Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, Bikini Kill
It was at this club that Nirvana first performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" live on April 17, 1991. The show was opened by the bands Fitz of Depression and Bikini Kill. The performance was filmed, and the footage would later be used in the 1996 documentary *Hype!* and the 2004 box set *With the Lights Out*. The OK Hotel also served as a location for Cameron Crowe's 1992 film *Singles*. In 1994, the venue changed its business model, beginning to sell alcohol and ending the era of all-ages shows, but it continued to host bands for years, including the official debut of Queens of the Stone Age in 1997. Nirvana's show went down in history as one of the defining moments of grunge. The historic building was damaged by the Nisqually earthquake in February 2001, and the club permanently closed. The space was redeveloped and transformed into the OK Hotel Apartments residential complex, offering housing units primarily aimed at Seattle's artistic community. A commemorative plaque on the facade recalls the site's cultural importance to the grunge scene and to Seattle's history in the 90s.
212 Alaskan Way S, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Seattle, USA