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| Kurt Cobain, Spokane, WA Jan.6, 1994 - Photo by Dan Pelle, Spokesman-Review |
Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl Play on the Feast of the Epiphany
Nirvana,
the three piece band that put Seattle on the world map and grunge on the
airwaves, played one of the group's last concerts in Spokane's Coliseum.
Nirvana
is the band that became famous world-wide, leading the grunge, or alternative,
music scene, especially after the band released its album Nevermind in
1991, and In Utero in 1993. On January 6, 1994, Kurt Cobain, Krist
Novoselic, and Dave Grohl appeared as Nirvana for the first and last time in
Spokane, Washington, at the old Coliseum.
Line Up of Bands
The
poster for the concert gave the following information:
"Nirvana
with Special Guests, BH Surfers & Chokebore & M.C. Bobcat Goldthwait,
Thursday, Jan. 6, 7 PM, Spokane Coliseum."
Nirvana in Spokane, January 6, 1994
Of
all types of musicians, grunge musicians in particular were notorious for drug
and alcohol use, and Cobain specifically had been known to use heroin. Yet
there was no evidence of these issues in Spokane, where the band played with
energy and wit. Some audience members had expected to see musicians slogging
through sets, but instead heard the band play in top form. According to the Nirvana
Live Guide 1994, "The band was in a great mood and talked to
the audience quite a bit."
During
the concert, band members actively engaged and addressed the Spokane audience.
Cobain noticed that some members of the audience were aggressively pushing
their way to the front of the stage. Cobain spoke directly to the people being
pushed around by saying, "Just don't let them through."
Cobain
also noticed that a small group sitting in the balcony were the only people not
dancing to the songs. Speaking into the microphone, he directly addressed the
group, saying, "Why don't you people in the balcony get up off your asses
and dance?"
What
Cobain did not realize was that the group in the balcony were parents of kids
in the audience, and that while the group certainly were fans of Nirvana, many
of the parents had promised to sit quietly so as not to embarass their kids.
Thus, though the older group wanted to dance, they had been forbidden to dance
by their kids, who would have been mortified to see their parents
"rocking" to Nirvana.
Krist
Novoselic also spoke directly to the audience on several occasions. One example
is his greeting of the audience in a self-parody of a zoned-out, confused rock
star. Though clearly the band was playing on the east side of the state in
Spokane, Washington, Novoselic yelled out "Hello Ellensburg!" as if
he thought he was on the west side of the state in Ellensburg, Washington.
Nirvana in Seattle, January 7, 1994
The
next evening after the concert in Spokane, Nirvana played a concert at the
Arena in Seattle. This concert was recorded and issued as a bootleg under the
title Rape Me, a reference to one of the band's songs.
On
this bootleg CD recording, Krist Novoselic again repeats his satire of a zoned-out
rock star, yelling to the Seattle audience, "Hello Spokane!"
Thus,
many people who have listened to the bootleg CD believe, apparently
incorrectly, that at least some of the CD was recorded in Spokane.
Nirvana: The Blowing Out of the Candle
These
two concerts in Spokane and Seattle were among the last performed by Nirvana,
before the loss of Cobain in April 1994, only a few months later. Like the
original meaning of the word "nirvana," a blowing out of a candle,
the band Nirvana ended in the year 1994. Nevertheless, these concerts show all
the reasons that Nirvana became famous: the catchy music, and the engaging,
talented musicians.
 |
| Nirvana playing in Spokane, WA Jan.6, 1994 - Photo by Dan Pelle, Spokesman-Review |
References
Bootleg
Recording of Nirvana appearing at the Arena, Seattle, WA, January 7, 1994.
Alley Kat.http://bootlegdownloads.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/nirvana-1994-01-07-seattle-center-arena-seattle-wa-us-aud/
Nirvana Live Guide Discussion Forums.
Pelle,
Dan. Photo of Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl. Jan. 6, 1994, Spokane, Washington. Spokesman-Review.
[Note: While the photographer took additional photos of the band, including
Krist Novolselic, the Spokesman-Review editorial policy only allows those
photos actually published to be reprinted. Thus, the additional photo by
photographer P.B.Rage, of a 1991 or 1992 concert, is also included.]
Rage,
P.B. Photo. Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. circa 1991. Update info from
reader, January 07, 2011, the photo is from the September 09, 1992 MTV Awards.
with "Lithium."
Other
song links:
Nirvana's
first live tv performance of " Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Nirvana
in Amsterdam, Dec. 1991. " Smells Like Teen Spirit." and " Love
Buzz."
Nirvana in Texas Love Buzz, via Live! Tonight! Sold Out!, Krist Novoselic and DaveGrohl.Krist says to the audience, "You can't believe everything you see and hear now can you?"
Kurt
adds, "You know it's really hard to believe everything you read."
Krist
concludes, "Remember Joseph Gobbels."
Comments
Mar 25, 2010 4:58 PM
Guest :
For the record,
Ellensburg is on the east side of the state, not the west.
Jan 7, 2011 12:15 PM
Guest :
I like it. Somewhat
informative
Jan 7, 2011 12:25 PM
Guest :
The third photo are from
MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles 09/09/92.
Jan 7, 2011 12:55 PM
Guest :
I didn't get into
Nirvana until about 2 years ago... But they are now one of my all time favorite
bands...Their music picks me up when I'm feeling down, it let's me know that
people have gone through worse. I love you guys. May you rest in peace Kurt...
I only hope you have found your place of solice.
Jan 7, 2011 12:57 PM
Guest :
people would write
anything to get a buck.the facts are there wer 2 kurts.the first one thatbroke
his thumb, got hurt.the second just someone that looked like him an the show
had to go on.
Jan 7, 2011 12:57 PM
Guest :
I didn't get into
Nirvana until about 2 years ago... But they are now one of my all time favorite
bands...Their music picks me up when I'm feeling down, it let's me know that
people have gone through worse. I love you guys. May you rest in peace Kurt...
I only hope you have found your place of solice.
Jan 7, 2011 1:13 PM
Guest :
the truth is he invested
in a factory.had his thumb broken an couldnt play.someone that looked an played
like him did some live shows.the person doing that wanted to take his place an
an be kurt an tryed to kill him.he got shot an kurt the first was put in a
witness protection plan.
Jan 7, 2011 1:33 PM
Guest :
it was a 3ed degree gun
shot wound to his head.part of his jaw an nose was missing an he had plastic an
brain surgery.
Jan 7, 2011 2:05 PM
Guest :
pretty good
Jan 7, 2011 2:06 PM
Guest :
I was at this show and
was 14. It was the greatest experience a teenage boy could have in the early
90's.
Jan 7, 2011 2:18 PM
Guest :
doctors said it was like
a frontal lobotomy an in time kurt should get better over years.he had to learn
how to talk again as half his jaw was missing.
Jan 7, 2011 2:26 PM
Guest :
the fear was other
people would copy cat an for political reasons couldn't be who he was.he was
suffering with amnesia.
Jan 7, 2011 2:32 PM
Guest :
part of his neck had
been damaged.he has a false vocal cord an can talk.there was damage to his
swallowing.they used part of his neck muscle to fix it.
Jan 7, 2011 3:37 PM
Guest :
forever the best
Jan 7, 2011 9:59 PM
Guest :
NIRVANA is the best
alternative rock band in history
Jan 8, 2011 1:01 PM
Guest :
Some crazy person is
commenting that Kurt had a lobotomy basically and amnesia, half his jaw is
missing and he had to learn to talk again and is in a witness protection
program. That's about an entertaining as the article. No, the article was good,
I liked it.
Jan 11, 2011 1:56 PM
Guest :
i love this band
Jan 11, 2011 1:56 PM
Guest :
i love this band
Jun 5, 2011 12:56 AM
Guest :
I attended the amazing
concert In Spokane. It was unforgettable, but that was seventeen years years
ago some things I have forgotten about. It was cool that I had come acrossed
this artical. That was one hell of a show. I would like to add, I remeber Kurt
jumping off the stage to chase a photographer around for taking his picture? I
do remeber him off stage for some reason but not 100% sure on what had accured.
All in All it was my first concert, and the best concert ever seen.
Note regarding this article:
Written by Teresa Knudsen. Published on Suite 101 October 30, 2009. Republished on Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 on Sweet Suite Writings.
Originally pubished by author on Suite 101, October 30, 2009. When Suite 101 changed the contract to include authors giving up rights to their work, like many other authors, I asked for Suite to return the articles to me, which they did in November 2012 (ish). Therefore this link below no longer will work as the article no longer appears on Suite 101.
Read more at Suite101: Nirvana's Concert in Spokane, WA, Jan. 6, 1994: Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl Play on the Feast of the Epiphany | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article/nirvanas-concert-in-spokane-wa-jan-6-1994-a163940#ixzz27YQ6W71V
Read more at Suite101: Nirvana's Concert in Spokane, WA, Jan. 6, 1994: Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl Play on the Feast of the Epiphany | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article/nirvanas-concert-in-spokane-wa-jan-6-1994-a163940#ixzz27YQ6W71V
Copyright Teresa Knudsen. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Teresa's writing appears in the British Library, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Online she has written for USA Today and E How.
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