Grunge, as a music scene, was firmly rooted in live performance. From the early days of groups like Mudhoney or Soundgarden, images of angsty adolescents packed together in small rooms with walls dripping in sweat became as important an aspect as the music itself. Inevitably, then, when grunge kings Nirvana rose to prominence, their live shows were noted for a sense of sheer, unadulterated chaos. Characterised by stage dives, extensive mosh pits and a sense of anarchy both on stage and in the crowd, a Nirvana gig was truly something to behold – particularly during the early days.
After a few years gigging with grunge progenitors Melvins, under various names including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, and Fecal Matter, Nirvana played their first official gig in 1988. Although, at this point, they were missing the essential ingredient of Dave Grohl behind the sticks, they would still become a definitive group within Washington’s live music scene. Even in their infancy, the performances of Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic were undeniable and infectious; they were concocting a punk revolution for the new generation, and it would soon blow up.
Following the band’s recruitment of Grohl in 1990, the trio seemed to go from strength to strength at a rapid rate. Soon, the group was famed worldwide for its innovative grunge sound and intense live performances. However, this newfound fame – arriving largely after the all-encompassing success of sophomore album Nevermind – had begun to take its toll on Nirvana, particularly Kurt Cobain.
As would soon become evident, Cobain was struggling greatly with this enormous level of success and acclaim. In a tale as old as rock and roll itself, soon he began to self-medicate with copious amounts of drugs, particularly heroin. Heroin would prove to be the ultimate downfall of Cobain, but for the time being, the band carried on touring the world and recording new material. However, as the 1990s ran on, it soon became clear that the wheels were falling off the Nirvana bus.
In Utero would prove a perfect follow-up to Nevermind, retaining the infectious grunge sound of their early material while also hinting at a maturity in sound and prolific developments in Cobain’s songwriting. In many ways, that third album is the best encapsulation of Nirvana as a band, yet it would also lay the foundations for the final tragedy of the group. While touring the new album around Europe, Cobain’s deterioration was plainly obvious.
The final nail in the coffin came in Munich at a converted aeroplane hangar known as Terminal One. Awash with technical difficulties, the show was pretty disastrous. At one point in the set, during a sudden power cut which interrupted ‘Come As You Are’, Novoselic apparently told the audience, jokingly, “We’re on our way out. Grunge is dead, Nirvana’s over”. Prophetically, this throwaway gag turned out to be the truth, as that Munich show would be the final gig Nirvana ever played.
Following the show, Cobain was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis, causing the band to cancel the rest of the In Utero tour. Three days after the Terminal One show, Cobain would fall into a coma following an overdose of Rohypnol. After recovering and returning to the USA, the Nirvana frontman would eventually take his own life on April 8th, just over a month after the band’s final performance.
