Foo Fighters made their first public live performance at the Jambalaya Club in Arcata, California, in 1995.
The show took place on February 23, 1995, shortly before the release of the band’s self-titled debut album. Dave Grohl had recorded most of that album himself, but assembled a live group with bassist Nate Mendel, drummer William Goldsmith and guitarist Pat Smear so the new material could be performed onstage.
The Jambalaya appearance was not the band’s first time playing in front of anyone: an earlier performance had been held for friends and family in Seattle. That distinction explains why the Jambalaya Club is identified as the first public show. Foo Fighters then played Satyricon in Portland on March 3 and the Velvet Elvis in Seattle on March 4.
The venue is sometimes mixed up with Satyricon because that Portland concert was another early milestone and a benefit show connected to the investigation into the murder of Gits singer Mia Zapata. It was not, however, the public debut.