Supporting the Support Act

To sing or not to sing, that is the question.

Credit: Yvette de Wit | Unsplash.com

I’m probably overthinking this. In fact, I know I am. But next month I’m going to be sitting front row at a gig and I’m in a bit of a quandary.

You see, I’ve definitely heard of the support act - he’s a successful British artist of almost thirty years. Yet I’d be hard-pressed to name more than one of his songs, let alone recall anything but half a line of a hit from the 90s. That’s not a slight on him or his music. There’s so many artists out there whose back catalogue I want to dive into, but not yet got round to (however, if anyone wants to pay me to listen to and write about music full-time, be my guest!).

My quandary, if that’s the right word, is this: should I try and familiarise myself with his music and lyrics so I can at least sing along to some of his songs?

Now, I am well aware that, of course, there’s no requirement to know the music of support acts (or main acts, if truth be told - maybe you've just taken a punt on a ticket). Audiences don’t choose who opens, after all. However, personally I feel a bit awkward at the thought of sitting there, at the very front, not knowing any of the words. Maybe I’d feel different if I was several rows back. Except I intentionally treated myself to a front row ticket because, being on the small side, I didn’t want to sit behind taller people, and struggle to see the main act who I’ll be watching live for the first time.

I’ve not attended many gigs before, though I am trying to correct that now. A mix of finances, time, and family commitments were usually obstacles, but of the handful I have been to, I can’t recollect any of them, perhaps bar one, that had an opening act. Not The Bootleg Beatles, The Beautiful South (performing as “The South”, post Heaton and Abbott) or Chris Difford. The King Stingray performance I saw last year in Fed Square, Melbourne, was a mini-festival and I hadn’t heard of any of the three acts on the bill before that evening. The first band I saw live, Liverpudlian indie rockers, Cast, possibly had a support act but my memory of that evening is very hazy. I was sixteen and frustratingly short so stayed away from the mosh pit and the claustrophobic jostling, and stood at the back of the venue while my friends enjoyed the gig closer to the stage.

Maybe there will be a big crossover of fans between the two acts at next month's gig. In that case, I could end up being the only person in the front row not singing along, as we wait for the main act. But then that would mean… I’d be the only person in the front row not singing along!

With over a month until the gig, here’s my plan:

1. Go to Set-List.fm and check out their last few gigs

2. Make a note of the songs performed, provided they’ve been added - this will give me an idea of what they might play next month

3. Seek out those songs and give them a listen while reading the lyrics

4. Rinse and repeat Step 3 a few times

If they end up playing a completely different set, at worst, I’ll have discovered some great new tunes as well as welcome additions to my Learn On The Guitar list.

I think if I can at least get familiar with the choruses, that could be a good compromise: I won't have to try and memorize entire songs, but I’ll still be able to sing along to parts of the set.

I’ll be writing a review about the gig in October so you’ll find out how I got on.

As I mentioned, I'm overthinking this. But what do you do when an upcoming gig has support that you're not quite familiar with? Perhaps you turn up fresh, ready to discover some new favourite tunes. Or do you check out some of their work, first? Drop a comment below!

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