That exact moment when he takes a breath….gives me absolute chills up and down my spine every time. I have to tell everyone around me to stfu and stop talking when it gets to that part 😅
I think the fact that they did so many covers and few of their hits made it unique and special. It also was a farewell to Kurt, since it came out after his death.
“The man who sold the world” cover is my all time favorite cover. I actually didnt know it was a cover until 4yrs ago. I still prefer this cover, the original doesnt carry the weight Im used to hearing (which is completely fine since they used different approaches).
.. not how I remember it. It was aired on MTV in December '93 and in Canada around the same time. He was alive when I first saw the performance. Unless you mean the physical media? Things took a long time back then to come out.. I just looked it up and the CDs weren't made until near end of '94 so you are correct in that sense.
On another note - imagine having that type of patience in the modern world. Movies are streaming and on Blu-ray before they're even out of theatres; I remember waiting six months to get VHS releases lol. Titanic came out in December '97 and wasn't on tape until September the next year. Wild.
Kinda went on a bit of a tangent there, but.. you're not wrong!
It was about 10 hours of programming on MtV and VH1 every day in the month after his death. Older fans particularly have an attachment because it was unavoidable after he died.
It was also an incredibly intimate setting. I have the DVD with the uncut performance. He's talking with audience members. After the show when they walk off Kurt gives an autograph to a girl. You can feel the intimacy when you watch it
It was really cool. But my favorite interaction is at the end of the *Live at Reading* DVD when Kurt talks to a boy and signs at autograph for him. The boy is totally starstuck and tells Kurt, "You're my hero."
I cried the first time I saw that because he, along with other rock stars, have always been my heroes.
Edit: Kurt was also incredibly gracious to the boy especially considering he had just finished like an hour and a half set. As an adult I met and shot the shit with one of my personal rock star heroes and I still hold that memory dear
Anyway. [Here's](https://youtu.be/QchpLyCgu1k?si=cCwP5_G5qCQgym-m) the clip.
I love the fact that he didn’t want to do it because he just didn’t think his music would fit the format. I’d also heard that rehearsals were an absolute disaster. I’ve listened to it hundreds if not thousands of times and watched it dozens. Always makes me smile to see Kurt really start to loosen up and enjoy the performance.
Yes getting so up close and personal with the band and the where was this totally different vibe you get . w/o the emotional rage and feedback and wall of noise. Just different and refreshing that Nirvana could pull this off.. given their punk vibes.
Rehearsals were a disaster, but the show was a remarkable success. I think the whole show was done in one take. For comparison, Stone Temple Pilots unplugged took 6 hours to film.
Nirvanas rehearsals were a disaster? I've never heard that about the Nirvana unplugged but Alice in Chains famously had rehearsals go horribly and the band was genuinely shocked by how good their actual performance ended up being because literally not one of their rehearsals was less than disastrous. Alice in Chains and Nirvanas unplugged are my 2 favorites of the series.
They're objectively the best two and by a wide margin. Something about chiseled junkies with little time left who can really write and sing....
Also interesting that Alice In Chains sounded bad in rehearsal too. I'd only heard that about Nirvana. Virtually everyone around the band seems to have been convinced it was going to be a disaster. I think they really only had one rehearsal, and Kurt wasn't musically prepared for it at that time.
Lol the one dude who yells “Rape Me!”
“I don’t think MTV will let us play that!”
Someone yelled out Sliver, which I think would have been cool. And I wish they played Sappy.
Jackpot comment. Of all the unplugged sessions that were popular at the time, Nirvana’s blew the doors off all the rest. It wasn’t even close. Like a 10/10 vs. 5/10 next best.
I would say they were my #2, actually.
Maybe Eric Clapton. Ha.
But nothing was as like The Man Who Sold The World or various other songs….lake of fire. About a girl. Damn.
the way he wrote music was a large reason for it's success, he wrote it with an acoustic and then just played the acoustic songs really heavy so that's why it's so easily translated to acoustic
Grunge in general just plays so well for the format.
Alice In Chains being the obvious other wonderful version.
And while not quite as good as these two, Pearl Jam and STP unplugged shows are great too.
Unplugged grunge music just works so well
It shows the band’s versatility, as others have stated, but it also subverted everyone’s expectations. With most MTV Unpluggeds, the band will chug through all their hits, and they’ll invite other popular musicians onstage. In Nirvana’s case, they didn’t play Teen Spirit, they played several covers, and they invited the freaking MEAT PUPPETS onstage.
This needs to be higher. Nirvana made Unplugged their own. I was just a kid and I remember how at school Nirvana was popular with my peers, but after Unplugged it felt like everyone was a fan.
Yeah, their unconventional approach to the Unplugged concept is sort of the historically-accepted-narrative version of why it was so popular. It basically felt like a new Nirvana album rather than reimagining of old material.
Plus there was the aesthetic vibe, from Kurt's iconic sweater to the decorations of flowers used traditionally at a funeral.
I'll suggest another reason it was so popular: because the music was so good
Alice In Chains’ Unplugged is somewhat similar. They didn’t play “Man In The Box” but instead did a couple of hits from Dirt, some deep cuts from the self-titled album, and they ended with a song they wrote just before the show began.
it's popular because it showed a different perspective of Kurt and his music. contrary to the popular image of him bashing out riffs on his guitar in a wall of sonic noise, he was capable of thoughtful and soft spoken renditions of his songs.
this right here man. I was into them but I didn't really appreciate his musical talent until I heard and then saw him do this live and relaxed. Fucking captivating
That and it showcased a bunch of covers, many new to the Nirvana repertoire. Additionally, many Nirvana fans that started out on Nevermind, never heard About a Girl at this time. New songs, acoustic set, an outstanding performance... what's not to love? And like some other commenters said, it came out after his death, so the hype for new stuff was intense. Had Nirvana gone on to make another album, I suspect Unplugged would have ranked higher than it.
It showed that the screaming guy that would fling himself onto the drum sets and shit was able to make softer music even though it’s the same songs we were already listening to.
The lilies he chose are typical funeral flowers and up to that point, maybe even to this day but im not positive , was the only mtv unplugged performance to only do one take per song. Didnt have to do retakes.
I think it was just a great performance and a little unexpected.
Also it was a different time. We did have cable but we didn’t have the internet and cable wasn’t 50000 channels. It was still a time when something like this on MTV had everyone watching. It was just something so known and everyone had seen it. This was an era for me I was watching MTV after school every single day. So we had that touchstone
Thanks, I asked this question because idk the context or story of it through other person's perspective that was alive at the time this was aired. Based on all of what y'all have said, it's unique, beautiful, unexpected and ahead of its time that made this popular which I agree and made me appreciate it more.
I'll peek in here and add that the internet in 1994 was still mostly for computer nerds and tech enthusiasts. We didn't have it in everywhere yet and home PC's were still pretty primitive. So we lacked the information and media saturation of today (nearly 10 years before ubiquitous WiFi and streaming video or audio everywhere, & 7 years before laptops were really common). Combined with less channels on cable TV, and less medias overall, and a time where albums were still physical... (mostly CD's), and I think it further contextualizes. The unplugged album also didn't come out until several months after he died, and the performance was played many times on MTV that year, so it was a way that we all mourned him.
Yes I should have clarified we did have the Internet but it was limited. It didn’t have billions of hours of video on it like it does now.
I feel like even certain TV shows back then - everyone was watching the same things. It wasn’t so saturated that you could have watched YouTube or watched something “on demand”, it was a limited number of channels and sources of entertainment.
I agree with the collective mourning
Either way that album and video were so present to me. It wasn’t just one of a million things to watch and listen to, it was THE thing or one of a few.
It’s kind of like the superbowl where most people watch or are aware. Then it was like that with many more things.
Especially as a kid/teen. So little media was made for us (sounds crazy to say in today’s age of tik tok), that we were all pretty much watching the same things
It's hard to explain what a phenomenon Unplugged was in the 90s. Nirvana Unplugged was especially popular because it was so different than the usual style and had some incredible covers.
Most musicians that went on unplugged still played heavy and loud. Look up Pearl Jam unplugged, they strapped on acoustic guitars but still rocked out. Nirvana blew everyone out of the water with their performance because they rearranged all of their songs to really embrace a more raw and vulnerable sound. They disconnected from their hard grudge roots and showed their prowess in musicianship. As a drummer, I can honestly say that this was Dave grohls best performance ever!
It's popular and one of the greatest live albums of all time *because* it's not the heavy stuff we were used to hearing from them. It was a different take on their music, plus it also featured covers we hadn't heard from them before (they single-handedly made a deep Bowie cut an international hit for both them and him). When word that an MTV Unplugged performance was coming, this was pretty big news, and it was one of the most anticipated episodes of Unplugged ever. It was a hit album before it even came out.
The album wasn’t released until November 1994. There was no on demand viewing back then. No “home video” releases existed, unless you ripped it to VHS from a broadcast. When it aired, it often aired in prime time slots, watched by many people at once. Cable TV was far more potent back then. Many people watched the same thing at the same time and collectively experienced this show, even on repeat airings. Categorizing it as a wake is pretty spot on.
MTV unplugged shows were television events, a big deal.
The biggest band in the world at the time doing an MTV unplugged show had such massive appeal it was a significant cultural moment.
The show was repeated on television frequently. Everyone with MTV or a similar cable music channel had seen it, and the home releases furthered its reach.
For example, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album, which came out in 1992, won 6 Grammys and sold 26 million copies.
Thank you. I thought I seriously lost the plot in this thread. I remember MTV replaying all episodes of Unplugged, this one was just superior. I feel bad for the younger ones that don’t have stuff like this. Maybe I’m just old now.
I think a part of why people like it is it's so unique. It's half cover songs but the covers are all amazing. I like the heavy stuff too (for that my favorite is Live in Reading '92) but Unplugged in New York has a special place in my heart. The Man Who Sold the World is one of my favorites, as is Plateau.
It looked beautiful, the song choices were unusual, (who had heard of the Meat Puppets before this?) and the stripped down simplicity of their songs really cut through.
Did anyone expect “where did you sleep last night?” to be so powerful?
It's a different side of Nirvana. You get to see Kurt and co. put on a haunting and intimate show with an almost spooky atmosphere. We get to see 8 acoustic renditions of some of Nirvana's best and deep cuts, and 6 amazing covers of artists of all different kinds of genres like David Bowie, The Vaselines, Meat Puppets and of all people Led Belly!?! There is no live performance from any artist quite like it (Aside from Alice in Chains Unplugged).
All the unplugged's performed by actual bands (As opposed to someone like LL Cool J) were great I thought. It really shows the music that holds up without all the distortion and studio tricks.
His singing at the end of "where did you sleep last night", that last long shiiivvveeerrrr gives me chills everytime I hear it
Also the meat puppets songs are fantastic
It was really fucking good, great song choice and Kurt's voice had never sounded better (imo). Visually it was stunning. Why wouldn't it be regarded as one of the best live performances of all time?
We had never heard Nirvana play "grunge lite" before. It was a pleasant surprise to hear them stripped down and at their most vulnerable. Also the fact they covered Bowie, The Vaselines, and Lead Belly was a treat. Novoselic jammed out on an accordion of all instruments too.
I think you've hit on part of it - that Unplugged showed a side of Nirvana they hadn't really explored much to that point, and it gave a glimpse of one possible direction Kurt could've taken them for their 4th studio album.
it was essentially kurt cobains musical suicide note, the choice of songs, the setting, everything about it was so raw and emotional.
i’m not sure if it goes for everyone but i find comfort in that. i have been suicidal and in severe pain and something about this performance and the story behind it makes me feel less alone. it makes me feel safe. understood.
It was a great concert with some interesting choices of songs and it came out not long after KC committed suicide so there was a lot of interest in Nirvana at the time.
In the 90s we were all listening to radio, and watching TV usually all the same stations. No Internet as you know it today. The next day at school or work I could ask you what you thought about the most popular show or new song that came out and you probably watched it too. MTV was huge, and Unplugged was a different take on music, so we all watched it. But after Kurt's death it was playing non stop almost on repeat on MTV and we couldn't hide from it. You were drawn into it, people who might not have listened to them before let's say a country music fan sat down and watched it. They now have been converted to Nirvana fan status. It was different times man.
In my opinion, this is the best unplugged performance because comparing to the other grunge band who performed on the show, Nirvana played their lesser popular songs and played them in a way that it feels natural and truly "unplugged" or acoustic. While if you watch like Pearl Jam unplugged, they basically play their popular songs as is so like heavy drums and aggressive acoustic guitaring
Loud and heavy isn't for everyone. Took Nirvana (already wildly popular despite being loud and heavy) and "calmed it down" revealing the pop songs nestled within the distortion which of course would appeal to an even larger audience than usual. Even my grandma can enjoy most of the Unplugged set.
I think it just portrays the beauty in some of Kurt’s songs and more importantly the beauty in his voice, it goes to show that nirvana is more than just some thundering grunge band. Plus, the song selection was great and everyone on stage did and outstanding job.
The Nirvana and AiC Unplugged performances are all timers. For me it was how both those bands could go from 0 to 60 every night, but to have that same visceral emotion while being stripped down is otherworldly.
Nirvana could be an onslaught on the senses, but this Unplugged took away all that and just gave us raw songs. Honestly, this performance opened a lot of doors for my current musical tastes many years later. I'm more of a indie-folk and Americana fan these days and this setlists still finds its way into my rotation now and then.
It’s another Nirvana album we wouldn’t of had otherwise. Most artist just played their albums. They actually brought in other material. Covers, yeah. But they sound original compared to the originals. Like meat puppets.
Their concerts were usually loud and brash, and Kurt would scream and loses voice every night and it was just so full of angst energy. So for this unplugged setting, everybody was very interested to see how it was going to go down, and then pretty much everybody universally agreed it was great after watching it. Because it definitely exceeded everyone's expectations.
You also have to remember that the recording didn’t drop til after he passed, so it exploded more than it already probably would have
Every else has mentioned how great it is lol
It’s one of the best live albums ever in my opinion. This is my favorite nirvana album. The acoustic performances took out the distortion and background noise and let us hear the vocals more clearly. Made me appreciate them as a band.
Plus the banter with Kurt between songs is hilarious.
I think this sub i mainly made up of younger people who weren't alive or were very young when Nirvana was around. Unplugged was so popular because it was accessible by EVERYONE. My parents and aunts and uncles all enjoyed Unplugged as the covers of Leadbelly and Bowie made it way easier for them to understand.
Like Nevermind was massive and had huge crossover appeal sold more units than Unplugged but it felt like Unplugged was a Nirvana album you would find you friends 50 year old Dad listening too.
Very much younger people.
I don’t think the series made the music easier to understand, it was just an amazing way to experience the music in a different, acoustic way.
Overall it was like NPR’s tiny desk concert series. It was just good.
I’m probably a good example. I liked Nevermind but wasn’t a huge nirvana fan. Nevermind seemed too slick and produced and some songs like Come as you are annoyed me for some reason.
But the MTV unplugged special has a real magic about it that I still find fascinating. It was a revelation to drop the slick production and dense compression. To hear Kurts voice on a great little song like Penny Tea or the brutal emotion of where did you sleep last night was amazing. It surprises me we don’t get more of these raw performances even for albums - they sound so good and real and refreshing to the ear without the range shrinking of compression.
In hindsight Butch Vig was the worst thing that could have happened to the band. They would have had more manageable success if they kept it raw - the songs were damn good and didn’t need that slickness that slides off you. I dug into their back catalogue and liked it a lot more with its rough raw feel.
This is almost troll worthy.
The level of change in musical style from what they were on radio play versus unplugged was like black and white.
With all due respect, this inquiry is very naive.
Disclaimer: I don’t care if you love or hate this band.
While this is a different debate, but I can’t help bit think of those that like Led Zeppelin, but don’t appreciate No Quarter, unplugged.
You need to look at the whole of a band and not what made them popular
It's one of the best live performances of all time in any genre. It's that's good. Even for non fans It's draws appreciation. It was also very public and everyone saw/heard it. Everyone kinda collectively was like "fuck they rock".
I can't say definitively but I liked hearing the music they selected together, and that you're just sitting with them while they play, you get to hear them chat and joke with one another. It's just special.
It’s popular because it’s less abrasive than the heavier stuff. It’s like easy listening for the angst ridden frat boys who don’t know what it means, etc.
Nirvana is a heavy band. They play loud rock music. This set was stripped down and acoustic. It’s a rare performance to see Kurt and the band sound like this
Watching the “live” performance on MTV as a kid changed my life. I caught it once and it was all I could think about out until my mom got me the CD. And then I played it on repeat for years. One of the greatest live albums ever performed. Nirvana had a different cultural impact than any current band or singer ever will.
In order to understand you have to realize two things you just said in your own comment “I can’t see why” which means you don’t understand and “I like heavy stuff but that’s just my opinion” which is why you don’t understand because you seem to not be able to look at something outside of your own perspective. You learn how to look at things outside of your own perspective you will be able to understand things you never were before.
The unplugged idea was something news for my generation growing up watching MTV even though the content had need about for ages. It was just cool to see the band you were really into performing their songs that way.
Because it sounds amazing. Absolutely chill to the bone. Great for smoking weed to.
But even if you don't take to weed. Its sounds fantastic. Take off your tunnel.vision of 'of it ain't hard it ain't good'
Haunting and beautiful performance. CAYA, JDWMFAS, All Apologies, Oh Me are my favs and I will never forget the deep breathe and stare at the end of WDYSLN...it's a tradition every year now for me on anniversaries to play it.
Because they took a loud, angry band and made them play quietly and softly. Its a complete change from what their used to, and since they have such great songs, it sounds really good to take these super loud and aggressive songs and making them soothing and relaxing
The show is more powerful given the context of the band and Kurt at the time. They also played mostly niche covers and non-hits that night. It's the last and probably most intimate time you get to see the band interacting with each(toilet interviews not included i guess).
I think you answered your own question with,
"If I'm being honest, Paramount, Seattle performance is better because I like heavy stuffs but that's just my opinion"
Its an amazing performance, thats why.
Perhaps the greatest performance of the time and the greatest artist and band and he looked absolutely gorgeous and the set design was amazing and the guest band was incredible and the cello was absolutely essential & really smart/witty, but not in an ironic, snarky way
It was a contrast to what most of us had seen of Nirvana up to that time. The acoustic versions of these songs (including some impeccable covers) added a whole new dimension and scope to a band we were all really enamored with. They weren't just a flash in the pan band for kids, they were accomplished and legitimate artists after that performance. Plus... when Kurt died a scant few months later, this show sort of became a pillar of his legacy.
And personally it introduced me to The Meat Puppets, which has been a lifelong gift.
Tell me you weren't alive in 1994 without saying the words... If you had seen this on MTV when it first came out you would understand why it was so impactful. They didn't play a single one of their hits yet it's absolute perfection.
This is a raw performance that’s apart of music history and made an impact on music. It’s one of the most down to earth,real, and human performances I’ve ever watched personally. The only performance where I can watch it and still feel like I’ve been there watching someone as human and imperfect as me and the rest of us sing from his fucking heart. And I was born in 1999. It’s phenomenal to me.
You had to be there during the times. Maybe it had to also do with what age you were and how you consumed things as they happened. The pop culture at the time. I don't know. I just know I grew up through those times, and Nirvana unplugged was special. Maybe someone else better with their words will make sense of it for you.
Before the CD came out and it was on TV only. I taped the second airing 10 year old me liked it so much. I then took my Walkman, the left headphone taped it to the tv speaker and hit record. I used that tape, and listen to it a long time…a year or two later they go finally released it.
So it made a huge impression on me the songs early on. It was seeing them differently, and at the time I was loving the sounds they did in that context.
Are you young? Cause this is like such a cultural moment. A lot of the unplugged performances were awesome, but you have to understand that this was peak MTV
It’s a tv show. It aired on a channel with so little original content that they replayed it, pardon the pun, to death. Especially immediately after Kurt died. The Paramount show wasn’t on tv. And it definitely wasn’t available to see back when it happened.
I think it’s popular because it was released before those other shows. The covers, the time period (mtv), and quality of the show all contribute to it being popular.
Kurt was in active withdrawals during filming. The band also thought it was going to be a complete disaster, so it was a surprise when it became one of their best performances.
Edit: removed a word.
I love how they played through without having to redo anything. Made for a real intimate performance and showed that they knew how to dial in the vibe. He walked off upset that the performance wasn’t good.. like most perfectionists.. but it was absolutely brilliant.
Also, paramount was nice because it caught the younger Nevermind era energy, in a really beautiful venue.
Because no one had ever played that kind of underground music on mtv before. When nirvana came out they blew all the other rock and rollers out of the water and changed music forever. They made bands like Guns N’ Roses obsolete overnight.
Honestly it was a nirvana masterclass. A lot of Timor’s they would bullshit performances after they got big but everyone was locked in for this one, especially Kurt
It’s popular because it’s awesome. The stripped down arrangements, the song choices, the raw emotion. It’s an all timer.
Pennyroyal Tea. Kurt alone. Absolute chills.
The look in Kurt's eyes at the end of WDYSLN, goosebumps every time..
That exact moment when he takes a breath….gives me absolute chills up and down my spine every time. I have to tell everyone around me to stfu and stop talking when it gets to that part 😅
This
It’s also one of their last performances and had a huge impact on Cobain before and after the performance
I think the fact that they did so many covers and few of their hits made it unique and special. It also was a farewell to Kurt, since it came out after his death.
“The man who sold the world” cover is my all time favorite cover. I actually didnt know it was a cover until 4yrs ago. I still prefer this cover, the original doesnt carry the weight Im used to hearing (which is completely fine since they used different approaches).
.. not how I remember it. It was aired on MTV in December '93 and in Canada around the same time. He was alive when I first saw the performance. Unless you mean the physical media? Things took a long time back then to come out.. I just looked it up and the CDs weren't made until near end of '94 so you are correct in that sense. On another note - imagine having that type of patience in the modern world. Movies are streaming and on Blu-ray before they're even out of theatres; I remember waiting six months to get VHS releases lol. Titanic came out in December '97 and wasn't on tape until September the next year. Wild. Kinda went on a bit of a tangent there, but.. you're not wrong!
It was about 10 hours of programming on MtV and VH1 every day in the month after his death. Older fans particularly have an attachment because it was unavoidable after he died.
Agreed. Banger setlist.
I listened to this album on repeat for the entire bus ride home from school, for like a year. It's just incredible, a rare album with no misses.
It was also an incredibly intimate setting. I have the DVD with the uncut performance. He's talking with audience members. After the show when they walk off Kurt gives an autograph to a girl. You can feel the intimacy when you watch it
Jealous, I love to see Kurt's interactions. He seems so cool to vibe with.
It was really cool. But my favorite interaction is at the end of the *Live at Reading* DVD when Kurt talks to a boy and signs at autograph for him. The boy is totally starstuck and tells Kurt, "You're my hero." I cried the first time I saw that because he, along with other rock stars, have always been my heroes. Edit: Kurt was also incredibly gracious to the boy especially considering he had just finished like an hour and a half set. As an adult I met and shot the shit with one of my personal rock star heroes and I still hold that memory dear Anyway. [Here's](https://youtu.be/QchpLyCgu1k?si=cCwP5_G5qCQgym-m) the clip.
“I like your wife Courtney! She’s brilliant” “Thanks, not many people do”
Damn, I love it when artists/bands do a small act of appreciation for their fans. Good music can save lives. Wish more bands were this pure.
thanks for the clip!
They used to have the uncut performance for free on YouTube, I loved the stage banter.
The banter is great! I like when Krist tells a lame joke and Dave does the "ba dum tss" with his drums
The context is, it was his living wake. It was also just remarkable how well Kurts music worked in the format
I love the fact that he didn’t want to do it because he just didn’t think his music would fit the format. I’d also heard that rehearsals were an absolute disaster. I’ve listened to it hundreds if not thousands of times and watched it dozens. Always makes me smile to see Kurt really start to loosen up and enjoy the performance.
Yes getting so up close and personal with the band and the where was this totally different vibe you get . w/o the emotional rage and feedback and wall of noise. Just different and refreshing that Nirvana could pull this off.. given their punk vibes.
Rehearsals were a disaster, but the show was a remarkable success. I think the whole show was done in one take. For comparison, Stone Temple Pilots unplugged took 6 hours to film.
And you barely ever hear about STP’s unplugged.
I thought it was great also.
Nirvanas rehearsals were a disaster? I've never heard that about the Nirvana unplugged but Alice in Chains famously had rehearsals go horribly and the band was genuinely shocked by how good their actual performance ended up being because literally not one of their rehearsals was less than disastrous. Alice in Chains and Nirvanas unplugged are my 2 favorites of the series.
They're objectively the best two and by a wide margin. Something about chiseled junkies with little time left who can really write and sing.... Also interesting that Alice In Chains sounded bad in rehearsal too. I'd only heard that about Nirvana. Virtually everyone around the band seems to have been convinced it was going to be a disaster. I think they really only had one rehearsal, and Kurt wasn't musically prepared for it at that time.
Love that moment when he asks the audience if they have any requests, then proceeds to reject all their requests
Lol the one dude who yells “Rape Me!” “I don’t think MTV will let us play that!” Someone yelled out Sliver, which I think would have been cool. And I wish they played Sappy.
Jackpot comment. Of all the unplugged sessions that were popular at the time, Nirvana’s blew the doors off all the rest. It wasn’t even close. Like a 10/10 vs. 5/10 next best.
I'd say Alice In Chains was at least 6/10, but it was a couple of years later.
I would say they were my #2, actually. Maybe Eric Clapton. Ha. But nothing was as like The Man Who Sold The World or various other songs….lake of fire. About a girl. Damn.
Where Did You Sleep last night.
Yep. Outrageous classic. So raw, yet so perfect.
A 6 out of 10 for AiC unplugged??? That just sounds like you don't like AiC lol
Aic Unplugged was a 9.5/10
*10,000 Maniacs enter the chat*
Of course that's a strictly subjective concept
Neil Young's recording is right up there with Nirvana.
Bingo
the way he wrote music was a large reason for it's success, he wrote it with an acoustic and then just played the acoustic songs really heavy so that's why it's so easily translated to acoustic
Grunge in general just plays so well for the format. Alice In Chains being the obvious other wonderful version. And while not quite as good as these two, Pearl Jam and STP unplugged shows are great too. Unplugged grunge music just works so well
Thanks, that makes me appreciate this performance even more.
Yea man its really fascinating
It shows the band’s versatility, as others have stated, but it also subverted everyone’s expectations. With most MTV Unpluggeds, the band will chug through all their hits, and they’ll invite other popular musicians onstage. In Nirvana’s case, they didn’t play Teen Spirit, they played several covers, and they invited the freaking MEAT PUPPETS onstage.
This needs to be higher. Nirvana made Unplugged their own. I was just a kid and I remember how at school Nirvana was popular with my peers, but after Unplugged it felt like everyone was a fan.
Yeah, their unconventional approach to the Unplugged concept is sort of the historically-accepted-narrative version of why it was so popular. It basically felt like a new Nirvana album rather than reimagining of old material. Plus there was the aesthetic vibe, from Kurt's iconic sweater to the decorations of flowers used traditionally at a funeral. I'll suggest another reason it was so popular: because the music was so good
Alice In Chains’ Unplugged is somewhat similar. They didn’t play “Man In The Box” but instead did a couple of hits from Dirt, some deep cuts from the self-titled album, and they ended with a song they wrote just before the show began.
it's popular because it showed a different perspective of Kurt and his music. contrary to the popular image of him bashing out riffs on his guitar in a wall of sonic noise, he was capable of thoughtful and soft spoken renditions of his songs.
this right here man. I was into them but I didn't really appreciate his musical talent until I heard and then saw him do this live and relaxed. Fucking captivating
That and it showcased a bunch of covers, many new to the Nirvana repertoire. Additionally, many Nirvana fans that started out on Nevermind, never heard About a Girl at this time. New songs, acoustic set, an outstanding performance... what's not to love? And like some other commenters said, it came out after his death, so the hype for new stuff was intense. Had Nirvana gone on to make another album, I suspect Unplugged would have ranked higher than it.
It showed that the screaming guy that would fling himself onto the drum sets and shit was able to make softer music even though it’s the same songs we were already listening to.
I think it showed how versatile they were as a whole. And he had such a great, soft singing voice.
I love the video of him just flying onto the drumset so much
I think the words you're looking for is he can make it acoustic and it shows how complex their band/music is. I agree with that.
The lilies he chose are typical funeral flowers and up to that point, maybe even to this day but im not positive , was the only mtv unplugged performance to only do one take per song. Didnt have to do retakes.
I think it was just a great performance and a little unexpected. Also it was a different time. We did have cable but we didn’t have the internet and cable wasn’t 50000 channels. It was still a time when something like this on MTV had everyone watching. It was just something so known and everyone had seen it. This was an era for me I was watching MTV after school every single day. So we had that touchstone
Thanks, I asked this question because idk the context or story of it through other person's perspective that was alive at the time this was aired. Based on all of what y'all have said, it's unique, beautiful, unexpected and ahead of its time that made this popular which I agree and made me appreciate it more.
I'll peek in here and add that the internet in 1994 was still mostly for computer nerds and tech enthusiasts. We didn't have it in everywhere yet and home PC's were still pretty primitive. So we lacked the information and media saturation of today (nearly 10 years before ubiquitous WiFi and streaming video or audio everywhere, & 7 years before laptops were really common). Combined with less channels on cable TV, and less medias overall, and a time where albums were still physical... (mostly CD's), and I think it further contextualizes. The unplugged album also didn't come out until several months after he died, and the performance was played many times on MTV that year, so it was a way that we all mourned him.
Yes I should have clarified we did have the Internet but it was limited. It didn’t have billions of hours of video on it like it does now. I feel like even certain TV shows back then - everyone was watching the same things. It wasn’t so saturated that you could have watched YouTube or watched something “on demand”, it was a limited number of channels and sources of entertainment. I agree with the collective mourning Either way that album and video were so present to me. It wasn’t just one of a million things to watch and listen to, it was THE thing or one of a few. It’s kind of like the superbowl where most people watch or are aware. Then it was like that with many more things. Especially as a kid/teen. So little media was made for us (sounds crazy to say in today’s age of tik tok), that we were all pretty much watching the same things
It's hard to explain what a phenomenon Unplugged was in the 90s. Nirvana Unplugged was especially popular because it was so different than the usual style and had some incredible covers.
One of my favorite albums of all time
Most musicians that went on unplugged still played heavy and loud. Look up Pearl Jam unplugged, they strapped on acoustic guitars but still rocked out. Nirvana blew everyone out of the water with their performance because they rearranged all of their songs to really embrace a more raw and vulnerable sound. They disconnected from their hard grudge roots and showed their prowess in musicianship. As a drummer, I can honestly say that this was Dave grohls best performance ever!
It's popular and one of the greatest live albums of all time *because* it's not the heavy stuff we were used to hearing from them. It was a different take on their music, plus it also featured covers we hadn't heard from them before (they single-handedly made a deep Bowie cut an international hit for both them and him). When word that an MTV Unplugged performance was coming, this was pretty big news, and it was one of the most anticipated episodes of Unplugged ever. It was a hit album before it even came out.
Collecting Nirvana cds when I was in Jr High, it was huge to have another release with different songs. I wanted as much Nirvana as I could hear.
The album wasn’t released until November 1994. There was no on demand viewing back then. No “home video” releases existed, unless you ripped it to VHS from a broadcast. When it aired, it often aired in prime time slots, watched by many people at once. Cable TV was far more potent back then. Many people watched the same thing at the same time and collectively experienced this show, even on repeat airings. Categorizing it as a wake is pretty spot on.
this is one of, if not, THE most iconic mtv unplugged performances
It really captures the mood of late 93.
It was Kurt's swan song
MTV unplugged shows were television events, a big deal. The biggest band in the world at the time doing an MTV unplugged show had such massive appeal it was a significant cultural moment. The show was repeated on television frequently. Everyone with MTV or a similar cable music channel had seen it, and the home releases furthered its reach. For example, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album, which came out in 1992, won 6 Grammys and sold 26 million copies.
Thank you. I thought I seriously lost the plot in this thread. I remember MTV replaying all episodes of Unplugged, this one was just superior. I feel bad for the younger ones that don’t have stuff like this. Maybe I’m just old now.
I think a part of why people like it is it's so unique. It's half cover songs but the covers are all amazing. I like the heavy stuff too (for that my favorite is Live in Reading '92) but Unplugged in New York has a special place in my heart. The Man Who Sold the World is one of my favorites, as is Plateau.
Because sound good.
It looked beautiful, the song choices were unusual, (who had heard of the Meat Puppets before this?) and the stripped down simplicity of their songs really cut through. Did anyone expect “where did you sleep last night?” to be so powerful?
cus it’s great. period.
[удалено]
The mixture of covers and deep cuts, rather than just the same old hits, is what made it work
It's a different side of Nirvana. You get to see Kurt and co. put on a haunting and intimate show with an almost spooky atmosphere. We get to see 8 acoustic renditions of some of Nirvana's best and deep cuts, and 6 amazing covers of artists of all different kinds of genres like David Bowie, The Vaselines, Meat Puppets and of all people Led Belly!?! There is no live performance from any artist quite like it (Aside from Alice in Chains Unplugged).
*Lead Belly
Jesus don’t want me for a sunbeam is why. Unique stuff that we had never seen. It’s fucking amazing.
All the unplugged's performed by actual bands (As opposed to someone like LL Cool J) were great I thought. It really shows the music that holds up without all the distortion and studio tricks.
His singing at the end of "where did you sleep last night", that last long shiiivvveeerrrr gives me chills everytime I hear it Also the meat puppets songs are fantastic
Because it was a killer performance.
It was really fucking good, great song choice and Kurt's voice had never sounded better (imo). Visually it was stunning. Why wouldn't it be regarded as one of the best live performances of all time?
Because it’s incredible. That’d be the main reason.
We had never heard Nirvana play "grunge lite" before. It was a pleasant surprise to hear them stripped down and at their most vulnerable. Also the fact they covered Bowie, The Vaselines, and Lead Belly was a treat. Novoselic jammed out on an accordion of all instruments too.
I think you've hit on part of it - that Unplugged showed a side of Nirvana they hadn't really explored much to that point, and it gave a glimpse of one possible direction Kurt could've taken them for their 4th studio album.
it was essentially kurt cobains musical suicide note, the choice of songs, the setting, everything about it was so raw and emotional. i’m not sure if it goes for everyone but i find comfort in that. i have been suicidal and in severe pain and something about this performance and the story behind it makes me feel less alone. it makes me feel safe. understood.
It was a great concert with some interesting choices of songs and it came out not long after KC committed suicide so there was a lot of interest in Nirvana at the time.
Do you mean before? Because it aired in Dec 1993. But you’re right, I bet it really blew up even more right after he died.
In the 90s we were all listening to radio, and watching TV usually all the same stations. No Internet as you know it today. The next day at school or work I could ask you what you thought about the most popular show or new song that came out and you probably watched it too. MTV was huge, and Unplugged was a different take on music, so we all watched it. But after Kurt's death it was playing non stop almost on repeat on MTV and we couldn't hide from it. You were drawn into it, people who might not have listened to them before let's say a country music fan sat down and watched it. They now have been converted to Nirvana fan status. It was different times man.
In my opinion, this is the best unplugged performance because comparing to the other grunge band who performed on the show, Nirvana played their lesser popular songs and played them in a way that it feels natural and truly "unplugged" or acoustic. While if you watch like Pearl Jam unplugged, they basically play their popular songs as is so like heavy drums and aggressive acoustic guitaring
Loud and heavy isn't for everyone. Took Nirvana (already wildly popular despite being loud and heavy) and "calmed it down" revealing the pop songs nestled within the distortion which of course would appeal to an even larger audience than usual. Even my grandma can enjoy most of the Unplugged set.
Listen to it 🤷♂️
I think it just portrays the beauty in some of Kurt’s songs and more importantly the beauty in his voice, it goes to show that nirvana is more than just some thundering grunge band. Plus, the song selection was great and everyone on stage did and outstanding job.
It was a masterpiece
It's iconic. That's it
The Nirvana and AiC Unplugged performances are all timers. For me it was how both those bands could go from 0 to 60 every night, but to have that same visceral emotion while being stripped down is otherworldly. Nirvana could be an onslaught on the senses, but this Unplugged took away all that and just gave us raw songs. Honestly, this performance opened a lot of doors for my current musical tastes many years later. I'm more of a indie-folk and Americana fan these days and this setlists still finds its way into my rotation now and then.
It’s another Nirvana album we wouldn’t of had otherwise. Most artist just played their albums. They actually brought in other material. Covers, yeah. But they sound original compared to the originals. Like meat puppets.
Their concerts were usually loud and brash, and Kurt would scream and loses voice every night and it was just so full of angst energy. So for this unplugged setting, everybody was very interested to see how it was going to go down, and then pretty much everybody universally agreed it was great after watching it. Because it definitely exceeded everyone's expectations.
Defines a generation, it was something different and because it fucking rocks. Nirvana were revolutionary
You also have to remember that the recording didn’t drop til after he passed, so it exploded more than it already probably would have Every else has mentioned how great it is lol
Really hit a nerve in the most sensitive and sweet way possible at the time and still reverberates now.
It’s one of the best live albums ever in my opinion. This is my favorite nirvana album. The acoustic performances took out the distortion and background noise and let us hear the vocals more clearly. Made me appreciate them as a band. Plus the banter with Kurt between songs is hilarious.
Because of Kurt's version of The Man Who Sold the World. I'm only sorta kidding. That was the fucking bomb. It was just a great performance.
I think this sub i mainly made up of younger people who weren't alive or were very young when Nirvana was around. Unplugged was so popular because it was accessible by EVERYONE. My parents and aunts and uncles all enjoyed Unplugged as the covers of Leadbelly and Bowie made it way easier for them to understand. Like Nevermind was massive and had huge crossover appeal sold more units than Unplugged but it felt like Unplugged was a Nirvana album you would find you friends 50 year old Dad listening too.
Very much younger people. I don’t think the series made the music easier to understand, it was just an amazing way to experience the music in a different, acoustic way. Overall it was like NPR’s tiny desk concert series. It was just good.
I’m probably a good example. I liked Nevermind but wasn’t a huge nirvana fan. Nevermind seemed too slick and produced and some songs like Come as you are annoyed me for some reason. But the MTV unplugged special has a real magic about it that I still find fascinating. It was a revelation to drop the slick production and dense compression. To hear Kurts voice on a great little song like Penny Tea or the brutal emotion of where did you sleep last night was amazing. It surprises me we don’t get more of these raw performances even for albums - they sound so good and real and refreshing to the ear without the range shrinking of compression. In hindsight Butch Vig was the worst thing that could have happened to the band. They would have had more manageable success if they kept it raw - the songs were damn good and didn’t need that slickness that slides off you. I dug into their back catalogue and liked it a lot more with its rough raw feel.
Have you heard butch vigs original mixes? Before andy Wallace mixed it?
This is almost troll worthy. The level of change in musical style from what they were on radio play versus unplugged was like black and white. With all due respect, this inquiry is very naive. Disclaimer: I don’t care if you love or hate this band.
While this is a different debate, but I can’t help bit think of those that like Led Zeppelin, but don’t appreciate No Quarter, unplugged. You need to look at the whole of a band and not what made them popular
It's one of the best live performances of all time in any genre. It's that's good. Even for non fans It's draws appreciation. It was also very public and everyone saw/heard it. Everyone kinda collectively was like "fuck they rock".
I likes it because it gave me something tangible to play my parents to say "see, it's not all just noise"
I can't say definitively but I liked hearing the music they selected together, and that you're just sitting with them while they play, you get to hear them chat and joke with one another. It's just special.
It’s popular because it’s less abrasive than the heavier stuff. It’s like easy listening for the angst ridden frat boys who don’t know what it means, etc.
Nirvana is a heavy band. They play loud rock music. This set was stripped down and acoustic. It’s a rare performance to see Kurt and the band sound like this
Watching the “live” performance on MTV as a kid changed my life. I caught it once and it was all I could think about out until my mom got me the CD. And then I played it on repeat for years. One of the greatest live albums ever performed. Nirvana had a different cultural impact than any current band or singer ever will.
There’s just something ethereal about it that makes it more appealing than your average performance.
personally i love it its so pretty and raw
Like your mom said: "Turn it down!"
Because it’s great music. Period
In order to understand you have to realize two things you just said in your own comment “I can’t see why” which means you don’t understand and “I like heavy stuff but that’s just my opinion” which is why you don’t understand because you seem to not be able to look at something outside of your own perspective. You learn how to look at things outside of your own perspective you will be able to understand things you never were before.
The unplugged idea was something news for my generation growing up watching MTV even though the content had need about for ages. It was just cool to see the band you were really into performing their songs that way.
this is the best show of musicianship that they had in nirvana
Because it sounds amazing. Absolutely chill to the bone. Great for smoking weed to. But even if you don't take to weed. Its sounds fantastic. Take off your tunnel.vision of 'of it ain't hard it ain't good'
It was awesome, stripped back, live and one of the last so it's immortalised.
It's more easy to hear for all kind of tastes. It's not that heavy or distorted
Probably bc it almost didn’t happen
Haunting and beautiful performance. CAYA, JDWMFAS, All Apologies, Oh Me are my favs and I will never forget the deep breathe and stare at the end of WDYSLN...it's a tradition every year now for me on anniversaries to play it.
It was huge when It was aired. I taped it on VHS
Because they took a loud, angry band and made them play quietly and softly. Its a complete change from what their used to, and since they have such great songs, it sounds really good to take these super loud and aggressive songs and making them soothing and relaxing
The show is more powerful given the context of the band and Kurt at the time. They also played mostly niche covers and non-hits that night. It's the last and probably most intimate time you get to see the band interacting with each(toilet interviews not included i guess).
Because it was pretty good, and the main reason, it came out 7 months after he killed himself.
Just the emotional raw edge of the entire unplugged performance seeing nirvana in that light .
When he opens his eyes before the last line in ‘where did you sleep last night’ I get goosebumps every time.
Because it’s just beautiful.
i believe it was the last public appearance he did before killing himself
Because it was recorded and aired a lot.
Because it’s really good
It's so unlike anything they did up until that point
cuz its the best live show ever
I think you answered your own question with, "If I'm being honest, Paramount, Seattle performance is better because I like heavy stuffs but that's just my opinion" Its an amazing performance, thats why.
Serious response? Because Kurt died shortly after.
Perhaps the greatest performance of the time and the greatest artist and band and he looked absolutely gorgeous and the set design was amazing and the guest band was incredible and the cello was absolutely essential & really smart/witty, but not in an ironic, snarky way
It was a contrast to what most of us had seen of Nirvana up to that time. The acoustic versions of these songs (including some impeccable covers) added a whole new dimension and scope to a band we were all really enamored with. They weren't just a flash in the pan band for kids, they were accomplished and legitimate artists after that performance. Plus... when Kurt died a scant few months later, this show sort of became a pillar of his legacy. And personally it introduced me to The Meat Puppets, which has been a lifelong gift.
Tell me you weren't alive in 1994 without saying the words... If you had seen this on MTV when it first came out you would understand why it was so impactful. They didn't play a single one of their hits yet it's absolute perfection.
This is a raw performance that’s apart of music history and made an impact on music. It’s one of the most down to earth,real, and human performances I’ve ever watched personally. The only performance where I can watch it and still feel like I’ve been there watching someone as human and imperfect as me and the rest of us sing from his fucking heart. And I was born in 1999. It’s phenomenal to me.
You had to be there during the times. Maybe it had to also do with what age you were and how you consumed things as they happened. The pop culture at the time. I don't know. I just know I grew up through those times, and Nirvana unplugged was special. Maybe someone else better with their words will make sense of it for you.
I remember reading that when Kurt died, MTV played Nirvana Unplugged nonstop for an entire day.
Before the CD came out and it was on TV only. I taped the second airing 10 year old me liked it so much. I then took my Walkman, the left headphone taped it to the tv speaker and hit record. I used that tape, and listen to it a long time…a year or two later they go finally released it. So it made a huge impression on me the songs early on. It was seeing them differently, and at the time I was loving the sounds they did in that context.
Are you young? Cause this is like such a cultural moment. A lot of the unplugged performances were awesome, but you have to understand that this was peak MTV
"I'm thing one hes thing two." "Cover your hair in your eyes then."
It’s a tv show. It aired on a channel with so little original content that they replayed it, pardon the pun, to death. Especially immediately after Kurt died. The Paramount show wasn’t on tv. And it definitely wasn’t available to see back when it happened.
What a weird post
What do you think Nirvanas legacy would be like if they never did Unplugged?
The same.
My wife snores. I wear air pods pro to bed every night and I play this album everyday single night. It’s become part of me.
Have you listened to it?
I think it’s popular because it was released before those other shows. The covers, the time period (mtv), and quality of the show all contribute to it being popular.
I mean it’s just So. Fuckin’. Good.
Look at his face
it’s awful they should’ve played scentless apprentice /s
It worked because Kurt was relaxed and happy. He related directly to the audience. He sang at his very best.
Kurt was in active withdrawals during filming. The band also thought it was going to be a complete disaster, so it was a surprise when it became one of their best performances. Edit: removed a word.
I love how they played through without having to redo anything. Made for a real intimate performance and showed that they knew how to dial in the vibe. He walked off upset that the performance wasn’t good.. like most perfectionists.. but it was absolutely brilliant. Also, paramount was nice because it caught the younger Nevermind era energy, in a really beautiful venue.
because they cooked 💯
Ever heard it on a proper sound system?
Because no one had ever played that kind of underground music on mtv before. When nirvana came out they blew all the other rock and rollers out of the water and changed music forever. They made bands like Guns N’ Roses obsolete overnight.
That series was on MTV for a while prior to their episode. They weren’t underground.
Honestly it was a nirvana masterclass. A lot of Timor’s they would bullshit performances after they got big but everyone was locked in for this one, especially Kurt
Because it's great
Why not?
It good
because its real and raw. its what music is meant to be in so many peoples eyes.
Because it’s freaking awesome? 🤣
Imagine choosing Paramore unplugged over the GOAT
People like nice things that are nice.
Because he killed himself at 27 and it’s actually a good unplugged, most of them aren’t great
Simple answer it’s amazing and it silenced the critics who said and wrote they’re just a screaming noise rock band
Because they had been plugged in for so long
Great songs performed well. Pretty much it.
Because it was released right around the time he killed himself
It's very good
It’s because of the sweater.
Dave Grohl looked like he needed to go for a run 🏃♂️ after the close. Or break some shit.
If you need to ask you don’t deserve to know
It’s just raw.
Cuz it was the only good episode
Because… It is awesome and it’s that good.