Watch Nirvana’s Last Performance
via MusicVideos4K / Youtube
In Utero, Nirvana’s third studio album, was released in September 1993. No one, not even the band members themselves, had any idea that eight months later they would be finished.
The tragic death of their charismatic frontman, Kurt Cobain in 1994 has cast a pall over Nirvana’s legacy, but it is Cobain’s life and the intensity of his performances that will live on in the hearts and minds of the band’s devoted followers. The band’s emotional performance on MTV Unplugged in 1993 is often cited as Nirvana’s final show, but in reality, on March 1st, 1994, Cobain and Nirvana played their final show ever to an audience of about 3,000 at Terminal 1, an old airplane hangar in Munich, Germany.
Kurt Cobain had been addicted to heroin for three years, and it was difficult for him to obtain the substance while on tour in Europe, leading to terrible withdrawal symptoms. Kurt’s issues were compounded by the fact that his wife and daughter had returned home. Moreover, his voice and health were starting to suffer from all the traveling he had been doing.
The band’s last performance took place at the unimpressive and poorly soundproofed Terminal 1 Airport Hangar. According to author Charles R. Cross, Kurt Cobain skipped the soundcheck to try his luck at the railway station after asking the group’s tour manager for a per diem advance.
At the performance, Cobain may have been alluding to his marital issues with Courtney Love when they started their gig in Munich with a version of “My Best Friend’s Girl” by The Cars. The tracks “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” and “Drain You” followed this one. When the band finally got to their signature song, “Come As You Are,” the lights went out. When the lights came back on, Nirvana missed the following song in their set, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” thus abruptly ending their performance.
A few weeks after this heartbreaking performance, on April 5th, 1994, Cobain would take his own life with a shotgun. Despite the band’s untimely demise, Nirvana and Cobain have become more influential than ever.
