33 years since rock legends Nirvana performed at KU’s Union Ballroom
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thursday, October 17, 2024, marks exactly 33 years since the legendary grunge rock band Nirvana graced the stage at the University of Kansas’ Union Ballroom.
Just after the release of their second full-length record, “Nevermind” on September 24, 1991, the band would play at the KU Union. That record would eventually go on to sell over 30 million copies across the world, becoming one of the most popular and iconic records while changing the landscape of music forever.
October live music calendar: Kansas City’s biggest shows of the month
According to the KU Memorial Unions, Nirvana ended up at KU because Brad Roosa, who was at the time the university’s SUA Live Music Chair, had heard some rough demos of the “Nevermind” songs the spring before the show.
Roosa ended up booking the Seattle-based band, and it sold out in just days, which Roosa claimed broke records. Additionally, tickets for the show were just seven dollars in advance and eight dollars the day of, which might shock some modern music fans who pay hundreds for smaller acts.
Roosa went on to have a long career in the music industry, and according to his LinkedIn, he’s currently working as a day-to-day manager for the post-grunge band Nickelback.
Aside from the rock icons’ KU performance, October 17, 1991 was also the night Nirvana got their first tour bus. As the world was starting to take notice of the band because of hits like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are”, Nirvana pulled into Lawrence in a van, but left in a furnished bus.
Nirvana would go on to release two more albums, “Incesticide” and “In Utero” before frontman and songwriter Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994. However, the band still continues to inspire with well over 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Solve the daily Crossword
