Dave Grohl’s First Nirvana Show: 35 Years Ago Today

The music of legendary grunge-rock trio Nirvana continues to be filled with plenty of backstories and lore, even years after the death of lead man Kurt Cobain led to the band’s finale. There are hidden song gems with surprising origins, some unexpected facts behind their most successful album, and even how a replacement drummer wound up elevating the group.

That drummer was Dave Grohl, who would eventually go on to his own wildly successful project as the frontman of the band the Foo Fighters after Nirvana’s demise. But 35 years ago today, Grohl was just the latest on the sticks for the band (Nirvana’s sixth drummer at this point), playing his first live show as part of their mix.

What Led To Dave Grohl Joining Up With Nirvana

From 1988-1990, Chad Channing would serve as Nirvana’s drummer as the group began to inch toward fame, primarily manning the kit for their debut LP Bleach as well as the very start of demos for their breakout follow-up album Nevermind. However, the expanding growth of creative differences between Channing and the band (especially Cobain) ultimately led to Channing’s dismissal.

Not long after Channing was let go, Cobain and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic were first introduced to Grohl’s sound when they attended a show being played by his prior group, the hardcore rock act Scream. Novoselic and Cobain were reportedly immediately impressed by Grohl’s approach and technique, wanting his style for Nirvana.

Luck was on the band’s side as Scream would soon dissolve, leaving Grohl an available free agent. The drummer was quickly flown out to the Pacific Northwest for an audition, and it didn’t take long before Grohl was officially in the fold, unknowingly on his way to a place at the table of rock and roll history.

But he’d initially have to play his first live show with Nirvana before getting to that level of notoriety. Taking place on October 11th, 1990, at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington, without much time to rehearse in advance (and plenty of songs to learn), how would Grohl hold up on his first night in a new Nirvana?

It Wasn’t Perfect, But It Was A Good Start For Grohl

Nirvana would play 20 songs that night, consisting of a mixture of covers, tracks from Bleach, as well as still-unreleased selections from the upcoming Nevermind album. Grohl reportedly put in a solid debut performance, even after multiple songs were stopped halfway due to repeated power outages.

Despite this, the grunge-rock trio would still rattle through their setlist successfully, and Dave Grohl would go on to become an iconic piece of the ultimate Nirvana legacy. It may seem small 35 years later, but today is when another vital piece of rock and roll history was forged in the fires of opportunity.