Opening for Nirvana

In October 1993, prior to 24 Hour Revenge Therapy ‘s release, Jawbreaker were asked to open for Nirvana on six dates of their In Utero tour. Fans bristled against this, wary that it would result in Jawbreaker—a beloved independent band—signing to major label DGC Records , whom Nirvana were contracted to. “I think we were fortunate [with 24 Hour Revenge Therapy ]”, recalls Schwarzenbach, “But we still got some flack. Even at that point, there were people who didn’t think we were especially punk-rock, as some people practiced it. I don’t think there was any major pushback, though, until we did the Nirvana tour. That’s officially when it started.” According to Pfahler: “People really came down on us for going on tour with Nirvana. They really saw it as, ‘Okay, here we go. This is the first step. The next thing that happens is that someone from the label sees them and they get snapped up.’ Which is kind of what happened.”