The Pretty on the Inside Tour was the first international concert tour by American alternative rock band Hole in promotion of their debut album, Pretty on the Inside. The tour began in the summer of 1991, and concluded in December of that year. The tour largely had Hole as a supporting act, with them performing as an opener for Mudhoney's European tour, as well as The Smashing Pumpkins in the United States.
Overview In anticipation of the release of Hole's debut studio album, Pretty on the Inside (1991), the group embarked on an international concert tour in promotion of the record. The tour began in July 1991 in Los Angeles. For the first European leg of the tour, Hole was a supporting act for Mudhoney. The band returned to North America in the fall and toured in the United States and Canada before returning to Europe in November 1991.
The band opened for Nirvana at several European dates, including in Ghent, Belgium and Nijmegen, Netherlands. During this time, frontwoman Courtney Love became romantically involved with Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain; the two had previously been acquainted in May 1991.
The band returned to the United States in mid-December 1991, appearing as a supporting act for the West Coast tour of The Smashing Pumpkins, supporting their debut album, Gish.
Reception Sam Batra of The Guardian wrote of the band's London date in December 1991: "There's no pretending that [Love] is in control. This is the sound of living on the edge and consequently working it out in splurges of furious noise seems to be the only articulation that has any authenticity," adding that "it's as if every flurry of noise unravels itself, breaks down as it struggles within the confines of a genre that is predominately male. Hole will burn themselves out. See them before they lose it willfully." Adam Sweeting, reviewing the University of London Union performance, noted that the band's songs seem to be "teetering on the edge of collapse, [while] Love pouts, whispers, and shrieks... the volume of the voice is startling." Richard Cromelin of the Los Angeles Times observed of the band's supporting performance at a Los Angeles Smashing Pumpkins concert that the crowd "didn’t take to Courtney Love’s powerful howls of anguish." At the end of the show, Love "ordered the band to a halt and hurled her guitar to the ground," after which guitarist Eric Erlandson demolished his guitar by smashing it against the floor.
Other acts Supporting Hi Dummy Drag The Tunnel Frenzies (Manchester International II) Daisy Chainsaw Therapy?
Supported Buffalo Tom Dinosaur Jr. Mudhoney Nirvana The Smashing Pumpkins
Tour dates Date City Country Venue North America Los Angeles United States Hollywood Palladium Seattle The Off Ramp Vancouver Canada The Cruel Elephant Calgary Republik Minneapolis United States Uptown Bar Madison O’Cayz Corral Chicago Avalon Niteclub Los Angeles Jabberjaw Kalamazoo Club Soda Montreal Canada Les Foufounes Électriques Boston United States The Rathskeller New York City CBGB Philadelphia Khyber Pass Hoboken Maxwell's Washington, D.C. The 9:30 Club Richmond Twisters Charlotte Milestone Club Athens 40 Watt Club Atlanta The Masquerade Austin The Cannibal Club Dallas Trees Europe Windsor England The Old Trout Pub London Astoria Theatre Brighton The Zap Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall Newcastle upon Tyne Riverside Glasgow Scotland Queen Margaret Union Manchester England International II Bristol Bierkeller Theatre Sheffield The Leadmill Birmingham Goldwyns London New Cross Venue North America Los Angeles United States The Palace Chicago Kalamazoo Club Soda Toronto Canada The Rivoli Cambridge United States Tower Records Boston The Rathskeller New York City CBGB Philadelphia Khyber Pass Carrboro Cat's Cradle Austin Emo's Europe London England The Underworld Ghent Belgium Vooruit Concertzaal Nijmegen Netherlands Doornroosje Nancy France Bar La Plage Paris La Cigale Villeurbanne Transbordeur Mezzago Italy Bloom Frankfurt Germany Cooky's Berlin The Loft Cologne Rose Club Hamburg Markthalle Groningen Netherlands Vera Utrecht Tivoli Amsterdam Melkweg Newport Wales TJ's Exeter England Lemongrove London University of London Union Leeds Duchess of York Glasgow Scotland The Mayfair Manchester England The Boardwalk North America San Diego United States Sound FX Los Angeles Whisky a Go Go San Francisco I-Beam Sacramento Cattle Club Portland The Underground
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