I saw them before they were popular Tour • Page 3

I saw G-Eazy play a coffee shop to like 100 people and I had no idea who he was

 

I think the smallest show I’ve seen was Socratic and You, Me, and Everyone We Know. I was one of 6 people. Also saw Paramore open for Amber Pacific which was pretty cool.

 

Amber Pacific

 

One that comes to mind is Enter Shikari in the basement of Croc Rock. It was in 2009, about a week after Common Dreads came out in the UK, but I don't think it had actually been officially released in the U.S. yet. There were probably 100-200 people but everyone went off, and the band was fuckin wild that night too. Great memory.

 

Oh shit, how did I forget this one

My first show ever was supposed to be Jimmy Eat World, The Juliana Theory, and Coheed at the Allentown Fair in August 2002. Coheed dropped off a couple days beforehand, and they were replaced by a NJ band called My Chemical Romance

 

Led Zeppelin

 

* Linkin Park in 2001 opening the Family Values Tour - they were a little known at the time but it was before In The End was released as a single
* Jimmy Eat World in 2001 opening for Weezer and Tenacious D. Obviously had some albums out, but that was the first I ever heard of them and they were not popular at the time. In The Middle hadn't been released yet - or at least taken off.
* Saw The Used for 92 cents at The Odean, a small club in 2002 before they got big.
* Pretty much every time I've seen Twenty One Pilots - mostly in 2011-2013 era. Played Musica in Akron which is 200 person cap, Grog Shop in Cleveland which is 400-500 cap. Saw them like, 7 times in mostly very small venues.
* Fun, opening for P!ATD in 2011
* The Front Bottoms in 2013 at Musica in Akron (200 person cap)
* Saw Silverstein in 2003 at Pirates Cove. Literally no more than 15 people there (long story - drank with band for hours before the show).

I'm sure I'm missing some.

 

When I was a young boy, my father into the city to see a marching band.

That's about all I got.

 

I saw My Chemical Romance open for Face to Face at the Trocadero in 2004 I believe. They were pretty terrible and not well received by the crowd at all. Remember being very surprised when they showed up on MTV about 3 months later.

Also saw the Story So Far at the Barbary (200 Cap) in Philly right after Under Soil and Dirt came out opening for Hit the Lights.

Before the Early November got back together Ace played a house show at my friend's beach house. He definitely hinted at the reunion show that happened a few months later but I think we were all too shocked that he was there in the first place to put two and two together. That's more of a random anecdote than a "before they got big" story...

 

Oh, I booked The Chiodos Bros. to play my High School....

 

Neck Deep played at a tiny venue that's also a bowling alley on their first US tour. Knuckle Puck opened, the ticket was 12 bucks, and I was able to walk in and pay DOS

 

Joyce Manor in a mechanics garage with a mini ramp in it in 2011. Touche Amore in a different garage in 2010. Probably the two bands I’ve seen the most in random spaces/diy venues over the years. Been cool watching them get bigger and bigger.

Portugal The Man at Chain Reaction in 2008. Foxy Shazam opened.

 

Gaslight Anthem at Asbury Lanes in May / early-June of 2008 - they claimed it was their first sold-out show. Played '59 Sound - album wouldn't be out for another few months. Riot Before was the opener.

 

I saw New Politics open for The Spill Canvas back in 2010 before their first album came out

I got out of a Fall Out Boy concert and was walking back to my car when I noticed another band setting up in a little venue called Backspace (R.I.P.). Long story short I accidentally discovered The Front Bottoms

Saw Japandroids play a free festival at a small college back in 2009.

I grew up going to shows for this little local band called Sunderland. Really solid pop rock band, saw them grow from playing a tiny ass heroin den basement venue to opening for Halsey and signing to FBR under the name Flor.

 

Paramore at the School of Rock in NJ when they only had All We Know Is Falling out

 

oh man I was soooo upset that TFB we're playing the same night as FOB, as soon as the show was over I ran over to Backspace and watched a few TFB songs through the window hahah

 

ADTR Warped Tour 2008.
Panic! at the Disco 2009.
Twenty One Pilots 2013.
Set It off 2009.
Are all the ones that stick out

 

10/29/2004 Ascot Room Minneapolis, MN, United States w/

Hot Rod Circuit, Straylight Run, Northstar, Say Anything

I went for Straylight Run and ended up falling in love with Northstar and Say Anything...


Say Anything with the original lineup was something special.

 

Panic! was huge in 2006 tho

 

Then they fell off majorly after Pretty Odd and I would say didn’t really pick up good steam again until Death of A Bachelor

 

Found Knuckle Puck on Facebook in early 2013 when they only had 800 likes. They toured with Seaway summer 2013 and there was no one there. The promoter didn’t even show up lol.

It was their first tour and I believe Seaway’s first show in the US.

 

I saw tonight alive on their first ever USA tour back with ftsk watic and breathe Carolina and one other band
I saw watic in 2009 with the hoodies and the right coast
Against the current back in a 150 cap venue a few times
MisterWives as an opener to the mowgli’s at a 150 cap venue when only an ep was out
Pvris at the e. Ball stage at warped before they blew up and at the Webster underground
Mitchy c. Before oh honey and lovelytheband
Cherri bomb at warped 2012 or 2013 before they became hey violet
Plug in stereo a few time before Trevor became 1/3 of cheat codes

 

They were still INCREDIBLY popular in 2009. Maybe if you want to talk 2011, when they were doing HOBs again. But in 2014, during the second half of the Too Weird era, they were back to playing small amphitheaters.

 

Man I miss Backspace, best venue

 

I saw Twenty One Pilots before Vessel. That’s really the only major one I can think of, but I’ve seen so many bands open that are headlining shows now, so I guess there’s those.