In the music industry, it is common practice for an up-and-coming musician to open for an already well-established act. As a matter of fact, more than half of the bands you know and love probably once got their start by opening for bigger acts. In essence, it’s a great opportunity, as it provides the musician in question with experience performing in front of large crowds, and also gives executives a sense of whether the musician can sell out a similar-sized venue of their own. The one arguable downside is that there seemingly isn’t a lot of creative autonomy. After all, they are there to support and not take away the show, and that is why Kate Bush denied the opportunity to open for Fleetwood Mac in 1978.
Videos by American Songwriter
In 1974, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour discovered Kate Bush at just 16 years old. Subsequently, Bush went to released two albums prior to 1979. She was well on her way to becoming an internationally known name, and in 1978, she scored her first-ever No. 1 hit with “Wuthering Heights”. Needless to say, Bush probably had a lot of opportunities thrown at her feet, including this one with Fleetwood Mac. However, it seems she opted out of the opportunity because she had her sights set on more.
Kate Bush Was Holding Out for Her One and Only Full-Length Tour
Kate Bush’s touring career is awfully unique, given that she has only gone on one full-length tour. That one full-length tour was her iconically innovative 1979 Tour of Life tour. If not for her refusal to support Fleetwood Mac on their Rumours tour, the Tour of Life might have never come to be, as she needed the time to plan and execute her vision.
Concerning her reasoning, Brian Southall, the then-Artist Development at Bush’s label, EMI, stated, “Like most support acts, she was going to get half an hour, no dancers and no magicians, so just going up there with four musicians and banging out a couple of hits.” “She wasn’t prepared to do that,” added Southall via Louder Sound.
Per Southall’s comments, it seems his client wanted something more than an opening slot. Well, she got just that with her Tour of Life tour, which went on to become an awfully memorable tour thanks to its ambitious mission of integrating dance, mime, magic, and poetry all together. Following that tour, the only semblance of touring Bush took part in was her 22-show residency in 2014.
Photo by kpa/United Archives via Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.