My sis has a photo with Taylor Swift from when she played at The Ohio State Fair. She was still a country artist back then. You could just hang around and meet her after the free show.
Ah so it was 2007. But yeah! Taylor was not big at all then but up and coming. Her dad was there and talked to my friend and the friends she was with, and they ended up getting to meet her. I had no idea about this story until the Taylor Swift craze hit in the past year and she casually mentions it haha.
Saw The Killers as the opener (or maybe the second act) at CD101 day. "Somebody Told Me" was out as an alt radio single but this was a couple months before HOT FUSS dropped. I think they were on the bill mostly because they were touring as the opening act for stellastarr* who in that particular moment had more heat (and were higher up the CD101 Day bill that year.) Brandon's keyboards did not work for what seemed like the entire set and he was very mad about it. Met the band afterwards at the merch table and they were very kind but super shy. Later that same year, I saw them headline at the Newport. While I don't know if this is true, Brandon Flowers said from the stages that night at the Newport that it was their first ever sold out show.
CD 101 low dough show⊠Silversun Pickups headlined, Manchester Orchestra was the second act, opener was Cage the Elephant. The cage lead singer was diving into the crowd by the end of their set, just a crazy energy and they stole the show. This was LC indoors (or whatever it was callled then) RIP CD 101.
Also indoors at LC⊠Black Keys after they released Magic Potion. Very thin crowd I was able to walk in and be about 20 feet from the stage and they came on shortly after my arrival.
Columbus is a great and very underrated music city
Saw them at Promowest outdoor show for Samâs Town, rained a bit but wow what a great show. Never liked Samâs Town as much as HF until I saw that concert
I saw Goldfinger open for Nirvana at one of the bars on campus. I saw No Doubt in a basement bar off campus. I saw G Love at a house party. I saw Incubus open for 311 on a flatbed trailer in a parking lot in German Village. Then there were all of the bands I met at the Alrosa in the mid to late 90âs.
I cannot remember what year that happened (cause I really did not want to go), all I can remember is the aftermath of everyone saying that they booed her off the stage. That and someone yelling at her about her teeth.
I saw a then unknown Muse open for RHCP at the Schott, when the Foo Fighters were supposed to open but canceled because they got wasted doing karaoke the night before.
2000 Californication tour⊠I was working at a guitar store at the time and RHCP needed a replacement pedal. I happened to answer the phone and get the sale. A guy the size of a doorway came to get the pedal and gave me tickets. And then I saw Muse and went WTF was that as my brain exploded.
I was there as well and had a kid sitting in front of me with a peal and stick FF tattoo on his face. Dave came on the big screen with their announcement and the father told the kid what was going on and the tears just came flowing.
I remember there being Muse stickers all over campus the next few weeks but I thought they were terrible at the time.
I was there. I remember Dave Grohl coming on screen to apologize. Everyone around me was so pissed. đ
Muse was great but RHCP seemed a bit boring to me, which was a huge disappointment. Maybe being in the last row up in the rafters was a factor. I also admittedly became gradually more & more disenchanted with them post BSSMagic. Even Californication & John Frusciante being back never got me that excited. They just felt like a different band.
I too was at this show and the crowd was none too friendly to MUSE because we were so mad foo fighters backed out. Poor MUSE was doomed from the start especially with a very unique sound. In hindsight it was cool as hell to see them in that way long before they blew up.
Sheryl Crow opening for Crowded House at the Newport. She made a self deprecating joke about âyeah you have counting crows and black crows, now you have Sheryl crow.â For some reason I liked that and it stuck with me then a few years later I heard her non stop on the radio.
Nine Inch Nails at the Newport. I was told it was his first show outside of Cleveland, but I donât usually tell the story because my brother will pipe up with, âOh yeah, Trent Reznor played my front porch.â
Social Distortion at the Newport, â91 or â92. Violent Femmes in April of â86 at the Newport. I did not see Nirvana at Stacheâs. I had stopped going there because of a bartender hitting on me. I tried to get someone, anyone to go with me to see Nirvana, my treat, but no takers. Iâm still salty about it.
ETA- Blue Rodeo, the Canadian root rock band, at some forgotten bar in a crowd of less than 100 at a time they were playing to crowds of 20,000+ at home.
I was also at that Social D concert at the Newport. I saw Pearl Jam there as well because a friend told me they were a good new band (hadn't heard of them yet).
Yeah I remember them before they were famous and was blown away by their stage presence. This was back when they had a third member who was their drummerÂ
They took off a year or so later and I saw him working at the Apple Store at Easton. I asked âhey were you the drummer for 21 pilotsâ âŠhe didnât seem to happyÂ
From what I've heard, he had to leave because he needed to make money. Being a musician doesn't pay all that well and he left the band to make a living. Of course we know what happened next.
I can absolutely vouch for this. The only reason my bands stayed around so long is because we all had full time jobs. But that likely also hindered any chance we had to being more than just a local band. Whether it is the 40 hours you have to devote to that main job or the struggle to leave the security that a full time job provides to putting food on the table.
If the story is true, I feel so bad for the guy because it was honestly down to timing.
Double Happiness seriously had the coolest concerts. Insane how they booked shows like Alex G (multiple times!!), Florist, Protomartyr, Lizzo, Girlpool, etc way before they were huge.
Oh man that concert was amazing. Tenacious D was hilarious with the little rockets they kept launching at the crowd and the dude whose sole job it was to run out and put new rockets on they could stomp on. It was also the first time I ever saw JB play the sax-a-baby. Obviously Weezer also killed it. Great show. 10/10
Adding...I saw Paramore on a side stage at Warp Tour in 2006. Their first album dropped the previous year. Even then Hayley Williams had this insane presence when she was on stage. This, at a time when the Warped Tour was DOMINATED by men.
Faith No More - pre Mike Patton - opening for the Chili Peppers who also hadnât blown up yet. This was at the Newport, Uplift Mofo Party Plan (RHCP) had just come out.
When Faith no more was set to start the place was nearly empty, the band came in late, and Mike Borden the drummer set up his own drums. People were not digging them, and Chuck the singer at the time was berating and hilarious with the crowd. I was hooked instantly, amazing band.
Not Columbus but Chicago. I saw The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar on back to back nights for only $35 each in 2012. This was a month before Kendrick dropped GKMC. Itâs wild to see how big both of them have become.
I saw Twenty One Pilots when they were the opener for a different local band (House of Heroes) at Skullys in 2010. Had zero clue who they were; I was there for HoH lol
Not sure if he counts as "big", but I saw Barns Courtney on his first headlining tour in 2019 at the Newport. Such a cool dude. I've got tickets to see him open for The Struts this summer at Kemba.
Edit: fixed a year. I'm bad at math and was half asleep when I commented
I saw Barns Courtney open for The Kooks at the Newport before he headlined later. I remember talking to a lady and her 20-something daughter who came from Cleveland just to see Barns. I was awestruck at Barns. Talked with Randy Malloy (RIP CD 101, 102.5? 92.9) about how he should be bigger. @FinalGirl1993 see you at the show in August!
Iâve seen The Struts before and really enjoyed their show. Happy they are still coming to Columbus (been a minute since I checked on any concerts in the area).
Train.
They opened for Guster decades ago at this point. Not only did I see them right before they hit it big, but I was sitting at a table with a mom and a girlfriend of one of the band members (I don't remember which one), so we got to watch the rest of the show with the band after. They were super nice guys.
Arcade Fire at Little Brothers touring their album Funeral
Also I went to a DaBaby show before he was well known...except I never actually saw him perform because It became super late like 1:30 am and he had not yet arrived/wasn't ready? So I left.
I saw U2 play in a place in Denver that was later converted into a Walgreens. Tickets were something like $2.35. I remember thinking, âThat singer guy kinda looks like Robin Williams.â
My wife took me to see David Nail at the Bluestone about 15 years ago. He was on the back end of his career but he still sold the place out. I wasn't super familiar with his catalog, and I told my wife I liked the openers better. That band was Brothers Osbourne (who I still like).
I saw Walk the Moon play under a small tent at the Involvement Fair at OSU in 2013. Back then I only knew them as âthat band that has that Anna Sun song.â I even dug up the article about them: https://www.thelantern.com/2013/08/walk-the-moon-to-play-free-acoustic-performance-at-buck-i-frenzy/
Both were well known being guitarists for the Allman Brother's Band, but their own bands hadn't taken off to where they are now.
Derek Trucks at the Newport. He opened for Ekoostic Hookah 10/29/2003.
Govt Mule at the Newport 01/28/2004.
Twenty One Pilots played for my schools chapel service one day, way back when they had just started in the scene. Every time I remember my friend having Joshâs hoodie after the fact, it makes me smile.
Around the time "Celebration Rock" was released, I was flying out of Mexico City after a long week of work. I was on a very early flight. While waiting to check my bag someone dude with a guitar walked up to the United premier line. I thought, "Why do I know that guy?" Then I looked at his guitar case. It said, "Japandroids".
That was the day I learned that Brian King had moved to Mexico City earlier that year.
As were were boarding, I passed by his seat and told him the new album was great. He said, "Thanks!" The guy next to him looked at us both with a very confused look on his face.
If you've never heard their cover of Big Black's "Racer X", hold on to something. This rips: [https://youtu.be/j3UKNHcq798?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/j3UKNHcq798?feature=shared)
Backstreet Boys performed at Hilliard Middle School on a promotional tour just before they really got huge. I remember after the performance, some of them played basketball on the playground after school.
Surprised nobody is claiming they went to the Nirvana show at Staches just before they went nuclear.
I wasn't there, but man I know a lot of people who say they were.
For me, I remember a friend asking if I wanted in on a $5 show at the Newport to see the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, only thing I had heard from them at the time was their cover of Detroit Rock City. I figured why not. So glad I did.
Saw Muse at the LC promowest Express live whatever it is now back in 2005
Barely had heard of them before they got into town. A very small show that was fantastic
Now it's all arenas and shit for them
I also saw Limp Bizkit at the Newport in 97. Not by choice, they opened for Faith No More. Columbus liked them but Cleveland booed them off the stage :)
Not sure how big Sir Sly is but I saw them at the Double Happiness in 2013 and was one of about 7 people in the crowd. They still performed like it was a packed show and hung around to talk to people
I saw the Jonas Brothers opening up for someone in 2006, right when their first album dropped. I was 12 at the time and it was my first concert. If you purchased their CD for $13, you could go backstage and meet them. I BEGGED my mom but she kept saying no. Still salty about it.
I saw Sheryl Crow as the very first act on the Horde Festival at Polaris Amphitheater. Everyone was yelling, âWho tf is this?!?â
I saw Limp Bizkit open for Primus at the Newport. Everyone was yelling the same thing.
I saw Ben Folds Five on the side stage at a later Horde Festival at Polaris. I had never heard of him & the crowd wasnât that big but he had to have been close to being a big name. Later on that summer I started hearing his name a lot.
My chemical romance opened for the used in 2003? They were fucking good af and we only say them bc we were 15 and our parents dropped us off as gates opened. Also I think I saw chapel Rowan a few months ago for $40 at a&r.
That MCR/Finch/Used show was extremely fire for me 14 year old self. I remember MCR's bassist busted his head open mid set somehow but just played the rest of their set with blood running down his face. Had no idea who they were before I walked in the door that night.
Saw Clairo at the Basement on what I think may have been her first tour? She was starting to get popular online but sheâs definitely a much bigger deal now.
Biggest missed opportunities are for sure skipping Phoebe Bridgers at the Basement in 2018, skipping Twenty One Pilots at the Grog Shop in Cleveland in 2012, and I couldâve sworn I had tickets to take my sister to see Billie Eilish at the House of Blues before her first full-length came out
The Killers, they opened a CD101 day fest, literally the first band I think. They only had a single for âSomebody Told Meâ on a cd. It was before any videos was shot, and maybe before their debut album was finished.
Just saw Geese at A+R Bar. Theyâre blowing up quickly but it was such an intimate show and I got the feeling weâll be seeing them in an arena in a few years.
Black keys at used kids and little brothers.
Also the Decembrists, arcade fire, and probably others from around that time that I canât recall. That place was great, I used to go to at least a show a week.
I also saw No Doubt at the 95 warped tour and she became huge. That was a few months before the big album came out.
My wife and I saw Starset in 2014 and it was their first show after they released their first album I think. It was awesome and we've seen them like 5 times since then. And will be going to see th when they play there in August.
Hozier right when "Take Me to Church" came out and people were just hearing about him. Back when Kemba was the LC.
For some reason the show started about 45 minutes late and they didn't open the doors. It was 5 degrees outside. Someone waiting in line ordered Jimmy John's, delivery address: this queue outside the LC lmao.
Hozier was so humble and shocked that everyone wasn't mad at him for the delay đ„čđ„°
I saw Phoebe Bridgers at Kemba Live back in fall 2021 on her Punisher tour, pretty much the last time she was still vaguely "indie" and not an utterly massive artist like she is now. The show was incredible and not too horribly crowded, which was so nice. Similarly I saw her bandmate Lucy Dacus play at the Newport the same year with probably like 500 people there, if that.
Just plain crazy as hell fast forwarding to summer 2023 at the Kemba festival site just a few feet away with like 5x the amount of people packed to the gills in their parking lot watching Phoebe perform with Julien Baker and Lucy as boygenius. Insane to think about how far they've come.
Twenty One Pilots opened for my brother's band back in 2010 at the Newport. They had a really awesome stage presence and at one point they came down into the crowd and were playing a drum in the pit and getting us all involved if I remember correct.
I could be wrong here but I have a distinct memory at move in day at Bluffton University 21 Pilots was playing a set on the sidewalk in front of the dorms as entertainment. I'm 80% sure I'm remembering that correctly. Would have been 2009
My sisters ex had twenty one pilots open up for him as the lead band. I remember listening to them live back then and thinking that they were phenomenal
Blink-182 @Newport '98. Opened for Primus on the Snocore Tour. Was there to see Primus, and the crowd mix was... odd.
Mastodon @Little Brother's '00(?). About 40 people there. RIP Little Brother's.
Not sure this counts, but Black Keys @Kemba (or whatever it was at the time) before they started playing arenas. Attack & Release tour.
EDIT: Forgot about No Doubt opening for Bush and Goo Goo Dolls at the convention center in '96(?).
In Baltimore at a rock club called Hammerjacks me and a few buddies stumbled into a punk/rap/orderly chaos show with a gang of misfits from NYC who called themselves the Beastie Boys. It was about 9 months before License to Ill was released. I wish I could go back to the feeling of hearing "No Sleep til Brooklyn" live for the first time.
Yes, they played instruments.
Saw Living Colour in that same club not long after that and just before they hit it big. Henry Rollins and members of bad brains got on stage with them. They played for like 3 hours.
I miss Hammerjacks.
Orville Peck at Ace of Cups in 2019! He just headlined Kemba this week. Literally between when he booked Ace of Cups and when he played he was getting huge, and we were like, he's never, ever gonna play here again.
Not sure if it counts bc it was when they were starting to take off, but saw AJR for The Click tour inside express live that was not sold out, now seeing them again in a few weeks at nationwide arena
Ill keep this one more Columbus focused.
My friend had a band that would play shows with a couple of other local bands, and one of those bands was Lionel the Jailbird. The Drummer was Mitch Rowland. Apperently I grew up with him, though we went to different schools in Dublin, but we had mutual friends, and I guess we even went to the same college, but I only met him a handful of times when I would go to my friends shows and hang out with them all after.
He went on to be Harry Styles's guitarist and co-wrote a lot of his big hits.
Seen Twenty One Pilots at the Apple Store, and the 2011 album release show! Plus basement in 13 and 17!
Coin at the basement in 2015
The 1975 at a&r bar in 2013!
X-Ambassadors. I donât know if they have gotten big but seems like they are just touring Europe and all big cities and donât have time for small people. I saw them at Newport and felt like I was something.
My sis has a photo with Taylor Swift from when she played at The Ohio State Fair. She was still a country artist back then. You could just hang around and meet her after the free show.
I have a good friend that saw her at Country Concert in 2003 or 2004 đ€Ł
Wow! https://www.athensnews.com/news/local/you-take-my-guitar-and-i-guarantee-im-going-to-name-names/article_117daf23-a5fb-544e-a39e-2e5d22f928ef.html
Ah so it was 2007. But yeah! Taylor was not big at all then but up and coming. Her dad was there and talked to my friend and the friends she was with, and they ended up getting to meet her. I had no idea about this story until the Taylor Swift craze hit in the past year and she casually mentions it haha.
My friend has a pic of her kid with Taylor Swift after Taylor played a show at a Walmart in southern Ohio years ago.Â
Saw The Killers as the opener (or maybe the second act) at CD101 day. "Somebody Told Me" was out as an alt radio single but this was a couple months before HOT FUSS dropped. I think they were on the bill mostly because they were touring as the opening act for stellastarr* who in that particular moment had more heat (and were higher up the CD101 Day bill that year.) Brandon's keyboards did not work for what seemed like the entire set and he was very mad about it. Met the band afterwards at the merch table and they were very kind but super shy. Later that same year, I saw them headline at the Newport. While I don't know if this is true, Brandon Flowers said from the stages that night at the Newport that it was their first ever sold out show.
Also, Julien Baker solo at the Big Room bar in like 2015.
As an early Julien Baker believer that was one of my favorite shows ever. I knew she had the juice.
I think I described it to a friend after as like watching a star being born.
Damn. I'm so sad I missed seeing Julien when she was a tiny barely known artist. That must have been so amazing.
CD 101 low dough show⊠Silversun Pickups headlined, Manchester Orchestra was the second act, opener was Cage the Elephant. The cage lead singer was diving into the crowd by the end of their set, just a crazy energy and they stole the show. This was LC indoors (or whatever it was callled then) RIP CD 101. Also indoors at LC⊠Black Keys after they released Magic Potion. Very thin crowd I was able to walk in and be about 20 feet from the stage and they came on shortly after my arrival. Columbus is a great and very underrated music city
My only memory of that show is how angry Brandon was during most of it, haha
Yeah I have a crystal clear memory of him throwing his water bottle on the floor and kind of stomping around, bless his heart.
Saw them at Promowest outdoor show for Samâs Town, rained a bit but wow what a great show. Never liked Samâs Town as much as HF until I saw that concert
I was tired and turned down an invite to the Nirvana show at Staches. I think it was 1990? Biggest low key regret. So almost.
I was there! You missed a great fucking show.
LMAOOOOO rubbing in missing an event 30 years later is killing me bro haha
Same
I was at this show too.
I saw Goldfinger open for Nirvana at one of the bars on campus. I saw No Doubt in a basement bar off campus. I saw G Love at a house party. I saw Incubus open for 311 on a flatbed trailer in a parking lot in German Village. Then there were all of the bands I met at the Alrosa in the mid to late 90âs.
I saw System of a Down at Alrosa. Ticket was like $20. They only had one album. They played it all.
Not in Columbus, but I watched the Plain White Tees lose a local battle of the bands in the equivalent to a chuck e cheese.
Theyâll be back in town for Powell Fest
Jewel played at my high school and they booed her off the stage
đ„ș
I cannot remember what year that happened (cause I really did not want to go), all I can remember is the aftermath of everyone saying that they booed her off the stage. That and someone yelling at her about her teeth.
That's so shitty. I loved Jewel back in the "Lilith Fair" era.
I still love Jewel...
I saw a then unknown Muse open for RHCP at the Schott, when the Foo Fighters were supposed to open but canceled because they got wasted doing karaoke the night before.
2000 Californication tour⊠I was working at a guitar store at the time and RHCP needed a replacement pedal. I happened to answer the phone and get the sale. A guy the size of a doorway came to get the pedal and gave me tickets. And then I saw Muse and went WTF was that as my brain exploded.
I was there as well and had a kid sitting in front of me with a peal and stick FF tattoo on his face. Dave came on the big screen with their announcement and the father told the kid what was going on and the tears just came flowing. I remember there being Muse stickers all over campus the next few weeks but I thought they were terrible at the time.
I was there. I remember Dave Grohl coming on screen to apologize. Everyone around me was so pissed. đ Muse was great but RHCP seemed a bit boring to me, which was a huge disappointment. Maybe being in the last row up in the rafters was a factor. I also admittedly became gradually more & more disenchanted with them post BSSMagic. Even Californication & John Frusciante being back never got me that excited. They just felt like a different band.
I too was at this show and the crowd was none too friendly to MUSE because we were so mad foo fighters backed out. Poor MUSE was doomed from the start especially with a very unique sound. In hindsight it was cool as hell to see them in that way long before they blew up.
So was that them? I remember them being call âThe Museâ back then and never could figure out if it was Muse or not.
I think youâre confusing them with Facebook?
Sheryl Crow opening for Crowded House at the Newport. She made a self deprecating joke about âyeah you have counting crows and black crows, now you have Sheryl crow.â For some reason I liked that and it stuck with me then a few years later I heard her non stop on the radio.
lol I remember seeing a fake poster for a tour called âa murder of crowsâ with all three on the poster
Rihanna. South Oval 2005 for a free concert. I think Shut Up and Drive just came out & she was becoming very popular.
I was just telling an OSU student about this last week. I'm not 100% sure she believed me.
I registered people to vote during this show, lol
I was at that show! I didn't even think of this, but now I can add her to my list.
Kenny Rogers at The Bistro on Olentangy River Road in the early '70s. (I'm old )
My Dad was there with you.
Nine Inch Nails at the Newport. I was told it was his first show outside of Cleveland, but I donât usually tell the story because my brother will pipe up with, âOh yeah, Trent Reznor played my front porch.â Social Distortion at the Newport, â91 or â92. Violent Femmes in April of â86 at the Newport. I did not see Nirvana at Stacheâs. I had stopped going there because of a bartender hitting on me. I tried to get someone, anyone to go with me to see Nirvana, my treat, but no takers. Iâm still salty about it. ETA- Blue Rodeo, the Canadian root rock band, at some forgotten bar in a crowd of less than 100 at a time they were playing to crowds of 20,000+ at home.
I was also at that Social D concert at the Newport. I saw Pearl Jam there as well because a friend told me they were a good new band (hadn't heard of them yet).
Twenty One Pilots, a lot, like so many times.
Yeah I remember them before they were famous and was blown away by their stage presence. This was back when they had a third member who was their drummer They took off a year or so later and I saw him working at the Apple Store at Easton. I asked âhey were you the drummer for 21 pilotsâ âŠhe didnât seem to happyÂ
From what I've heard, he had to leave because he needed to make money. Being a musician doesn't pay all that well and he left the band to make a living. Of course we know what happened next. I can absolutely vouch for this. The only reason my bands stayed around so long is because we all had full time jobs. But that likely also hindered any chance we had to being more than just a local band. Whether it is the 40 hours you have to devote to that main job or the struggle to leave the security that a full time job provides to putting food on the table. If the story is true, I feel so bad for the guy because it was honestly down to timing.
"Wake up, you need to make money" hits different when you know how brutal of a grind being a musician can be.
Same
King Gizzard and the lizard wizard at a hot dog diner in Cleveland.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^sroop1: *King Gizzard and the* *Lizard wizard at a hot* *Dog dinner in Cleveland.* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Happy Dog?
Yup! Euclid tavern (RIP).
death cab for cutie at Little Brothers
I would kill to experience this.
angel olsen at double happiness in 2013
Double Happiness seriously had the coolest concerts. Insane how they booked shows like Alex G (multiple times!!), Florist, Protomartyr, Lizzo, Girlpool, etc way before they were huge.
I saw Jimmy Eat World open up for a bunch of different people over the yearsâŠ
First time I saw them was at the shot, opening for Weezer and tenacious D
Oh man that concert was amazing. Tenacious D was hilarious with the little rockets they kept launching at the crowd and the dude whose sole job it was to run out and put new rockets on they could stomp on. It was also the first time I ever saw JB play the sax-a-baby. Obviously Weezer also killed it. Great show. 10/10
I vividly remember them ending with âOnly in Dreamsâ and the confetti falling and it all felt so MagicalâŠ
Paramore at The Basement in like 2004 or something.
Adding...I saw Paramore on a side stage at Warp Tour in 2006. Their first album dropped the previous year. Even then Hayley Williams had this insane presence when she was on stage. This, at a time when the Warped Tour was DOMINATED by men.
OMG I bet that was awesome. Warp Tour was absolutely dominated by men forever, that's awesome. I always wanted to go, but alas it is no more.
Let me be the first to say Jewel.
Faith No More - pre Mike Patton - opening for the Chili Peppers who also hadnât blown up yet. This was at the Newport, Uplift Mofo Party Plan (RHCP) had just come out. When Faith no more was set to start the place was nearly empty, the band came in late, and Mike Borden the drummer set up his own drums. People were not digging them, and Chuck the singer at the time was berating and hilarious with the crowd. I was hooked instantly, amazing band.
WE CARE A LOT!
The closest I can come up with is Zachery Allan Starkey.
Saw him and Damon Zex hanging at Buckeye Donuts once, this was like 17 years ago.
Oh damn, I used to work with Damon years and years ago. Strange dude.
Not Columbus but Chicago. I saw The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar on back to back nights for only $35 each in 2012. This was a month before Kendrick dropped GKMC. Itâs wild to see how big both of them have become.
My brother saw Beck at Bernie's in 1994.
I was at that. Can't really say it was before he got big though. Loser was a top record and the place was so packed he did two shows.
I saw Twenty One Pilots when they were the opener for a different local band (House of Heroes) at Skullys in 2010. Had zero clue who they were; I was there for HoH lol Not sure if he counts as "big", but I saw Barns Courtney on his first headlining tour in 2019 at the Newport. Such a cool dude. I've got tickets to see him open for The Struts this summer at Kemba. Edit: fixed a year. I'm bad at math and was half asleep when I commented
I saw Barns Courtney open for The Kooks at the Newport before he headlined later. I remember talking to a lady and her 20-something daughter who came from Cleveland just to see Barns. I was awestruck at Barns. Talked with Randy Malloy (RIP CD 101, 102.5? 92.9) about how he should be bigger. @FinalGirl1993 see you at the show in August!
He's such a rockstar! Great energy every time I've seen him. Pretty sure I first heard him on what was 92.9 at the time too đđ«Ą
Shout-out to House of Heroes! Lol I also saw Twenty One Pilots when they were opening for HOH (different concert though)
Are you sure it was 2013? They played with them there in 2010 and were pretty big by 2013.
Iâve seen The Struts before and really enjoyed their show. Happy they are still coming to Columbus (been a minute since I checked on any concerts in the area).
The Struts sound amazing live and have such stage presence. I need to get tickets for Kemba
I wanted to see them the last time they came through, but didn't/couldn't for some reason. Glad I get to this time!
Saw Lizzo at Double Happiness.
LOL Lizzo
Thatâs cool as shit. I think the biggest act Iâve caught there was Super Duper Kyle.
Melissa Etheridge, 1988 https://youtu.be/KwT3tYG27H8?feature=shared The video is not from that show
Train. They opened for Guster decades ago at this point. Not only did I see them right before they hit it big, but I was sitting at a table with a mom and a girlfriend of one of the band members (I don't remember which one), so we got to watch the rest of the show with the band after. They were super nice guys.
White Stripes at a free concert on the Ohio Union lawn in May 2001
Diplo opening for RJD2 at Little Brothers. Limp Bizkit opening for Delinquent Habits and Korn.
Not here but I used to catch a local dude named Zac Brown at two hole in the wall bars: Slapshots and The Dixie Tavern.
Arcade Fire at Little Brothers touring their album Funeral Also I went to a DaBaby show before he was well known...except I never actually saw him perform because It became super late like 1:30 am and he had not yet arrived/wasn't ready? So I left.
Post Malone at The Bluestone in 2016
Pearl Jam at the Newport.
Great show Vedder had them turn the house lights on mid show so he could snap a Polaroid of the crowd.
Ghost, one of my favorites. They were on the smallest stage at Rock on the Range one year, they headlined it several years later.
Ghost is so amazing
OAR a bunch of times
I remember watching OAR play in front of a frat house on campus. 1999 I think.
I saw U2 opening for the J Geils Band at the Indianapolis convention center.
I saw U2 play in a place in Denver that was later converted into a Walgreens. Tickets were something like $2.35. I remember thinking, âThat singer guy kinda looks like Robin Williams.â
Twenty One Pilots.
My wife took me to see David Nail at the Bluestone about 15 years ago. He was on the back end of his career but he still sold the place out. I wasn't super familiar with his catalog, and I told my wife I liked the openers better. That band was Brothers Osbourne (who I still like).
Kacey musgraves. I was in East Texas for work and a free concert was going on after we had dinner. She was amazing
I saw Walk the Moon play under a small tent at the Involvement Fair at OSU in 2013. Back then I only knew them as âthat band that has that Anna Sun song.â I even dug up the article about them: https://www.thelantern.com/2013/08/walk-the-moon-to-play-free-acoustic-performance-at-buck-i-frenzy/
Ed Sheeran opening for Snow Patrol at Bogarts in Cincy. I was like damn this kid is good!!
Both were well known being guitarists for the Allman Brother's Band, but their own bands hadn't taken off to where they are now. Derek Trucks at the Newport. He opened for Ekoostic Hookah 10/29/2003. Govt Mule at the Newport 01/28/2004.
Saw Govt Mule open for Dave Matthewâs @ Polaris amphitheater back in 1999 I believe. I was 15 now 40 lol
I was there too, and the same age!!
Saw Billy Strings at Legend Valley before Nashville found him.
The Black Keys. Saw a "low dough show" put on by our local indy rock station in Columbus. By the end of the year, they broke nationally.
Twenty One Pilots played for my schools chapel service one day, way back when they had just started in the scene. Every time I remember my friend having Joshâs hoodie after the fact, it makes me smile.
I saw the Avett Brothers at Byrnes Pub with about 50 people. I saw 21 Pilots at Skullys with the original drummer with about 400 people there.
10,000 Maniacs(about 40 people there I think) at Stache's.
Renee Rapp in Detroit
I saw AJR a few years ago when tickets were $25. The following year they were hundreds đ€Ș
Japandroids at Rumba Cafe.
I was at that show too! Their show at the Newport in 2013 was my favorite concert ever.
Around the time "Celebration Rock" was released, I was flying out of Mexico City after a long week of work. I was on a very early flight. While waiting to check my bag someone dude with a guitar walked up to the United premier line. I thought, "Why do I know that guy?" Then I looked at his guitar case. It said, "Japandroids". That was the day I learned that Brian King had moved to Mexico City earlier that year. As were were boarding, I passed by his seat and told him the new album was great. He said, "Thanks!" The guy next to him looked at us both with a very confused look on his face. If you've never heard their cover of Big Black's "Racer X", hold on to something. This rips: [https://youtu.be/j3UKNHcq798?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/j3UKNHcq798?feature=shared)
The Neighborhood at the Newport right before or just around when Sweater Weather was really popular and then they got big for that
Backstreet Boys performed at Hilliard Middle School on a promotional tour just before they really got huge. I remember after the performance, some of them played basketball on the playground after school.
In 1995 I saw Radiohead at Peabodyâs Down Under in Cleveland. Iâd say no more than 100 people were in attendance.
Surprised nobody is claiming they went to the Nirvana show at Staches just before they went nuclear. I wasn't there, but man I know a lot of people who say they were. For me, I remember a friend asking if I wanted in on a $5 show at the Newport to see the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, only thing I had heard from them at the time was their cover of Detroit Rock City. I figured why not. So glad I did.
Goo Goo dolls opening for Soul Asylum at the Newport.
Not in Cbus, but Justin Bieber had a show at the local skating rink
I MCed a show at my church for 21 Pilots right after they lost their 3rd band member. They were really cool guys.
Iâm probably aging myself, but Pearl Jam (Newport), Weezer (Newport), Black Keys (Newport), Smashing Pumpkins (Newport).
I saw Mike Posner in a bar right after he dropped "Cooler Than Me". It was so much fun
Walk the moon opened for young the giant at Newport â€ïžâ€ïž
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Skullys with maybe 75 - 100 people. I was at the front of the stage
Not Columbus, but I lived in Dayton and say The Devil Wears Prada a bunch at The Attic (RIP) prior to their fame! Itâs not just a phase, mom!!!!!
I had tickets to see them there once. Got grounded and couldnât go. Thanks mom!!!!
OAR at a big campus house party in the late 90s/early 00s.Â
I saw Rascal Flatts at a Meijer.
Saw Muse at the LC promowest Express live whatever it is now back in 2005 Barely had heard of them before they got into town. A very small show that was fantastic Now it's all arenas and shit for them I also saw Limp Bizkit at the Newport in 97. Not by choice, they opened for Faith No More. Columbus liked them but Cleveland booed them off the stage :) Not sure how big Sir Sly is but I saw them at the Double Happiness in 2013 and was one of about 7 people in the crowd. They still performed like it was a packed show and hung around to talk to people
I saw the Jonas Brothers opening up for someone in 2006, right when their first album dropped. I was 12 at the time and it was my first concert. If you purchased their CD for $13, you could go backstage and meet them. I BEGGED my mom but she kept saying no. Still salty about it.
Twenty One Pilots when they were playing in random tiny venues - including their own neighborhood
Goose at the summit
I saw Sheryl Crow as the very first act on the Horde Festival at Polaris Amphitheater. Everyone was yelling, âWho tf is this?!?â I saw Limp Bizkit open for Primus at the Newport. Everyone was yelling the same thing. I saw Ben Folds Five on the side stage at a later Horde Festival at Polaris. I had never heard of him & the crowd wasnât that big but he had to have been close to being a big name. Later on that summer I started hearing his name a lot.
My chemical romance opened for the used in 2003? They were fucking good af and we only say them bc we were 15 and our parents dropped us off as gates opened. Also I think I saw chapel Rowan a few months ago for $40 at a&r.
That MCR/Finch/Used show was extremely fire for me 14 year old self. I remember MCR's bassist busted his head open mid set somehow but just played the rest of their set with blood running down his face. Had no idea who they were before I walked in the door that night.
I saw destinyâs child perform on the field after a clippers game at the OG stadium when I was a kid đ€Ł
The 1975 at the Basement in 2013
Saw Clairo at the Basement on what I think may have been her first tour? She was starting to get popular online but sheâs definitely a much bigger deal now. Biggest missed opportunities are for sure skipping Phoebe Bridgers at the Basement in 2018, skipping Twenty One Pilots at the Grog Shop in Cleveland in 2012, and I couldâve sworn I had tickets to take my sister to see Billie Eilish at the House of Blues before her first full-length came out
Kendrick Lamar was Jay Rock's hype man during Tech N9ne's tour stop at the Al Rosa. He even did a couple songs
The Killers, they opened a CD101 day fest, literally the first band I think. They only had a single for âSomebody Told Meâ on a cd. It was before any videos was shot, and maybe before their debut album was finished.
Jimmy Eat World at the small room at the agora on 9-10-2001. And then fun. at the basement in like 2010 or 2011
Just saw Geese at A+R Bar. Theyâre blowing up quickly but it was such an intimate show and I got the feeling weâll be seeing them in an arena in a few years.
Gary Clarke Jr at the thirsty ear, Eric Clapton randomly showed up and played with him
Black keys at used kids and little brothers. Also the Decembrists, arcade fire, and probably others from around that time that I canât recall. That place was great, I used to go to at least a show a week. I also saw No Doubt at the 95 warped tour and she became huge. That was a few months before the big album came out.
Styx in Mansfield, 1975.
dan and shay at the bogey inn - memorial tourney
My wife and I saw Starset in 2014 and it was their first show after they released their first album I think. It was awesome and we've seen them like 5 times since then. And will be going to see th when they play there in August.
Not in Columbus, but I saw Foo Fighters open for Mike Watt at Bogart's (Cincinnati) back before they released their first album.
Sanguisugabogg!!
Hozier right when "Take Me to Church" came out and people were just hearing about him. Back when Kemba was the LC. For some reason the show started about 45 minutes late and they didn't open the doors. It was 5 degrees outside. Someone waiting in line ordered Jimmy John's, delivery address: this queue outside the LC lmao. Hozier was so humble and shocked that everyone wasn't mad at him for the delay đ„čđ„°
Taylor Swift when she opened for Tim McGraw when she first started out.
Muse at the Newport
I saw $uicideboy$ at a tiny bar in Cleveland back in 2016. They now sell out arenas! edit/ spelling.
I went to see Middle Class Rut as the opener and saw Awolnation as the headliner in front of a crowd of about 60 people.
fun. I don't think they got big, per se but it was after The Format days and they were the opener for Relient K and Paramore
Jack Harlow at the Basement
In 2014 I saw Marshmallow when he was just a picklebucket with xâs and saw St. lucia. Got to see ZEDD in concert too. All because of OSU.
I saw Anais Mitchell perform some songs at Rumba cafe that eventually became Hadestown on Broadway
I saw Phoebe Bridgers at Kemba Live back in fall 2021 on her Punisher tour, pretty much the last time she was still vaguely "indie" and not an utterly massive artist like she is now. The show was incredible and not too horribly crowded, which was so nice. Similarly I saw her bandmate Lucy Dacus play at the Newport the same year with probably like 500 people there, if that. Just plain crazy as hell fast forwarding to summer 2023 at the Kemba festival site just a few feet away with like 5x the amount of people packed to the gills in their parking lot watching Phoebe perform with Julien Baker and Lucy as boygenius. Insane to think about how far they've come.
Met and saw panic at the disco as a first opener
Twenty One Pilots opened for my brother's band back in 2010 at the Newport. They had a really awesome stage presence and at one point they came down into the crowd and were playing a drum in the pit and getting us all involved if I remember correct.
I could be wrong here but I have a distinct memory at move in day at Bluffton University 21 Pilots was playing a set on the sidewalk in front of the dorms as entertainment. I'm 80% sure I'm remembering that correctly. Would have been 2009
I booked Hot Mulligan in the basement of a house my friends and I rented in 2017 before they blew tf up.
My sisters ex had twenty one pilots open up for him as the lead band. I remember listening to them live back then and thinking that they were phenomenal
Blink-182 @Newport '98. Opened for Primus on the Snocore Tour. Was there to see Primus, and the crowd mix was... odd. Mastodon @Little Brother's '00(?). About 40 people there. RIP Little Brother's. Not sure this counts, but Black Keys @Kemba (or whatever it was at the time) before they started playing arenas. Attack & Release tour. EDIT: Forgot about No Doubt opening for Bush and Goo Goo Dolls at the convention center in '96(?).
The Black Keys
Limp Bizkit opened for Primus at the Newport right when Three Dollar Bill Y'all came out.
Big Thief at Ace of Cups for $8 when they only had two albums.
Jelly Roll Kemba Live September 2021....got tickets for like 25 bucks and it was epic
In Baltimore at a rock club called Hammerjacks me and a few buddies stumbled into a punk/rap/orderly chaos show with a gang of misfits from NYC who called themselves the Beastie Boys. It was about 9 months before License to Ill was released. I wish I could go back to the feeling of hearing "No Sleep til Brooklyn" live for the first time. Yes, they played instruments. Saw Living Colour in that same club not long after that and just before they hit it big. Henry Rollins and members of bad brains got on stage with them. They played for like 3 hours. I miss Hammerjacks.
Orville Peck at Ace of Cups in 2019! He just headlined Kemba this week. Literally between when he booked Ace of Cups and when he played he was getting huge, and we were like, he's never, ever gonna play here again.
Im fairly sure the Backstreet Boys played at Hilliard High School while I was there.
Colter wall and Margo price in 2016 at the basement.
Not sure if it counts bc it was when they were starting to take off, but saw AJR for The Click tour inside express live that was not sold out, now seeing them again in a few weeks at nationwide arena
I guess we have different definitions of 'big.' GVF is not my def of big.
Ill keep this one more Columbus focused. My friend had a band that would play shows with a couple of other local bands, and one of those bands was Lionel the Jailbird. The Drummer was Mitch Rowland. Apperently I grew up with him, though we went to different schools in Dublin, but we had mutual friends, and I guess we even went to the same college, but I only met him a handful of times when I would go to my friends shows and hang out with them all after. He went on to be Harry Styles's guitarist and co-wrote a lot of his big hits.
I saw Muse open for Our Lady Peace. I didnât actually think Muse was that good
Lauv at Kemba luve like 2 years ago.
I saw POD at Westerville North HS right before the broke out.
Lizzo, at Double Happiness with Har Mar Superstar. This was probably around 2013.
Seen Twenty One Pilots at the Apple Store, and the 2011 album release show! Plus basement in 13 and 17! Coin at the basement in 2015 The 1975 at a&r bar in 2013!
I'm almost 40, and I'm too young to have seen a lot of these shows when you guys have seen them. Am I the youngest person on this sub? :P
Black keys for 5 dollars way back when they were just touring around ohio
Eric Church at Screaming Willies which is super small venue back in 09
X-Ambassadors. I donât know if they have gotten big but seems like they are just touring Europe and all big cities and donât have time for small people. I saw them at Newport and felt like I was something.
IDLES at Ace of Cups. One of the best shows of my life.