Ann Arbor Institutions: The Blind Pig
Even with football back on a lot of our favorite places in Ann Arbor are hurting. Hoping to soften the blow a bit, we're partnering this fall with Underground Printing to do a t-shirt a week for the places we love. All proceeds go to the restaurant/bar/whatever.
Limited time offer: We'll keep the order open for a week (because ordering bulk means more for the institution). Previously: Good Time Charley's and The Brown Jug. This week: Nirvana's favorite music venue, The Blind Pig.
Apologies for the quality of my photos but the camera on my phone in the early 2000s was like that.
The Five Stages of a Night at the Pig:
Stage 1. Okay band, I've seen the flier.
Thank you for covering all the "Jobs to Save the Environment" fliers guys, but I'm starting to get concerned about how much of your budget is going to packing tape and staple guns.
Stage 2. The friend who really wants to go
"I've heard the lead singer goes absolutely nuts and the rest of the band is like, really into their craft and stare at him like an insane person the whole time," your buddy explains because he's too embarrassed to admit he spent a chunk of time in the fishbowl on the website for Bear vs. Shark trying to track down the name of the song they debuted the first time he saw them.
Stage 3. Taking an intellectual approach
I'm going to stand back here drinking my beer like their job is to impress me. I'm just moving to this so the band will think I'm into it so they don't get discouraged. Okay actually I'm going to come forward just because I want to check out that guitarist's pedal board because how is he even making that sound? Is the drummer screwing with time signatures? Man they really constructed this song well, I bet it's their hit. No, that was probably the album opener and THIS is their hit. Man this band has a lot of friends.
Okay this slaps.
"Hey guys I'm gonna go get another beer."
/slips over to merch table and buys their CD
/buddy had the same idea
/shots
Band: We need a member of the audience willing to shave their facial hair.
Seth:
Stage 4. 8-Balling with Band
Man, when you took out the beer bottle…
/dodges a dart
YEAH DUDE I DROPPED MY SLIDE UNDER THE AMP AND HAD TO IMPROVISE
You guys are amaaaaaaaaazing.
Stage 5. Before it was cool.
Oh I like that song from Shrek too. Actually I hung out with those guys once.
Anyway let's celebrate the Blind Pig. Get the shirt here:
September 18th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
Man I would've loved to catch BvS at the Pig back in the day. Alas, I'll have to settle for occasionally catching them at Pig & Whiskey or Arts Beats & Eats.
September 18th, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
They played the Pig a couple of years ago. They're all MGoBlog readers too!
September 18th, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
There's another famous musician I know is going to read this so hey Andrew and tell your mom happy birthday.
September 18th, 2020 at 12:20 PM ^
Oblivion! I own(ed?) that debut CD, and Ben was a cool dude that was in a lot of freshman honors classes with me. Fun random memory there. Great club.
September 18th, 2020 at 12:26 PM ^
Ha I'll tell him. You probably bought that CD from me. Oblivion are all my best friends. If you've ever heard me mention my best bud who owns the metal music version of MGoBlog, that's Ben and Metalsucks.
September 18th, 2020 at 2:43 PM ^
That's awesome! Small world...
September 18th, 2020 at 12:26 PM ^
Take my money. Saw too many shows there to count...
September 18th, 2020 at 12:28 PM ^
I'm dating myself, but Nirvana played here my freshman year. Also, I knew the drummer of Big Dave and the Ultrasonics and I'd get to see them and hang out with the band. Great times!
September 18th, 2020 at 1:17 PM ^
Re: Nirvana show at the Blind Pig, there was a period in the 90s (and beyond) in Ann Arbor where every random jamoke claimed to have been at that show. That would've maybe been possible if they'd played Crisler.
I unfortunately missed it. Was anyone else there? :)
September 18th, 2020 at 1:49 PM ^
I saw many Big Dave shows at the Blind Pig. They were such an amazing band to see live.
September 18th, 2020 at 12:31 PM ^
I've only been to a couple shows at the BP. The one that sticks with me was Stabbing Westward, back in '99-00-ish. I mostly remember how much the floor was bouncing, and being vaguely worried it might collapse.
September 18th, 2020 at 12:35 PM ^
I seem to sort of recall an evening there with Captain Dave and the Psychedelic Loungecats. One of those nights when the memories of the morning after are more ingrained in the memory than the night before.
September 18th, 2020 at 12:48 PM ^
Where else can you get in-depth coverage of offensive schemes and the five stages of a night at the Pig?
September 18th, 2020 at 12:51 PM ^
buckwheat zydeco, 1992.
September 18th, 2020 at 1:13 PM ^
Large ups for using the excellent photo work of my former roommate and Schoolkids alum Doug Coombe. I will date myself and flex a bit when I recall seeing The Wipers at the Pig back in the day.
October 2nd, 2020 at 6:38 PM ^
Doug Coombe is a damn legend.
September 18th, 2020 at 1:18 PM ^
By the way that's literally the only photo of me without a beard since 2001. That show was a Friday night, I cleared the detrius and went on a gaming binge all weekend, and the beard was back on Monday.
September 18th, 2020 at 1:20 PM ^
Mitch Hedberg did a show at the Pig?
September 18th, 2020 at 1:20 PM ^
Love the Pig. saw Adrian Belew (of King Crimson fame) there back in the day....
September 18th, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
Ah fuck, I didn't get the jug shirt last week and now I can't find it on the mgstore site.
{Edit: I'm an idiot, I thought it was limited time but didn;t realize it was only a week}
September 18th, 2020 at 2:08 PM ^
MGoWheeler! Man, I miss The Bang and that whole era of the aughts.
I've seen over 100 shows at the Pig so it's probably a moral imperative that I own that shirt.
September 18th, 2020 at 2:09 PM ^
I saw Kid Rock at the Pig back in '96 (I also saw him at Rick's in '94). It used to not be embarrassing to admit this.
I've seen some great shows at the Blind Pig in the early 90s - Gangster Fun, Goober & the Peas, Pigface, Paw, Leftover Salmon, Menthol, HAL, Gene, Vic Chesnutt, Ben Harper ('95). It was hard to close to the front of the stage there when it was crowded - I also aimed for the left side of the room.. Damn Ben Harper sat the entire show - which was not great at this venue.
I went to see Jewel in '96 but was sold out (Edwin McCain opened) - I went downstairs and played darts and could sort of hear her through the ceiling.
I was crowd surfing at a Buffalo Tom show there in '94. I was that pretty buzzed - no idea what I was doing. I do remember the drummer giving me a drumstick. I guess not many people crowd surf at their shows.
The Smashing Pumpkins played there twice in '91 - I missed both shows. I also remember Dave Matthews played there twice in '94.
Good times - I'm going to have to get a shirt.
September 18th, 2020 at 2:10 PM ^
I was the drummer in a short lived ska band in the early 2000s called Cut to Scene. One of the highlights was getting to play at the Pig in front of our devoted group of about 30 friends. Fun times.
September 18th, 2020 at 2:34 PM ^
I was also in a 'medium-lived' ska band from around 2006-2012, Gunday Monday. We played at the Pig frequently, and I always considered that our 'home venue'. Sometimes mostly empty rooms, and after a few years some completely packed rooms. Those were always the most hype shows, and the best crowds.
I know at least one other former member is a reader and active board member here.
Awesome memories.T-Shirt purchased.
September 20th, 2020 at 7:12 PM ^
You guys need to send me your music for MGoRadio this year. Also did you ever exchange CDs with a band named After School Special? I've been looking for a copy.
September 18th, 2020 at 2:29 PM ^
Went to a show there one time where it was a dude and a chick and the chick played a donkey's jawbone as an instrument. She made eye contact with me a bunch of times, my girlfriend got pissed, and we had to leave.
Also no-beard Seth is a dead ringer for Seth Rogen.
September 18th, 2020 at 2:40 PM ^
The night I met my future wife started at Dominick's and ended at the Blind Pig. May of 2000, can't remember who was playing.
September 18th, 2020 at 2:48 PM ^
Spent a lot of time and money at the Pig and the 8Ball from 99-05. Played in a band that would open for bigger local bands but we always had better shows in Ypsi at the Elbow Room. Back then Six Clips was big on the local scene, as was The Wild Bunch who became The Electric Six. It was so smoky at the 8 Ball I will probably get lung cancer some day from secondhand smoke.
After my kids were born I didn't go back much but a few years ago I saw The Sword there and now that they've banned smoking I realized the smoke was covering up the smell of an open sewer pipe somewhere in the 8Ball.
September 18th, 2020 at 3:01 PM ^
Well, one of the Wildbunch became the Electric Six...
September 18th, 2020 at 3:14 PM ^
I think over 100 people have been in that band.
September 19th, 2020 at 1:52 PM ^
Yeah I've used Six Clips on the podcast before. Some of those guys opened 40-oz Sound Studios where we and most local bands recorded.
September 19th, 2020 at 2:18 PM ^
Other than their great rates and cool vibe the best part of 40oz was the way the water smelled in the bathroom.
September 18th, 2020 at 3:02 PM ^
Apparently 8-balling with the band means something different in Ann Arbor than it does most places.
September 18th, 2020 at 11:21 PM ^
Goober and the Peas! blew the place apart in the late 80s. great unexpected awesome show. never heard of them before i saw them there.
September 18th, 2020 at 11:25 PM ^
i also remember george thorogood.making an under the radar video there...the nite before i happened to go there.
September 19th, 2020 at 12:45 AM ^
Blind Pig is a classic venue, very underrated as an institution. Had some very big names come through there to perform at one time or another (i.e. the legend in the first photo of the article)
September 19th, 2020 at 2:08 PM ^
had some good time there in the day, and screaming trees and soundgarden at the pig is still one of my best "i was there when..." moments.
September 20th, 2020 at 12:05 AM ^
My best memory there was Tracy Chapman in 93ish. In a different class than all the rock bands obviously, she just absolutely lit up the room with her smile and voice. What a presence!! I'll never forget.
September 20th, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
Was fortunate to see so many great shows there (Pearl Jam, Widespread Panic, MMW, Helmet, John Scofield, Craig Taborn, on and on). The Pearl Jam show was amazing. It was the night after they played In East Lansing. They were a surprise opening act for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sonic Youth show. A friend of mine and I taped the blind pig show (I might have the only copy of that recording left, my friend didn’t share his recordings to often for legal reasons).
I will always remember seeing Frank Allison and the odd Sox, Big Dave, Captain Dave and the Psychedelic loungecats (so many Dave’s) play sold out shows there.
I need one of those shirts.
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