Finding that musical sparkle.

Have you ever been to a gig and found that the support act has been as good, if not better than the main act?  I’m guessing it’s not that uncommon really, but when it does happen I get a thrill from finding a new band and from seeing them in their early touring days and when they are most fresh and raw.

I discovered one of the bands that has become very dear to me over the years in just this way.  In fact I discovered this band by proxy, but my point is still valid.  My brother and father had been to see Chris de Burgh in concert and came home raving about the support act, called Ezio.  Ezio are a band who hail from Cambridge, who played acoustic guitars on their first album in quite a percussive style, almost as if they are chopping at the guitar as they strum. Believe me, it is much better than I can describe here.  Ezio Lunedei is the main songwriter and Booga is the awe inspiring lead guitarist.  I bought their debut album ‘Black Boots on Latin Feet‘ on cassette and promptly wore it out by overplaying it and and then it was the first album on CD I owned when I started to buy that music format.  I then had a tradition for many years of using their album to christen any new audio equipment I bought.  That's how good it is!  It is one of those rare albums where every track is brilliant and from the album opener, to the final notes of ‘Angel Song’ I listen in ecstasy.  Needless to say it comes highly recommended. 



Years later I had the pleasure of seeing Jewel in concert at the Royal Albert Hall and the equal pleasure of hearing music from both of her support acts that night.  They were a rarity in that both support acts were excellent, rather than just one impressing you and the other leaving you cold.  These acts were Rosie Thomas and Steve Poltz.  Rosie had this most endearing speaking voice that sounded almost childlike and yet when she sung she sounded warmer and richer and more soulful.  She accompanied herself on an acoustic guitar and held the audience in the palm of her hands.  Steve Poltz also played acoustic guitar and managed to be hilariously funny at the same time as performing incredibly moving music.  I quickly snapped up both artists albums and have listened to them extensively ever since.

My final support act gem was a more established act, but one I wasn’t expecting to see and whose music I loved.  To say I was excited when I heard he was the support act would be an understatement.  My wife and I went to see the Foo Fighters at the O2 and when we walked in I started to see leaflets saying ‘Serj Tankian Wants You’.  I was curious what this related to as I love Serj and his previous band System of a Down, but wasn’t expecting to see a sign announcing him as support!  When he came on stage and played music from his new album ‘Elect the Dead’ I yelled and cheered almost as much as I did later for the Foo Fighters.  For me it was like having two headline acts and elevated the evening to heights I will never forget.

Support acts are often discounted and some members of the audience even come late so they can miss them and just see the main act.  But this is short sighted, as the small acts you discount today may well be the big acts you love tomorrow and wouldn’t we all love to say we saw a band when they were just starting out?  Live music is so powerful and whilst there are some dodgy support acts out there, the few rare gems hidden amongst the rough more than make up for the one or two dodgy acts that you have to sit through to find that musical sparkle.