While the band’s first official, fully-billed headlining performance is traditionally cited as 20 November 1997 at the OK Hotel in Seattle, Washington, their actual live public debut occurred two months prior on 6 September 1997. The band made a fully-billed, proto-lineup festival appearance at the legendary punk venue CBGB in New York City as part of the CMJ ’97 Post Embryonic Bash, sharing a seven-band showcase bill with Monster Magnet, Unsane, Barkmarket, Fu Manchu, Zen Guerrilla, and Today Is The Day. The historic performance was commemorated in a limited 450-print silkscreen concert poster designed by underground graphic artist Frank Kozik, which notably featured the band’s name spelt as a single word (“Queens of the Stoneage”).
Live debut at CBGB
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