He made himself accountable.Ĭobain occasionally explained, “All Apologies” was about a feeling, not the words - just like their Unplugged show. It was Cobain wearing his heart on his sleeve, displaying his art in the most naked way possible. “All Apologies” was for him, it seemed personal. And on this night, he let the world in for a minute, while at the same time, he somehow blocked everyone out.
#NIRVANA MTV UNPLUGGED WHOLE PERFORMANCE HOW TO#
His songwriting mantra was melody first and he knew how to leverage his discomfort to attract a room better than anyone I’d ever seen.
![nirvana mtv unplugged whole performance nirvana mtv unplugged whole performance](https://cloud10.todocoleccion.online/videos-dvd-musicales/tc/2019/02/21/08/152237993_15507330319AFF22E8_125598460.jpg)
My point is this… when Cobain sang “All Apologies” on the New York Sony Music Studios stage 25 years ago now, you believed him. Riding that wave, he then opens up, jokes about needing a plectrum and then falls away into… But for Cobain, a tortured internal artist, he had just experienced a comforting rush of performing three tunes with his pals in a David vs. The catch is, naturally you believe the opposite - there were so many impromptu moments between songs, many of which had drummer Dave Grohl stating things like, “What’s next, what are we playing?” - and at one-point suggesting Cobain perform “Pennyroyal Tea” solo. I’d like to think The Meat Puppets placement within Nirvana’s set was somewhat premeditated by Cobain.
#NIRVANA MTV UNPLUGGED WHOLE PERFORMANCE FULL#
When you have a concise set to plan for and catalog full of gorgeous songs, building out the flow is an art unto itself - especially when you know parts of it will be chopped up and compiled into a national TV broadcast. Those three slots could have been used for an acoustic rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, or “Lithium”, or how about a new song debuted on this small stage that coincidentally was the largest stage in the world in 1993. To this day, it’s remarkable that The Meat Puppets had such a prominent placement during Nirvana’s moment in the Unplugged spotlight, and they handled it beautifully. At a time where MTV called all the shots, Cobain had pulled off doing much of this show his way. The Meat Puppets, one of Cobain’s favorite bands had just left the stage after rocking three of their own songs with Nirvana.
![nirvana mtv unplugged whole performance nirvana mtv unplugged whole performance](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Nirvana-MTV-screen-grab-cropped-copy.jpg)
Moments before sinking into the drop D cave that is “All Apologies” Cobain opens himself up to the crowd, “Any requests?” he shouts. But first - Cobain lights a cigarette before the intimate and adoring crowd.
![nirvana mtv unplugged whole performance nirvana mtv unplugged whole performance](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/static/uploads/2020/05/Kurt-Cobains-MTV-Unplugged-guitar-to-be-sold-at-auction-for-1million.jpg)
Only a cover of Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” remains on the setlist. At this point, it’s about 48 minutes into the band’s legendary 14-song performance. His eyes are sealed shut and his expression is pensive as if he’s reflecting deeply. At the three minute and 24 seconds mark of Nirvana performing “All Apologies” on MTV Unplugged, Kurt Cobain slowly raises his right hand and rubs his chin.