MXP-79.1 Nirvana Fox Theatre 1991
With Nirvana's second album, "Nevermind" releasing less than a month before, this marks a turning point in their career. They'd stopped being a cult band and had been catapulted into super-stardom. That album also marks the debut of Dave Grohl, then known for his previous band, Scream, and then later known for a little band named Foo Fighters.
Mudhoney were no slouches either in this era, having just released their second album, "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge," in July via Sub Pop Records.
Reportedly, the "plus another cool band" spot went to Portland locals, Sprinkler. The band featured fellow poster artist Steve Birch, who later went on to briefly join Everclear.
-- last sold for $299 9/20/2022 (Comic Connect)
-- CGC 9.6 sold for $1,920 (PAE, 2020)
MXP-139.26 Jane's Addiction Salem Armory 1991
The distance between Salem, OR and Portland is 44 miles, as the crow flies, so it's easy to consider Salem a suburb of Portland.
By mid-1991, Jane's Addiction would be done with their "farewell" run featuring singer Perry Farrell's Lollapalooza. While they would reunite several times over the years and into the present, this document serves as a rare relic of their initial run.
-- last sold for $171 (Comic Connect, 4/13/2021)
MXP-96.1 De La Soul Roseland Theater 1996
Rap and hip-hop posters tend to be more rare and sought-after by collectors, and this one is no exception. This era of the group was met with critical acclaim, though they didn't see as much commercial success.
-- last sold for $200 (Comic Connect, 8/24/2020)
MXP-92.7 Weezer Aladdin Theater 2000
This poster marks an interesting time in the band's career. After a disappointing reception for their second (and now cult favorite) album, "Pinkerton," the group entered a hiatus from 1997 to 2000. After a very lucrative deal to perform at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival in August of 2000, the band began performing in or around Los Angeles under the pseudonym Goat Punishment to sneak in "practice" for the upcoming overseas event.
With the band's limited live appearances in this era, it's an interesting and almost impossible event for them to travel all the way to Portland.
MXP-171.1 Ice T Roseland Theater 1998
As previously stated, any hip-hop posters of the 80s and 90s are often automatic collector gold. This simple, yet striking, design makes it very appealing.
This was also post-formation of Ice'T's metal side project, Body Count, and their "Cop Killer" notoriety, but pre-Law and Order fame.
MXP-232.1 Oasis Satyricon 1994
Oasis' debut album, "Definitely Maybe," dropped in August of 1994 and this concert poster's event took place a month later, in September. The album would later be certified platinum, but in 1994, the band was still growing.
Satyricon was often known to be a dive where mostly hard rock and heavy metal bands would play, so seeing them in this element, in a smaller club would've been transcendent, even if you couldn't have been aware of that impact at the time.
This is a very early piece in the UK band's history, a short time before complete worldwide domination.
-- 5 sales
-- last sale 11/17/2022 on eBay for $76.00 (CGC 9.8)
-- biggest sale in 2020 via PAE for $570
MXP-127.1 Bad Brains Legends & Pine Street Theatre 1989
This poster advertises two shows, one in Seattle on September 2nd and another in Portland on September 3rd.
Bad Brains were at a very pivotal moment in their career. A week after these shows, they would release their best-selling album (at the time), 1989's "Quickness" on major label imprint Caroline Records. The album paved the way for alternative metal and later nu-metal by inserting funk, reggae, and glimpses of rap along with the punk-frenetics that they were known for.
Leeway had recently released their crossover thrash classic, "Born to Expire," and while the band didn't entirely break into the mainstream, their impact can be felt to this day in New York hardcore and metalcore.
Lastly, blink and you might miss it, Tad was featured on the Seattle date and Sweaty Nipples on the Portland date, respectively.
MXP-21.1 Slayer Starry Night & Tacoma Dome 1988
Slayer was riding high in 1988, fresh off the release of "South of Heaven" and still buzzing from their previous, now-classic, album, "Reign in Blood." This poster advertised shows on August 7th at Portland's storied venue, Starry Night, and August 8th at Tacoma Dome.
Starry Night would eventually become Roseland Theater, which is still open today. Starry Night is also notable for the murder of Timothy Moreau by club owner Larry Hurwitz over a counterfeit ticket scam. Hurwitz would flee to Vietnam in 1997, but was extradited on charges of tax evasion and later, murder. The macabre event was featured in a 23-part series by local newspaper, PDXS.
-- Matte, Shiny & handbill variants
MXP-252.2 Sonic Youth Pine Street Theatre 1988
This poster features triple threat Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, and Screaming Trees, a few years before their mainstream successes in 1991 and beyond. While Sonic Youth had been a heavily touring unit since their inception in 1981, they had recently released their groundbreaking major label debut, "Daydream Nation," for Enigma Records.
This serves as a document of what was to come in alternative music.
MXP-243.1 Elliott Smith Crystal Ballroom 2000
Portland's own Elliott Smith was thrust into the limelight when his song "Miss Misery," was featured on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. He was also previously a member of the band Heatmiser before going solo.
The troubled artist would take his own life in 2003, so relics of his life tend to be highly sought after by his often rabid fanbase.
Honorable Mentions:
MXP-138.9 Dr. Know Pine Street Theater 1987
Compared to the rest of the Northeast, Portland is isolated. This makes it difficult at times for tour routes to make their way up to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, especially before the formation of Sub Pop Records and the explosion of grunge in the zeitgeist around 1991, aka "The Year Punk Broke."
To see a poster that highlights such seminal Norcal bands like "Nardcore '' legends Dr. Know with Santa Cruz's Bl'ast so early in Mike King's career makes this such an underrated gem. Die Kreuzen combined with this show taking place at Pine Street Theatre is just icing on the cake.
Lastly, tons of punk rock gems are hidden on this poster that many casual poster collectors might miss upon first inspection.
MXP-75.1 Hellcows Blue Gallery 1989
Any 1980s Mike King poster is such a joy to behold. This one features his own band, Hellcows. It also features a reference to Daniel Clowes' Eightball, but the real hidden gem here is an early appearance, and almost obscured by the tongue, of Earth.
Earth formed in 1989 by Dylan Carlson, who is known in his own right as a force in drone and post-rock circles. He is also known for being a close friend of Kurt Cobain & also bought Cobain the shotgun that would take his life six days later.
MXP-121.3 Slipknot Roseland Theater 2000
The significance of this poster is how early it is in the nu-metal band's career. They had released their debut album in 1999, which was rapidly growing their fan base by word of mouth. to see the Iowa-based band on a Portland flyer this early makes it worth noting.
*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.
