Is there an opening band?
Yes, Doug Gillard will do a few songs and we've just added Lower Wolves, a tribute to early REM. Should be a great night!
If you split the two main eras of Guided By Voices into Smiths/Morrissey solo terms, Doug was "Alain Whyte" to the "Johnny Marr" of the classic line-up's Tobin Sprout/Mitch Mitchell. He is a very good guitarist.
The song "Ready For Death" at http://www.douggillard.com/ has some Smithsian leanings, with a bit of "And Your Bird Can Sing" in the solo. Worth a listen.