#Nirvana mtv unplugged in new york plus#
#Nirvana mtv unplugged in new york series#

Coletti said, 'It was Kurt's security blanket. Coletti built a fake box in front of the amplifier to disguise it as a monitor wedge. Despite the show's acoustic premise, Cobain insisted on running his acoustic guitar through his amplifier and effects pedals. Nirvana was joined by guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, who had been touring with them. Coletti asked him, 'You mean like a funeral?', to which Cobain replied, 'Exactly. Cobain suggested that the stage be decorated with stargazer lilies, black candles, and a crystal chandelier. Nirvana taped their performance on November 18, 1993, at Sony Studios in New York City. everyone was more than a little worried about his performance.' Recording Cobain was suffering from drug withdrawal and nervousness at the time one observer said, 'There was no joking, no smiles, no fun coming from himВ . The day before filming, Cobain refused to play, but he appeared at the studio the following afternoon. Producer Alex Coletti recalled that the network was unhappy with the lack of hit Nirvana songs, and with the choice of the Meat Puppets as guests, saying: 'They wanted to hear the 'right' names - Eddie Vedder or Tori Amos or God knows who.' During the sessions, Cobain disagreed with MTV about the performance. The rehearsals were tense and difficult, with the band running into problems performing various songs. Nirvana rehearsed for two days, at SST Rehearsal Facility, in Weehawken, New Jersey. Still, the prospect of an entirely acoustic show reportedly made Cobain nervous. Among the ideas the band members came up with included covering David Bowie's ' The Man Who Sold the World' and inviting members of the Meat Puppets to join them on stage. The group looked at Mark Lanegan's 1990 album The Winding Sheet for inspiration. Nirvana wanted to do something different from a typical MTV Unplugged performance according to drummer Dave Grohl, 'We'd seen the other Unpluggeds and didn't like many of them, because most bands would treat them like rock shows-play their hits like it was Madison Square Garden, except with acoustic guitars.' Nirvana had been in negotiations to appear for some time Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain finally accepted while touring with the Meat Puppets. MTV Unplugged began airing on MTV in 1989, with artists performing their hits on acoustic instruments in intimate settings. The performance was released as a DVD in 2007. It won the Best Alternative Music Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Nirvana's only Grammy Award win, and has since been ranked one of the greatest live albums of all time. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified eight-times multiplatinum by the RIAA in 2020. It was the first Nirvana release after the death of singer Kurt Cobain seven months prior. MTV Unplugged was released after plans to release the performance as part of a live double-album compilation titled Verse Chorus Verse, were abandoned.

#Nirvana mtv unplugged in new york plus#

They were joined by rhythm guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, plus members of Meat Puppets for some songs. Unlike prior MTV Unplugged performances, which were entirely acoustic, Nirvana used electric amplification and guitar effects during the set. In a break with MTV Unplugged tradition, Nirvana played mainly lesser-known material and covers of songs by the Vaselines, David Bowie, Lead Belly and Meat Puppets. The show was directed by Beth McCarthy and aired on the cable television network MTV on December 16, 1993.

#Nirvana mtv unplugged in new york series#

It features an acoustic performance recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993, for the television series MTV Unplugged. MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by American rock band Nirvana, released on November 1, 1994, by DGC Records.