Never-before-seen photos of Nirvana’s first gig were tweeted last week by a teen who at the time didn't know their musical and alternative culture significance.
The one-of-a-kind pics were tweeted by Maggie Poukkula, 19, the daughter of Tony Poukkula, a member of the Seattle band Laytem who grew up with Nirvana founding member Kurt Cobain and who just happened to host the fledgling band’s first show in 1987 in his basement in Raymond, Washington,
according to Rolling Stone.
The photo strip shows three images of that first gig in 1987 featuring at-the-time Nirvana members Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Aaron Burckhard – who would later be replaced by Dave Grohl – as well as Maggie’s father.
“I had no idea that those were during Nirvana's first concert,” Poukkula told Rolling Stone. “My dad showed me them a while back, but he never mentioned that's what was going on in the photos. I found out because of all the articles. I didn't realize it was such a historical thing. I thought they were just cool pictures of my dad and Kurt jamming together.”
Although Tony Poukkula never was a member of Nirvana, he joined them that night playing covers of a few Led Zeppelin tunes, such as “Heartbreaker” and “How Many More Times,”
according to The Daily Mail. Cobain also found a way to incorporate a few bars of Simon & Garfunkel’s hit song, “The Sound of Silence,” in addition to the tunes “Aero Zeppelin,” “Mexican Seafood,” “Pen Chap Chew,” “Hairspray Queen,” “Spank Thru,” and “If You Must.”
Nirvana only produced three studio-length albums and had a 7-year run as a band, ending with Cobain’s apparent suicide in 1994. It left a legacy as the flagship band of Generation X and opening the door to the alternative rock genre. Nirvana is one of the best-selling bands of all time, and it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
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