Believe it! Before they achieved fortune and fame (and The Fame Monster), these artists served as the warm-up act for musical superstars.
Not going to lie: When I saw Madonna on her last tour in 2023, I made a point to show up late just so I wouldn’t have to sit through her opening act. I only paid to see a sure thing, I huffed to my friend. But deep down, I knew today’s unknown could very well be tomorrow’s global superstar.
For proof, look no further than Madge herself. Amy Schumer did standup ahead of her shows in 2015; Swedish pop singer Robyn opened for her on the European leg of her Sticky & Sweet concerts in 2008; and way back on her 1985 Like a Virgin tour, a trio of guys from New York City started off the night by rapping. They called themselves the Beastie Boys.
And it’s not like this trend has gone the way of lace and cone bras. Fact is, if you bought an in-demand concert ticket over the past several years, there was a solid chance that you caught a glimpse of greatness in the making and didn’t realize it. A select few opening performers actually went on to surpass the success of their respective headliners.
Which ones went all the way to the top? Ahead, we’ve got a chronological rundown. So the next time you’re tempted to ignore the opening act when you’re headed out to a show, remember that we all have to start somewhere. Yup, even Taylor Swift.
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Which opening acts are now more successful than the bands they opened for?
You won’t believe some of these names. These former works-in-progress now command the stage in sold-out shows all over the world, and they’ve surpassed their original headliners in other ways too.
Rihanna opened for Gwen Stefani (2005)
Dare we say this is B-A-N-A-N-A-S? Rihanna was just a 17-year-old girl from Barbados—pushing her hit dance single “Pon De Replay”—when she snared an enviable opening slot on Stefani’s first-ever solo trek. (FYI, Ciara, the Black Eyed Peas and M.I.A. also rotated in and out on the Harajuku Lovers tour.) And while Stefani is certainly an icon, Rihanna is one of the wealthiest and most successful artists of her time.
How about some stats? Grammys: Nine. (Stefani has one.) Billboard chart-topping albums: Three. (Stefani has one.) Concert sales: Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour in 2013 grossed well north of $100 million, while Stefani’s 2007 Sweet Escape Tour took in about $30 million. Rihanna also performed pregnant at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
But it’s all good! Stefani even covered Rihanna’s “Umbrella” on the opening night of her Las Vegas residency in 2018.
Taylor Swift opened for Rascal Flatts (2006)
In another era, the mega-star subbed in for original opener Eric Church (who was booted from the tour). Her setlist? Songs from her self-titled album, including “Our Song,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” “Tim McGraw” and “Should’ve Said No.” After Taylor Swift went gold, the singer sent Church a note that read, “Thanks for playing too loud and too long on the Flatts tour. I sincerely appreciate it.”
Swift, of course, is now the ultimate musical A-lister. A 14-time Grammy winner (including a record-breaking four for Album of the Year), she has amassed 14 No. 1 albums on the Billboard charts, and her epic 21-month, 149-show Eras Tour grossed $2 billion in revenue. The country group Rascal Flatts has achieved an impressive six No. 1 albums (but zero Grammys), and they’ve grossed about $11 million in concert sales since 2000.
Lady Gaga opened for New Kids on the Block (2008)
A star is born! Gaga was chosen as the undercard for NKOTB’s reunion tour after member Donnie Wahlberg caught her performance of “Just Dance” at Perez Hilton’s Fourth of July Spectacular in Las Vegas. She sang that hit, along with the likes of “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi” from her The Fame album.
“She had a lot of energy, and she was also a sweetheart,” Joey McIntyre remembered in 2019.
Gaga has gone on to win 14 Grammys and an Oscar. Plus, she’s racked up seven No. 1 albums (that have sold about 40 million copies) and was the 2010 Super Bowl Halftime Show performer. Meanwhile, her current Mayhem Ball tour has grossed $150 million and counting. By comparison, the boy-banders have two No. 1 albums and zero Grammys. But their 1990 Magic Summer Tour grossed $74.1 million, which is about $185 million in today’s dollars. Not bad, boys.
Katy Perry opened for No Doubt (2009)
No doubt Katy Perry is one of the 21st century’s queens of pop. And thanks to the success of her controversial first single, “I Kissed a Girl,” she was invited to be the opening act for Gwen Stefani and her pals for one of their SoCal hometown concerts. Later that year, Perry embarked on her first headlining tour and has yet to really slow down: Her 2014–2015 Prismatic World Tour grossed $204.3 million, and her current The Lifetimes Tour has already grossed $80 million.
Plus, the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime show performer boasts three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. No Doubt, meanwhile, hasn’t been on tour since 2015—and their biggest one was back in 1996 to support their sole No. 1 album, the 18-million-selling classic Tragic Kingdom. One note: They do have two Grammy wins, while Perry is still waiting for her first.
Ed Sheeran opened for Snow Patrol (2012)
During their Fallen Empires tour, the Irish/Scottish alt-rockers (“Chasing Cars” from Grey’s Anatomy, hello!) introduced fans to a red-headed British singer-songwriter whose go-to songs at the time included “The A-Team,” “Drunk” and “Give Me Love.” Sheeran and the band’s singer, Johnny McQuaid, even wrote songs together for Snow Patrol albums. But by 2018, Snow Patrol was opening for Sheeran in 60,000-seat stadiums on his North America tour.
Sheeran is now a four-time Grammy winner with nine No. 1 albums and multiple singles of over 10 million copies sold, according to Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) stats. His 2022–2025 Mathematics tour grossed a whopping $875 million. As for Snow Patrol? One Grammy, zero No. 1 albums (though they have two in the U.K.). Their post-Sheeran concert dates in 2018 grossed between $30,773 and $223,470 per show.
The Weeknd opened for Florence + The Machine (2012)
He calls himself what?! Indeed, few were familiar with the sexy R&B artist born Abel Tesfaye when he signed up to do a string of U.S. dates with the Irish band (“Shake It Out”). A setlist from one of their Hollywood Bowl concerts shows that The Weeknd opened with “Lonely Star” and closed with “Outside.”
Three years later, he broke through with “Can’t Feel My Face,” and by 2021 he was headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show. He now has four Grammys and five No. 1 Billboard albums, and his ongoing After Hours Til Dawn tour has grossed $635 million since 2022.
Florence + the Machine, while a fan favorite for decades, has not received as much mainstream success. Still, the band does have seven Grammy nominations (though zero wins) and four No. 1 albums in the U.K. (none stateside), and their Dance Fever Tour in 2022 grossed $34.9 million. They also seem to have a knack for talent scouting: In 2018, they introduced another future superstar on tour: a teen singer-songwriter named Billie Eilish.
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Sources:
- Ticket Source: “The Support Act Effect”
- Variety: “New Kids on the Block Remember Lady Gaga, Who Opened for Them 10 Years Ago”
- Big Machine Label Group: “Rascal Flatts Refuel for Another Run With 2026 Life Is a Highway Tour”
- Billboard: “Ed Sheeran’s Last Tour Was the Biggest of All Time. His Latest Was Even Bigger”
- Pollstar: “Snow Patrol Announces Spring North American Tour”
- Orange County Register: “No Doubt Adds Fourth Verizon Show, Adds Katy Perry”
- New York Post: “Katy Perry Silences Haters with a Staggering 8-Figure Lifetimes Tour Earnings”
- Pitchfork: “The Weeknd to Open for Florence and the Machine”
- Billboard: “The Weeknd Topples R&B Touring Records Previously Set by Beyonce”
- Billboard: “Rihanna Shines Bright Atop Tours with $68 Million”
- W: “Gwen Stefani Paid Tribute to Rihanna Onstage, Officially Ending Their Alleged Feud”
