The Tragedy of the Headliner

I’m not in a band, but you’ve got to imagine how cool it feels to be a headliner. To have your band’s name talked about, written about, and, odds are, be the reason that most people are at that show. But, as a headliner, there’s also some pressure, pressure that the opening band probably doesn’t have to deal with.

We’ve been to two shows recently where the opening band almost stole the show. Yuck (opening for the Smith Westerns) and Oberhofer (opening for Tapes N’ Tapes) had an energy and an enthusiasm that somehow eluded those nights’ headlining bands. (Disclosure: I know 80% of show attendees are going to disagree with me. To that I say, we gladly take guest posts and rebuttals – contact us here!)

First up, we have Yuck. Which was very un…yucky? Yes, the name is terrible, but the band is great. Their style and their songs bring back memories of the 90s (the good part, not the part with the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys.) The music was catchy, and surprisingly polished, especially for a band with only one album under their belts:

Oberhofer, opening for Tapes N’ Tapes, seemed to have the crowd in the palm of its hand from note one. Screams of “we love your band” had frontman Brad Oberhofer smiling and dedicating songs to lucky audience members, who were dancing (that’s right – dancing!) during the whole. magical. set.

Did we mention that Oberhofer is like… 19 20? And performs with a substantial amount of whistling? We like this kid. He’s going places.

Best track of the night – “I Could Go”:

These bands had something in common that propelled them above their headlining counterparts – they came to party. They got the crowd at the Loft up and dancing, and just straight-up had fun. Maybe it was the absence of pressure that comes with being a headliner, or maybe Oberhofer and Yuck are just that damn good. Either way, ladies and gents, make sure you get to the show early.