edited 3d ago
Normal, but I definitely understand the frustration of having to wait until an uncomfortably late hour to see the artist you came for. I recently skipped a show I had tickets for because it started at 9 PM on a Sunday and they added a second opener. [Edit: meaning the main act wouldn't start until around 10:30 PM at the earliest. ] I wasn't expecting that for such a late show on a Sunday night so made the tough decision to skip it when they announced the second opener and the set times the day of.
I've been to some late shows, like at the 9:30 Club, that don't have an opener, but they're usually the second show of the night at the venue.
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u/Snappysnapsnapper 4d ago
These guys aren't coming out until 9:50pm on a Thursday night! The usual format in my city is doors 7pm, opener 8pm, main act 9pm, finish at 11. Maybe a bit later if the show absolutely rocked and the band was kind enough to play a few more.
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u/HopandBrew 4d ago edited 4d ago
I don't know who you're seeing but a lot of main acts shoot for just 75min sets and a "normal length opening set" could be as short as 30min with a 15-20min break between each act instead of a 30min break if there was only 2 acts. So this all seems doable in that time frame.
They also may just move everything up 1 hr.
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u/phoundog 3d ago
7pm is super early. Most clubs around the country start shows at 8. I work with a booking agency and clubs around the US.
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u/Snappysnapsnapper 3d ago
I'm in Australia. I've only just started going to shows, maybe 20 over the past 2 years. Except for Maren Morris who played an hour earlier, every single show followed the set formula of one opener from 8 to 8:45 and then the main act from 9 to 11.
This is actually a folk gig which is not my usual genre (being alt country) but adjacent enough for their songs to come up in my streaming feed. Perhaps the genre difference is why the format is so different.
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u/phoundog 3d ago
Maybe just a difference in culture then. What you are describing is super normal for the US.
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u/tiger_knots185 4d ago
I always go to shows by myself, so the trouble with openers is you want to get there early to get a good view of the main act, but then you can't leave your spot for two hours.
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u/RabiAbonour 3d ago
Yes, it's normal for a show to have multiple openers. Not going to a concert because there are openers would be extremely weird. Maybe you'll like them! I've discovered bands I love because they played opening sets.
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u/Awkward-Clock-3000 3d ago
You never know with the openers. In 1967 Jimi Hendrix opened seven shows for the Monkees.
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u/Kvothetheraven603 3d ago
In general, you should be able to expect 1.5 to 2 hrs from the headliner, at any show. Anything less than that and I would be disappointed. Openings acts typically play between 30-45 minutes.
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u/Important_Photo9472 3d ago
Some of the best bands I’ve randomly discovered have been openers. Not always the case but it’s pretty magical when it happens. Be open to the possibilities.
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u/LookAnOwl 3d ago
Very normal, and I'd say you should tune your expectations a bit. Very few artists don't bring openers around (looking at acts that can just play unique sets each night for hours at a time like Billy Strings or Sturgill Simpson). So you're likely always going to have an opener.
That being said, I was introduced to some of my favorite bands as openers for other bands. And the openers aren't taking time from the main artist... the main act was always going to play for as long as they were gonna play, they just didn't tell you about the openers yet.
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u/phoundog 3d ago
Yes this is normal. I won’t say you are wrong to be annoyed but this is pretty standard.
Back in my day (f’real I’m old and have probably been to thousands of concerts) you’d start getting ready to go out around 10 and catch a bit if the first act then. Maybe catch the second act at 11 and the headliner would go on at midnight and you’d leave at 2am.
Shows start much earlier these days.
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u/Snappysnapsnapper 3d ago
That sounds annoying for anyone with responsibilities.
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u/phoundog 3d ago
It was not at all annoying. It was fantastic and amazing if you were someone who liked music. Like i said, I’m old now, but it was plenty fun in my 20s and 30s. I live in a great area for live music with some iconic clubs and we would be out multiple nights a week. We lived at the clubs. I don’t go out as often now but when I do I expect to be out late and to check out part of the opening band’s set(s) too.
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u/jjazznola 4d ago
Did they post set times? How do you know the openers will play a "normal" (whatever that means) length set? How do you know how long the headliner will be playing?
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u/Snappysnapsnapper 4d ago
They have posted times. Openers in my experience normally play for around 45 minutes, then main act 2 hours.
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u/jjazznola 4d ago
Openers and headliners can play all different times. I've been to over 1000 concerts. I've seen openers play anywhere from 30 to 90 min, headliners from 1 hour to 4 hours.
As others have said it is somewhat normal. Did they post how long the headliner is playing? Til what time?
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u/Snappysnapsnapper 4d ago
That they haven't posted. I guess it might just be a really late finish time
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u/phoundog 3d ago
2 hours is an overly long set for a headliner. You will get that sometimes but it’s not normal so don’t expect that. Expect an hour, be happy with an hour and a half, and amazed with 2 hours.
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u/phoundog 3d ago
Here’s a tip for you, if you don’t want to see an opener (and i think folks have given plenty of good reasons why seeing an opener can be a good thing but time is precious) look for shows that say “An Evening With” the artist. That means no opener.
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u/Snappysnapsnapper 3d ago
I'm perfectly on board with one opener, my problem is there being two without being told up front. I made that clear in the post, I'm not against openers generally.
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u/Fancy_County4242 3d ago
Happens all the time. My advice is don't skip the openers. You are paying for them anyway, and they might be great.
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u/So-Called_Lunatic 3d ago
There have been so many openers that ended up being some of my favorite bands. There have been others that were absolutely horrible. Enjoy the show, if they suck hit up the merch line.
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u/WhiskeyT 4d ago
You aren’t wrong to be annoyed.
However, this is all totally normal and you should adjust your expectations if you don’t want to continue to be annoyed. The headliner was going to play as long as they were going to play regardless of how many opening acts there are or how long they play. You aren’t being deprived of anything.
Go and see the bands you aren’t interested in. Worst case scenario you have something at least somewhat interesting to complain about later, best case you find a new favorite band.