To ask for your 90s grunge music stories!?

[Chloedancer]

Please indulge me if you're of an age to have seen the 90s grunge bands back in the day! I'm early 30s and deep into a nostalgia-fest about this time I have no memory of (because I was still in nappies...) Have been watching YouTube bootlegs of some insane looking shows including Eddie Vedder jumping all over the place, Layne Staley's insane vocals, Chris Cornell's habitual shirtlessness... it was such a great time for rock music and now they're all in their 50s and I'm sad.
Pearl jam, Soundgarden, mudhoney, nirvana, Alice in chains, sonic youth (I know it's not really grunge), hole, smashing pumpkins, etc... anyone see any of these bands in their 1991-1993 ish heyday? How was it, any gig memories, did you meet them, etc etc....

I went to Uni in 1994, so lived all that stuff.

In 6th form/Uni the trends were Grunge then Britpop. All I can say is Grunge has held up a lot better than Britpop.

I think the definive grunge film was "Singles", you may want to watch that, but it my be a bit cringy now, all those angst ridden GenXers!!

No stories as such. I love a bit of grunge but don’t like listening to it too often because I feel my teenage angst kicking off again! I’m 36 ffs.

I saw the smashing pumpkins in about 1995 it was amazing obviously I was underage and was so nervous worrying I would t get in the venue , Melon collie and the infinite sadness was out at the time .

This is my era but unfortunately although I loved all that, I didn't get to see any of them live. My husband saw Soundgarden and has never let me forget it!

I was a fan of all of these bands in the 90s and then, after Chris Cornell passed away, I sort of re-discovered the music and got really into it. So much, that I saw Alice in Chains (with William Duvall) live in 2018 and again last year. They did a good mix of old and newer stuff. I have to say I really like their newer stuff too. They didn't need to evolve, but they have, which is really great to see.😍

Happy days!!
Saw Hole at Reading - poss 94, who were amazing.
I remember my friend at sixth form making me a Mudhoney cassette, as I'd never heard them.
There's a really good documentary/ film about Pearl Jam - a few years old now.

And DH and I are having a real Dinosaur Jnr revival in this house at the moment! Sound just amazing still.

Sorry, a bit more metal than grunge, but I went to the first UK Ozzfest at Milton Keynes bowl. It was awesome, before Ozzy came on the stage they showed a series of film clips with Ozzy superimposed, like Titanic. Then it ended with The Shining, and the guy chopping through the door then Ozzy coming through 'Here's Ozzy'. The lights went up and Sabbath were on the stage. Amazing! The train up was good fun too, pretty much no normal people, just goths, metal fans, jitters (as grunge type fans were known in Bristol)

Ah, I've been having a nostalgia-banquet: lockdown time unleashed many memories. Mostly manic street preachers, but i was fortunate to be bold enough to hitch around/blag in with bands & tho indie was more my scene, seeing Nirvana (reading 92), babes in toyland, dinosaur jnr (on Rollercoaster with amazing My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain and, er, Blur...was a feedback feast.
Grunge was the kick up the rear indie music needed, inspired bands to search for the new sound & blasted insipid sub-genres back into obscurity.
Kurt Cobain was a mischievous sprite on stage & they were glorious.
Still think the Manics were better ;)
There's an underrated band from the time-buffalo Tom. Taillights Fade is a classic.
I wish id seen Hole: my mate followed them everywhere, here & USA. See Kurt declare his lust for C Love on their appearance on The Word!
They were exciting times, so easy to enjoy the scene and get into festivals, gigs, parties, the nme gossip column 🤣

@Athenajm80

Sorry, a bit more metal than grunge, but I went to the first UK Ozzfest at Milton Keynes bowl. It was awesome, before Ozzy came on the stage they showed a series of film clips with Ozzy superimposed, like Titanic. Then it ended with The Shining, and the guy chopping through the door then Ozzy coming through 'Here's Ozzy'. The lights went up and Sabbath were on the stage. Amazing! The train up was good fun too, pretty much no normal people, just goths, metal fans, jitters (as grunge type fans were known in Bristol)

I was there too!

The night before so many of us piled in to the local rock pub and had a brilliant night all excited to be off to Ozzfest early the next morning.

Although not strictly grunge look up Stone Temple Pilots - with Scott Weiland - an amazing amazing frontman who you can't take your eyes off - saw him a couple of times and he was absolutely mesmerising. Another band from back then is Blind Melon - quite understated imo. And I would agree with whoever posted about Alice in Chains - saw them on the last tour and they were amazing.

Nirvana Reading 1992 topped it for me

Also love but not all strictly grunge and all amazing live
Faith No More
Alice in Chains
STP
Hole
Soundgarden
Mudhoney
Pixies
Babes in Toyland
PJ Harvey

And Smashing Pumpkins

And Pearl Jam
Fugazi

I will stop adding now

I went to uni in sept 89. Everyone was getting into Nirvana as they had just released Bleach, but before they really went big. They played in the student union in, I think, Jan/Feb 90. I was on the committee so got to mingle with them afterwards at the after party. Kurt Cobain came up to talk to me, I remember thinking wow what will he be like? What will he say? I was 17 and quite starstruck (they were already pretty big on the uni indie scene)

Sadly, all he said was "Do you know where I can score some heroin?" and then shambled off when I said no. The president of the student union sent someone off to score for him. Always stayed with me as he was clearly in the grips off a bad addiction right from early on and it was obviously prophetic when he killed himself what was only a few years later. Its a shame no one helped him.

@grafittiartist God, I would have killed to have seen Hole at Reading!

O have some fine memories of getting smashed with kat from babes in toyland . She's the only person I've known who can neck a glass of red wine for breakfast.

Ah memories! I've seen these all live, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, Smashing Pumpkin, Stone Temple Pilots.. listening the that music takes me right back to my mid teens. I've seen Eddie Vedder live twice in recent years and still love his voice.

Always loved L7 and Hole.

I skipped school to ensure I was at the front for Smashing Pumpkins on the Melon Collie Tour. It was my French GCSE oral the following day so I did take my dictionary as means to revise. I was just that bit too young to have seen Nirvana but have seen Soundgarden and AiC. My husband and I relieved our youths when we went to Seattle a few years back and visited EMP and saw lots of Nirvana related stuff that would have blown our teenage minds. And we also made the obligatory trip to Aberdeen WA and saw the bridge before heading off to Olympia.

I've just remembered that I actually went to a one day festival that Soundgarden were meant to play at but they pulled out for some reason. Was just googling images of the ticket to prove to myself that I didn't imagine it. I can't remember who replaced them though...

I went to some great concerts around that time, but sadly my grunge band credentials are lacking.

I went to Redding in 94 and 95. Saw the Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Chili Peppers.

Bought all my patchwork pants, combat boots and army surplus stuff at Affleck’s Palace and the Corn Exchange in Manchester, and Quiggins in Liverpool.

I saw probably 200 bands live between 93 and 98. Jamiroquai, Prodigy and the Chili Peppers were standouts.

We sometimes like to astound our teenager with 'ooh look, your dad and me saw them live back in the day' type chats when the topic comes up. We showed her the Prodigy on TV and said we'd seen them live. You'd have thought we'd said we tortured kittens. She looked horrified and said 'I hope you didn't...dance! That would be so embarrassing'.

We keep telling her that some day she'll be proud to have such cool parents but she's not convinced...

I discovered music at A Level college and Uni (1990 to 1995), went to Reading most of those years, such amazing memories. Check out the 1992 line up. It was very VERY muddy and I ended up in the first aid tent having been bitten by a horsefly. The smell of those portaloos will never leave me.

The Ritz (Manchester) in a Wednesday was the Club to be at. 50p entry and you got a drinks voucher. Huge (sprung) dance floor packed with indie kids moshing, fuelled by cheap cider. Happy days.