Reflecting on Nirvana for some reason....

Been on this Nirvana kick the last few days. Occasionally when I listen I reflect on the fact they were a band I never saw live. The band didn’t make it easy to see them locally.  In my research, between 87 and 94 the band played in MA 9 times.  4 of them were before September of 91, which I’ll toss any ‘indie cred’ aside and admit I didn’t know of them until Nevermind began to break (the fall of 91).  In 91 the band did two shows as part of WFNX birthday.  On the 23^rd  (a Monday) I drove in to Boston to try and get in.  The station didn’t pre-sell tickets, and the idea was you could go from club A to club B (there were 3 in a row).  By the time I arrived the line to get in was BEYOND the Cask and Flagon, and for those that know the area Axis/Avalon/Venus DeMilo was in the area that House of Blues now occupies.  This was a few hundred yards, with people not in single file line…groups of 6-8 all wondered if the line would even move. The venues were at that point of “one in one out”. I walked down towards the doors of Axis, heard the Smashing Pumpkins play for 2-3 minutes then moved on.  The following day the band did another show that was all ages at the same venue (I had no idea at the time this was happening).  The 25^th was my best shot, the band was playing Club Babyhead in RI.  Again, in the car I went and I headed south.  Just as I was about to turn on to 95 south I had an ‘adult’ moment.  I had an exam the next day in school.  I was going to turn around and study.  So…I turned around.  I didn’t go see them.

The band didn’t tour the US much at all in 92 and in 93 the band was touring for In Utero and the fan base had exploded.  They played Springfield on the 10^th (a Wednesday, had to be in work for 7am in Boston the next day) of November and then Fitchburg on the 12^th. I tried like crazy to get tickets for Fitchburg and never lucked out.  I remember calling both lines from work trying to get in to the ticketmaster phone queue.  None of my friends had much luck, and looking back probably not a ton of interest.  That was it.  Cobain died a year later.

Just got me thinking and doing some web surfing last night.  I guess if you read this far my only “life lesson” is “don’t turn around”. 

If you really care here is the dates in MA/CT/RI
7/15/89  Green Street Jaimaca Plain
4/18/90  Man Ray, Cambridge MA
4/21/90   MIT, Party.
4/27/90   Hampshire College

-------------------- (knew who they were)
9/23/91   Axis Boston
9/24/91  Axis Boston

9/25/91  Club Babyhead
9/26/91  New Haven CT
11/10/93  Springfield MA
11/12/93  Fitchburg MA