20 ICONIC MUSICIANS WHO ONCE OPENED FOR OTHER ICONIC MUSICIANS

Many fans were first introduced to Taylor Swift through either “Tim McGraw” or Tim McGraw. Some just heard the song, while others saw Swift open for McGraw and Faith Hill on their Soul2Soul II Tour back in 2007. 

Disney stars were all the rage in the late 2000s. Demi Lovato joined her fellow Disney icons, the Jonas Brothers, as the opener for their Burnin’ Up Tour. 

Before Prince was Prince, he was just Prince, an artist on the rise who caught the attention of The Rolling Stones. The famed band had Prince open for them at a 1981 gig. Unfortunately, it resulted in Prince being harassed by the crowd and booed off stage, and he stopped performing as an opener from then on. 

Tina Turner’s rise to fame took longer than it should have, but she got there eventually, and she had some help along the way. Turner famously opened for The Rolling Stones on multiple tours, leading to her years-long friendship with Mick Jagger. 

Seriously, The Rolling Stones have always known how to pick opening acts. They had Stevie Wonder open during their 1972 Exile on Main St. Tour. Audiences didn’t yet realize that they were watching more than one legendary artist perform. 

Katy Perry was just finding her footing as a pop star in the late 2000s. It was 2009 when she joined No Doubt as the opening act for their Summer Tour. 

Guns N’ Roses opened for Mötley Crüe on the Girls, Girls, Girls Tour of 1987. After that, however, Vince Neil and Axl Rose had a major falling out, culminating in a fight at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. 

Nirvana was part of the alt-rock explosion of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and their path to stardom was paved by earlier acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The latter band had the former open for them on their 1991 tour. 

Nirvana wasn’t the only iconic act that opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their 1991 tour. Pearl Jam was also one of the openers. 

Making 1991 that much more legendary, Smashing Pumpkins was an opening act alongside Pearl Jam and Nirvana. The Red Hot Chili Peppers had a keen eye for young talent. 

Lady Gaga is so famous now that she doesn’t even need an opening act. She can pull crowds entirely on her own. But before she ascended to that level of fame, she was an opening act herself, notably for The Pussycat Dolls on their 2009 Doll Domination Tour. 

It’s hard to imagine The Beatles needing to open for anyone, but even the most famous band of all time needed some introduction. They once opened for Little Richard, one of their musical idols. 

Destiny’s Child opened for the Christina Aguilera in Concert Tour of 2000. Can you imagine a more quintessentially 2000s lineup than that? 

Heavy metal was shaped by both Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, and Osbourne clearly saw the band’s potential early on. Metallica opened for the Prince of Darkness on his 1986 The Ultimate Sin Tour. 

These days, Ed Sheeran can be found headlining stadium tours. But when he was starting out, he was an opening act, opening for Snow Patrol during their 2012 Fallen Empires Tour. 

Not every opening act is meant to continue with its headliner. Jimi Hendrix once opened for The Monkees, but the musical styles of each act didn’t jive, leading Hendrix to quit as the opener after fewer than 10 shows. 

The Clash opened for The Who’s 1982 Farewell U.S. Stadium Tour. Fans weren’t always so welcoming to The Clash, perhaps because they truly thought it would be their last chance to see The Who, who have since gone on several more tours. 

Before The Weeknd released the biggest song of all time, literally, he was just a dude from Canada trying to break into the industry. One of his introductions to thousands of fans was as the opening act for a few stops on Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience World Tour of 2013. 

Billie Eilish garnered the respect of industry stalwarts early in her career. She opened for several dates of Florence + The Machine’s 2018 High as Hope Tour. 

Billy Joel first came onto the scene in the late ‘60s. By the early ‘70s, he was the opening act for The Beach Boys. Not every crowd loved Joel at the time, but he clearly persevered into the icon he is now.