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Exceedingly rare original 14 x 8.5 concert mini-poster for Nirvana's performance with Witchipoo at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington, on Thursday, October 11, 1990. Printed in bold, hand-drawn black lettering, the minimalist poster reads: "NIRVANA, + Witchipoo, North Shore Surf Club, 116 E. 5th, Olympia, Thurs. Oct. 11, 1990, 8:30, $5.00.” The poster was designed by Calvin Johnson, founder of K Records, frontman of Beat Happening, and one of the central architects of Olympia's independent music scene. In very fine condition.
Accompanied by a signed provenance letter from Olympia music archivist and Rainy Day Records co-owner James Maeda, who writes: "This flyer is Nirvana at the North Shore Surf Club. It took place on 10/11/90. It was a key show for Nirvana because it was Dave Grohl's first show with Nirvana. It was also the first show at that venue." Maeda further notes that the posters "hung up for less than a week because this was a last-minute show. I imagine most were destroyed by the rain!" and states that he acquired the poster "from a friend of mine who originally promoted the show."
This sought-after concert mini-poster advertises one of the most important performances in Nirvana's history: the band's first show with drummer Dave Grohl, who had joined the group only weeks earlier after relocating from Washington, D.C. Grohl's arrival completed the classic Nirvana lineup of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl, the trio that would soon record Nevermind and transform alternative rock. Held at Olympia's North Shore Surf Club on October 11, 1990, the performance marked the public debut of the lineup that would propel Nirvana to international fame within a year.
The concert itself proved equally memorable. Repeated power outages interrupted the performance, forcing the band to abandon ‘Molly's Lips’ and ‘D-7’ mid-song and briefly halting ‘Blew’ before electricity was restored. Despite the technical setbacks, the show featured the live debuts of ‘Son of a Gun,’ ‘D-7,’ and ‘Turnaround,’ alongside future Nirvana staples including ‘In Bloom,’ ‘Breed,’ ‘About a Girl,’ ‘Love Buzz,’ ‘Sliver,’ and ‘School.’
