Nirvana Set List at First Avenue, Minneapolis
On October 14, 1991, the grunge band Nirvana came to First Ave Minneapolis. Although it’d be their second visit here, the show is memorable for many reasons — take a look at the set list below:
- Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
- Aneurysm
- Drain You
- School
- Floyd The Barber
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Polly
- About A Girl
- Lithium
- Come As You Are
- Breed
- Love Buzz
- Sliver
- Territorial Pissings
- Been A Son
- Negative Creep
- Blew
- On A Plain
- Endless, Nameless
- Something In The Way
- Rape Me
Nirvana’s Performance Highlights
Notoriously know for their equipment-destroying stage performances, Nirvana destroyed much of their gear, including Dave’s drums two nights beforehand in Chicago. Thankfully, Urge Overkill, the opening band, loaned them some of their gear for the First Ave performance.
When the show ended, a roadie took photos of the audience, while Kurt leaped on the back of Dave while walking offstage.
First Avenue Club by Nirvana was recorded by an audience member during their 1991 show at First Avenue. It is a Japanese bootleg that is very rare, thus it is difficult to find at any old record store. The theme from Carmen and On A Plain are missing from this disc, so the album does not have the full audio of the entire show. One of the suprising gems you’ll find in this bootleg – during the intro to Love Buzz Kurt’s guitar has problems, which gives you a good glance into the true live performances of Nirvana and frontman, Kurt Cobain. First Avenue Club is the only commercially released bootleg containing this date, so if you come across a copy, pick it up!
The band rolled through Minneapolis several time throughout their time together, including a show at the neighboring 7th Street Entry on April 9, 1990. They also played to a packed crowd of 5,500 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in December of 1993.
CHECK OUT THE FULL VIDEO (AUDIO) OF NIRVANA AT FIRST AVE
About First Ave – Minneapolis’ Most Famous Music Club
First Avenue is a legendary music venue located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The club has a storied history and has played a significant role in the development of the local music scene, while exposing the Twin Cities to national and international acts.
The venue first opened its doors in 1970 as The Depot, a small discotheque in downtown Minneapolis. In 1972, the club was renamed Uncle Sam’s, and it began to focus on live music, booking local and regional bands as well as national acts. In 1979, the club was sold to Steve McClellan and Jack Meyers, who renamed it First Avenue and began to transform it into a premier music venue.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, First Avenue became known as a hotbed of musical activity, hosting shows by a wide variety of local and national acts, from punk and new wave bands to hip-hop and electronic acts. The club also played a prominent role in the development of the Minneapolis sound, a distinctive style of funk and R&B that emerged in the 1980s and was popularized by local acts like Prince and The Time.
First Avenue gained even wider recognition in the 1980s thanks to the success of the film “Purple Rain,” which was filmed in part at the venue and featured several performances by Prince and other local musicians. The club also played a key role in the emergence of grunge, hosting shows by bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Today, First Avenue remains one of the premier music venues in the Midwest, hosting shows by a wide variety of local and national acts. The club has also become a cultural landmark in Minneapolis, with its iconic star-covered exterior and a prominent role in the city’s music and arts community.