Concert lineups usually make sense — the opening act builds the energy, sets the tone, and hands things off to a headliner in the same general zone. But now and then, artists from completely different worlds share a stage, leaving fans confused, amused, or in rare cases, hostile.
These aren’t just bad fits. They’re strange combinations that make you wonder who put the bill together. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. But they’re always remembered.
It’s a bit like stumbling across something that doesn’t seem to belong — and occasionally getting rewarded for it. Like grabbing a surprise bonus with a code promo melbet, these unlikely pairings offer something you didn’t expect.
1. Jimi Hendrix Opening for The Monkees (1967)
One was a psychedelic guitar icon on the rise. The other was a made-for-TV pop group with a teen fanbase. In 1967, Jimi Hendrix joined The Monkees on their U.S. tour — a decision that confused just about everyone.
The match didn’t last. While The Monkees played to screaming young fans, Hendrix opened with raw, feedback-heavy guitar work that left most of the audience bewildered. After a handful of shows, Hendrix walked away from the tour. It might have been short-lived, but the contrast was so jarring it became part of music folklore.
2. Rage Against the Machine Opening for U2 (1997)
On paper, both bands were huge. But U2’s PopMart tour leaned heavily on spectacle, irony, and commercial pop-art visuals. Rage Against the Machine, on the other hand, was known for stripped-down aggression and politically charged messages.
RATM opened for U2 during parts of the tour, but the contrast in tone and philosophy stood out. Some crowds embraced it, others didn’t. RATM ended some sets early. In hindsight, it was less about success or failure and more about two very different musical worlds brushing up against each other.
3. Nickelback Opening for Slipknot – Ilha do Ermal, Portugal (2002)
This one turned chaotic. At the 2002 Ilha do Ermal festival in Portugal, Nickelback took the stage before Slipknot. The audience, packed with fans waiting for masks, mayhem, and metal, wasn’t interested in melodic post-grunge.
During Nickelback’s set, the crowd began throwing rocks, bottles, and debris at the band. After a brief attempt to win them over, Chad Kroeger asked if they wanted the band to continue — and got his answer in the form of more projectiles. The band walked off, and the incident has been talked about ever since as one of the most hostile receptions in festival history.
4. Justin Timberlake Opening for AC/DC (2003)
During the 2003 SARS Benefit Concert in Toronto, a massive crowd gathered to see The Rolling Stones and AC/DC. One of the openers? Justin Timberlake, fresh off his debut solo album Justified.
Pop met hard rock, and the crowd wasn’t thrilled. Bottles were thrown. Timberlake kept performing, even catching one mid-song, but admitted later that the experience tested his patience and professionalism. The pairing wasn’t a disaster in terms of performance, but stylistically, it left everyone wondering how his name ended up on that bill.
5. Prince Opening for The Rolling Stones (1981)
Years before he became one of music’s most celebrated performers, Prince opened two shows for The Rolling Stones in Los Angeles. The crowd wasn’t ready. His outfit — trench coat, thigh-high boots, and bikini briefs — and his genre-blending sound clashed with the expectations of a Stones audience in the early ‘80s.
He was booed off stage, had things thrown at him, and didn’t return for a planned third show. Prince later admitted the experience shook him. But like the others on this list, the pairing remains unforgettable — not for how it went, but for how unlikely it was to begin with.
Strange combinations don’t always fail. Sometimes they introduce fans to something new. Other times, they just make for a great story later on. Either way, these opening act pairings prove that when it comes to live music, you never really know what you’re walking into.
