www.flickr.com
Listen Now to WYEP’s Pittsburgh Performance Project audio profile of Graffiti Showcase


Graffiti Showcase


Graffiti Crowd
Rob James and Greg Joseph of the Clarks at Graffiti.
Image courtesy Maria Petrillo.

"The space was a renovated warehouse with a real industrial feel to it ... So a lot of the natural, visual elements lent to that feel of Pittsburgh being what Pittsburgh was and is." – Tony DiNardo, former owner of Graffiti Showcase

The first thing many Pittsburgh concertgoers remember about Graffiti was the club’s intimacy. In addition to a small pub area and cafe, a 600-seat showcase at 4615 Baum Boulevard offered patrons the opportunity to sit no further than 35 feet away from the raised stage. And the industrial brick walls and high ceilings added an air of authenticity that complimented the up-close-and-personal performances that happened there.

Graffiti Map

There were times when things were just as intense backstage. When a little-known Nirvana played Graffiti in 1991, just months before they would break big, there was tension between the band and the concert promoter due to a financial disagreement. Tempers flared and one of the band members lit a dressing room chair on fire before the band left.

Luckily, no one was hurt and no major damage happened to the venue, but the incident would be recalled later by former owner Tony DiNardo as one of the moments that grunge rock officially arrived in Pittsburgh.