On July 12, 1989, we had a relatively unknown band in Philadelphia performing live at JC Dobbs on South Street. Their name was Nirvana.
This was less than a month after they released their debut album Bleach, via Sup Pop. Exactly two years later, we had another relatively unknown band about to explode onto the scene and change music as we knew it.
Pearl Jam performed at JC Dobbs on July 12, 1991.
The Pearl Jam show was less than a month and a half before the release of their seminal debut album Ten. The two bands would soon change popular music as we knew it, and they both played JC Dobbs on South Street!
It’s a place that holds maybe a couple of hundred people in it (at sardine capacity).
JC Dobbs
JC Dobbs is in the heart of the city’s historic South Street district. The venue is known for its role in the development of the Philadelphia music scene, and it has hosted many up-and-coming bands before they became famous.
Pontiac Bar & Grill was the original name of the venue when it opened in the 1970s. In 1976, JC Dobbs became the new name, after the owner’s son, John Christopher. The venue quickly became a popular spot for live music and a wide range of genres, including punk rock, metal, and indie rock.
Some of the (later to become) famous bands to play at JC Dobbs include Nirvana, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, and Pearl Jam, to name a few.
The venue also played a role in the development of the Philadelphia local music scene, including hosting several of MMR’s Local Shots Shows and events.
Bands like Pearl Jam or Rage Against the Machine or Tool or Green Day can easily fill the biggest stadiums and venues in the world.
They play in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans, cutting their road warrior teeth in tiny venues on stages where they can barely fit all of their band members, let alone their gear at the same time.
It should also give up-and-coming bands the desire and drive to work their tails off to achieve similar accomplishments as these (now) legendary acts.
Band Setlists
NIRVANA @ JC Dobbs (07.12.1989)
PEARL JAM @ JC Dobbs (07.12.1991)
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