The Off Ramp Cafe / El Corazón

The Story

It was at this club that Pearl Jam played their first official show on October 22, 1990. After only five days of rehearsal, the newly formed band got the chance to open for Alice in Chains. The band's original name was Mookie Blaylock, a tribute to Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder's favorite basketball player. The crowd started small but grew throughout the night, ending with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron joining the stage for a Temple of the Dog appearance. The set included songs that would appear on the album Ten the following year. The club also hosted Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Mudhoney regularly throughout the 90s. It closed in April 1999 and reopened under new management as Graceland, and later as El Corazón. In 2019, a demolition request for the building became public, but the owner partnered with the developer to keep the club operating on site, even with the construction of new developments around it.

Explore more