Bootleg tape uncovered from Nirvana's sole Calgary tour stop in 1991 – months before they skyrocketed to fame

On March 4, 1991, a young Calgarian with his dad's Dictaphone (a tiny cassette recorder) successful hand headed to the Westward Club, present the determination of Hotel Arts, where a Seattle grunge set was scheduled to play. 

Jason (Jay) Pay who had conscionable turned 18, had nary mode of knowing that the set — Nirvana — was lone months distant from skyrocketing to fame with 1 of the best-selling albums of each time, Nevermind.

In the mediate of a Calgary snowstorm, Pay and his radical of friends made up overmuch of the tiny assemblage determination to spot Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. Pay recorded the amusement connected his device.

"I deliberation it was astir apt 1 of the past shows wherever they had to battalion up their ain gear," Pay said.

Little much was publically known astir that Calgary performance — until now. 

A transcript of that portion was precocious uncovered, 34 years later, by Nirvana enthusiast Mike Jenkins, who was connected a ngo to find grounds of the present historical concert. He recovered it astatine a caller Calgary Music Collectors Show. 

"It's astonishing to perceive it," Jenkins told the Calgary Eyeopener. "You tin truly perceive that hostility gathering and that strength of Nirvana."

The acceptable database included: Love Buzz, Sliver, Dive, Floyd the Barber, Breed, Scoff, About a Girl, School, Swap Meet, Been a Son, Negative Creep, Blew, Lithium, Molly's Lips, Territorial Pissings, Spank Thru and Mr. Moustache.

As Pay recorded the performance connected his Dictaphone, the reddish airy connected the device gave him distant to the bassist, Krist Novoselic, who kept yelling astatine Pay from the stage. He was swearing and telling him to halt recording, Pay recalled.

Wanting to get permission, Pay approached Cobain aft the show.

"Krist was benignant of pissed, but I went to Kurt Cobain and helium was like, 'you're beauteous cool.'"

"He said: 'We didn't play immoderate caller songs. It's OK, but delight conscionable don't merchantability this.… I don't privation to spot this successful stores."

Now 34 years on, Pay has kept his promise.

Nothing successful the mode of a bully time

Friends Geoff McFetridge and Silas Kaufman were with Pay that night and tin beryllium seen successful a photograph of the performance that has resurfaced connected societal media.

The photograph looks similar it was changeable from the stage, but who took it remains a mystery. However, it has brought backmost fond memories for the group.

"It was similar a blizzard, similar it was pounding snowfall … and it was a Monday night," said McFetridge, who was successful assemblage astatine the time. "I got successful my pickup motortruck and drove down to the amusement successful a snowstorm."

He said the "full affectional theatrics of Kurt Cobain" were connected display. Despite the tiny assemblage size, the set didn't clasp back.

"I've mentioned the amusement to my kids," helium said. "It's astir apt 1 of the more, like, possibly the top amusement I ever saw, but decidedly memorable because, you know, I didn't cognize who Nirvana was."

Kaufman, who was successful the beforehand row, remembered getting his caput stepped connected by Cobain. 

"Better than an autograph," helium told Eyeopener host Loren McGinnis.

Pay recalled drummer David Grohl performing with the flu that night, "so helium was opening the doorway successful betwixt songs and puking into the parking lot," helium said.

McFetridge remembered Cobain smashing his guitar astatine the extremity of the nighttime — apt a transcript of a Fender Jaguar.

"It was similar a weird guitar, but like, ideate … helium had to find 1 of those guitars and past helium smashed it to pieces successful Calgary and there's similar 40 radical determination oregon whatever," McFetridge said. "It's truly dedication."

Looking backmost connected the photo, McFetridge, who is present a graphic creator and creator successful Los Angeles, said helium feels truthful grateful for his friends — Pay, who present lives successful Vancouver, Kaufman, an illustrator and teacher astatine the Alberta University of the Arts, and their different friends there that night.

Uncovering the portion much than 30 years later

So however did Jenkins find a transcript of Pay's bootleg recording?

A die-hard instrumentality of the band, Jenkins made a flyer to summation his chances of uncovering this coveted portion he'd lone heard rumours astir before.

After sharing the flyer and talking to antithetic vendors astatine the Calgary Music Collectors Show successful April, helium connected with Heather Smith, girl of Larry (Legs) Smith, who utilized to ain a grounds store called The Attic.

"My dada was truly good known for his emotion of bootleg recordings," she said, noting helium was fascinated by the lore of those concerts.

"When Mike approached our array benignant of inquiring astir this amusement … my sister and I some were like, wait, I've seen that," Smith said. "And past we benignant of dug astir successful the items that we brought and conscionable happened to find one.

"I thought Mike was the cleanable owner."

The portion came with a missive written by Larry, who died past year. 

In it, helium said: "If 1 listens closely, the rage and frustrated urgency of Kurt's vocals are capable to warrant a listen. I felt the strength and philharmonic chemistry of thing peculiar happening when I was determination that night. It is hard to describe"

Larry got a transcript of the archetypal signaling from Pay a mates of days aft the concert, erstwhile Pay traded him for a record.

Preserving a portion of music and Calgary history

As for the archetypal tape, Pay inactive has it, and doesn't mean to merchantability it.

Jenkins said he's moving with the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society to put a solemnisation for the recovered tape.

"It's a amusement that is legendary for, you know, a batch of radical claiming to person been there. But you know, not that galore radical really were. For it to really (be) recorded is beauteous fantastic and unsocial and spectacular," said the society's Arif Ansari.

"It's a large benignant of snapshot of the set conscionable earlier they got really, truly big, and a truly unsocial happening that they came done Calgary and played a nine that size.... I deliberation that's truly exciting."