Live performers of all kinds tour with an opening act to warm up the crowd and give them a little more bang for their buck. Usually, these openers work in the same field as the headliners and put on a similar show. In other words, comedians generally have other comedians open for them, and musicians have a tendency to go with fellow musicians. Less frequently, artists might decide to mix things up and have a completely different type of performer kick things off. While we’re in that area, here are some rare examples of stand-up comics opening for musicians.
4. SHANE GILLIS
When Zach Bryan brought his Quittin’ Time Tour to Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, last year, he asked Shane Gillis to open up the show for him. Upon taking the stage, Gillis joked about how weird the gig was, telling the crowd, “This is Zach’s idea.” He went on to explain that, “before this, Zach was like, ‘Do you want to go first or second?’ I was like, ‘First.’ Could you imagine if we finished Zach Bryan and I was like, ‘Hey, you guys ever, uh, jerk off?’”
3. JIM BREUER
The members of Metallica had a strange request for former SNL star Jim Breuer after asking him to open for them in 2018: They didn’t want him to perform stand-up. Instead, they told him to “Sort of just entertain the crowd before we come up. You know, like maybe shoot-off T-shirts and stuff like that.” At the suggestion of drummer Lars Ulrich, Breuer told stories about his interactions with the band and won over their die-hard fans without resorting to jokes.
2. BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT
Bobcat Goldthwait first crossed paths with Nirvana in 1989, and before long, he was opening for the Seattle rock giants on their 1993 In Utero tour. Speaking of the experience years later, the comedian told Consequence, “About every third show I’d actually connect and have what would be considered a good set. But at that point in my career, I just thought it was funny to incite and annoy people. I was a little self destructive then. But sometimes it would click.”
1. STEVE MARTIN
In his early stand-up days, Steve Martin served as the opener for a number of musical acts, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He also toured with the country-rock band Poco for a little bit in the late ‘60s. Getting into the 1970s, he opened for the Carpenters on several occasions, telling The Florida-Times Union in 2018, “I watched Karen Carpenter night after night. Whether you like her music or not, she was a genius. She never missed a note, she was never flat, she was never sharp, she was always perfect.”
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