Foo Fighters opened for Mike Watt on their first major tour in 1995.
The tour was Watt’s Ring Spiel Tour, a spring U.S. trek that became an important early break for the newly formed band. Foo Fighters had only recently made their public debut, and their self-titled album had not yet been released when they joined the bill.
The package also included Hovercraft, whose lineup featured Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder at the time. The tour had an unusual connection to Foo Fighters: Grohl played drums in Watt’s backing band, while Vedder supplied guitar. That made the concerts more than ordinary opening slots and linked several prominent alternative-rock musicians on one circuit.
Bob Mould, Tom Petty and Neil Young are plausible-sounding names because each is associated with major rock touring history, but none is the answer to this specific 1995 milestone. Foo Fighters later toured with other acts, yet Mike Watt is the musician tied to their first major U.S. tour.