Nirvana: Unplugged In New York

- By @TheBlueTook

On 18th November 1993, Nirvana recorded an ‘Unplugged’ set for MTV in New York City which became, for many, their best – and of course last – album in 1994.

An acoustic gig showcasing some of singer Kurt Cobain’s finest songs and a few covers was all it was supposed to be, but what it became of course is something else entirely.

When he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in April 1994, a simple concert became an epitaph for ‘Grunge’ music (and some would even argue a musical generation) as a whole - even if the singer’s departure from this world wasn’t exactly a complete surprise. For a number of years, Cobain had been battling a well-documented heroin addiction, and in the weeks shortly before his death, he had overdosed on a combination of drugs and alcohol.

MTV Unplugged In New York was the first Nirvana album released after his death and debuted at #1 on the ‘Billboard 200′, and has become the band’s most successful posthumous release. In 1996, it won the ‘Grammy Award For Best Alternative Music Album’ and was finally released on DVD in 2007.

Tentatively beginning the show with About A Girl, it’s apparent the collective are a little hesitant about the enormity of the challenge ahead. After all, the debate still continues today whether Nirvana struggled to find a middle ground between maintaining their creative credibility as well as keeping the money men of the industry in lizard-skin loafers – ultimately, Cobain’s inability to cope with such great opposing pressures was to be his undoing. Although we’ll never know for sure, the tracklist they chose seemed to go against the ‘Unplugged’ grain - picking out less mainstream pieces instead of following other band’s tendencies to take the ‘greatest hits’ route - seemingly spelling out Nirvana’s intentions for a future that sadly never came.

Thankfully, by the time Come As You Are, On A Plain and of course the haunting All Apologies have been delivered, Nirvana had succeeded in settling down, and with the unwavering support from its loving crowd, the band — and Cobain, most noticeably — had regained their confidence (even with the frontman, at an earlier point, “guaranteeing” he’ll “screw up” what eventually became the cornerstone of the whole event).

Of course, Nirvana’s performance wasn’t perfect by any means. Thanks to the acoustic setup, they had to show a tremendous restraint, and because of this, each wobble was magnified by the hushed atmosphere. Wisely though, Nirvana had called on some support – with regular touring guitarist Pat Smear, Curt and Cris Kirkwood from the Meat Puppets and cellist Lori Goldston all on hand to add their own layers to the magical tapestry.
In the end though, all of Nirvana’s stumbles are overlooked because of the honesty which permeates from every chord as they courageously expose their work to us all.

Around that time, being a young Nirvana fan, my favourite tracks performed continually fluctuated between the ones listed above, but on several recent, late-night viewings, I have to admit the finest moments of the show were 2 of the covers - Lead Belly’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night? and David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World, which surely tells a tale about Nirvana’s predicament at that time.

This performance was without a doubt the best I’ve seen from MTV’s Unplugged series, the best done by the band itself and remains the most universally accessible, whether an avid fan or not. At the time though, it wasn’t at all what anyone expected from them, and viewed in hindsight, it poignantly embodies the term ‘the calm before the storm’.
It also never ceases to blow my mind seeing Dave Grohl so reserved, since we’re all well aware of his energetic, consistent success with the Foo Fighters since, while bassist Krist Novoselic went into politics.

First aired on MTV in December 1993, the hour-long set has continued to grow in stature to reach an almost mythological level. Because of the type of occasion it was, with the people involved, it was always going to be an unpredictable, raw performance… and because of the awful events which would soon unfold, it has become even more unsettling, upsetting, yet beautiful to watch.

The Blue Took