It was 1991 and "grungewear" had not yet hit the mainstream. What then ensued was a typical Washington culture clash: "When the band arrived at a trendy restaurant the maitre d' refused to seat the raggedy trio. They were met by the local promotions rep for Geffen Records, who was tasked with taking them out to eat before the show. While their audience was expanding and records were selling at a quicker rate than expected, the trio were hardly household names when their van pulled up in D.C. in the Washington Post was this 9:30 Club ad.
The only mention of Nirvana's October 1991 appearance in D.C. College and modern rock radio stations also placed the single in heavy rotation around this time, and a definite crossover mainstream buzz was beginning to build behind the song and the band. Within a few weeks, the video proved so popular that MTV began airing it during its regular daytime rotation. However, in the interim, something happened that changed both the trajectory of the band and rock music itself - the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" debuted on MTV's late night alternative rock showcase "120 Minutes" on Sept. 14. The record company hoped that Nevermind would sell around 250,000 copies in total. on Sept. 24, 1991, with Geffen Records shipping a modest 46,251 copies across the country. Nevermind, Nirvana's second album and first for a major label (Geffen), was recorded in about two weeks in May 1991 at Sound City Studios in California, with an initial budget of just $65,000. The record label had gained some national attention as the main purveyor of bands playing the "grunge" sound - an alternative fusion of hardcore punk and heavy metal - but none of its original stable of artists (among them Soundgarden, Mudhoney and TAD) had achieved any sniff of mainstream success.Īll of that was about to change however - in a massive way - within weeks of Nirvana's scheduled gig at the original 9:30 Club located on 930 F Street NW. His band Nirvana had achieved a mostly regional but loyal following after the release of its first album Bleach on Seattle-based independent record label Sub Pop, which sold about 35,000 copies after its initial release in June 1989. with bandmates Krist Novoselic and Northern Virginia's own Dave Grohl in early October 1991. Voice of a generation, musical genius, rock legend, sellout … Kurt Cobain was none of those things when he arrived in D.C. on Oct. 2, 1991, witnessed firsthand the explosion of a "new" genre of music, and a rock star on the brink of fame who would burn bright and flame out dramatically just 2 and a half years later. But those lucky enough to be in attendance at Nirvana's historic gig at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C.
News that Nirvana's breakthrough album Nevermind turned 25 in 2016 might have shocked many longtime fans. Kurt Cobain performs with Nirvana at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
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