Music

10 Touring Musical Odd Couples

by Anne T. Donahue

Few pairings define “odd couple” like the current bill of Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, primarily because in any other context, the pairing of a prison guard and prisoner usually ends in the opposite of music. So in celebration of such a unique and meaningful union, we’ve rounded up 10 other tours that define odd couple. Or at least “how in the name of all that is good did anyone think this could work?”

10. The Fray and The Pixies (and Weezer) (2005)

In all fairness, we all liked that Fray song about Grey’s Anatomy, but what’s puzzling is the way “How To Save A Life” clearly managed to hypnotize and/or blackmail The Pixies, their managers, and anyone else who listened to “Look After You” following Doolittle.

9. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and the Beach Boys (1973)

While the 70s are strange for a number of reasons, the brief pairing of The Boss with The Beach Boys is worthy of many an eyebrow-raise (though we understand: the collective genius of Bruce and the wannabe surfers is not to be sniffed at). Fast forward one year later, and we can also talk about the time Bruce Springsteen played with (and subsequently destroyed) Anne Murray. (And not over a pair of jeans.)

8. Rush and The Runaways (1977)

Likely paired up out of alphabetical logic, the “WTF” factor was cemented after last year’s The Runaways depicted Joan Jett relieving herself on the guitar of a famous headlining band. We’ll give you three guesses as to who that was.

7. Paul Wall and Fall Out Boy (2007)

Not that we’re openly questioning the integrity of the 2007 Honda Civic Tour, but with a lineup that also included The Academy Is…, Cobra Starship and +44, we can all join in on a verse of “one of these things is not like the other …”

6. Miles Davis and the Steve Miller Band (1970)

Every so often a relatively unadvised pairing makes sense when you say it loud, but you can’t help but think that someone got it terribly wrong after Miles Davis referred to his short-lived headliner as a “sorry-ass cat” who didn’t have “shit going for him”. Either that, or the buddy-buddy vibe dictating today’s bills is another example of a music industry fail.

5. The Who and Herman’s Hermits (1967)

It’s understandable why The Who wanted to hitch a ride across the great Atlantic to join in on the British invasion, but by pairing the proverbial Lemmon with the proverbial Mattau (if Mattau was a hard-partying 1970s rock and/or roller), a giant “WTF” belongs in place of “God save the queen”.

4. Snoop Dogg and Korn (2004)

Mixing genres is where it’s at, but when you imagine the transition between “Gin and Juice” and “Freak on a Leash”, the only thing you’d be left wondering is who was the DJ at the worst 90s party ever.

3. U2 and Kanye West (2005)

While the obvious joke is to ask whether Kanye wrote “Jesus Walks” after witnessing Bono do something charitable, we’ll stick to subtly and assume that the rapper joined the band on their “Vertigo” tour to see whose ego could “Touch the Sky”. (Zing! We’re here all week, folks.)

Though at least we finally have a better explanation for this:

2. MGMT and Paul McCartney (2009)

True, one survived the 60s while the other likes to pretend they did, but in the same way a word stops making sense once you type it repeatedly, the reasoning behind the MGMT/McCartney mashup becomes confusing shortly after realizing both names begin with “M”. Then again, Paul once wanted to make a cartoon about his alter ego mouse, and MGMT … well, you’ve seen their videos.

1. Jimi Hendrix and The Monkees (1967)

In what can only be described as “so wrong it’s just wrong”, the Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for The Monkees in the midst of their summer ’67 tour. Obviously because Hendrix was so inspired by The Monkees’ legacy as bona fide musicians.