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The sigh just before the final line - the look in his eyes is so powerful. It's difficult to describe, but there is so much energy and emotion. Like we're seeing something that we're not prepared to see.
@@repluggedx3265 Yes, at this time it's only muscle memory. This guy was done, way beyond any feeling. Can't see what most like to hear in this concert.
@chrisb2942 you gotta remember:: Nirvana had just finished a 16 month tour ... they had -planned- to go home, and rest. Then, Kurt was like "You Guys Wanna Swing By New York And Do An Unplugged Piece For VH-1 Real Quick" ... ... (KRIST and DAVE) **SIGH** F'ck ... Sure Kurt, Why Not ... Sounds Fun.
Probably my favorite live performance ever, Kurt was on another level.. Nirvana MTV Unplugged in NY is so legendary, every song was performed perfectly!
It's actually far from a perfect performance (for instance the scuffed solo on the man who sold the world) but sometimes the imperfections are what makes it more human.
@@S1ipperyJim exactly. LIve music especially acoustic music leaves you vulneralble to mistakes. Everyone can hear it. That being said, the imperfections make the songs he covered his own rather than a carbon copy. Which is what all great artists do.
I disagree. It's (or at least should be) indisputable how great this entire show was, but my absolute favourite nirvana performance is Seattle Halloween 1991.
I was born and raised in Seattle and grew up in 50s,60s,70s rock n roll, precursor of grunge and all that came later. People don't often realize what the Seattle music scene was/is like. This was my daughter's era and it was such a traumatic shock to us all when Kurt left. Your reaction is masterful.
I still remember that day vividly, 30 years later… sitting at my desk overlooking SE Lake Union and the the Space Needle in the distance. It seemed like the world stopped for a moment, despite the sunshine outside
In a way, it's as if the song (the whole performance really) was a medium to convey his internal screams for help. You really feel his raw broken state here. Frustration, agony, and hopelessness.
To see a vocal coach so shocked and so emotional reacting to this just goes to show how unbelievably talented Kurt really was. This song resonates with me no matter what mood I'm in. It always blows me away the quality of the vocals and instrumentals and the perfect harmony between the two.
Kurt’s vocals are hauntingly beautiful in this performance (and during this whole set) Like you said, that last pause he takes opens a window to his soul to show you how much he’s hurting (I fight back tears when I get to that part) This is by far one of my favorite songs to not only listen to but perform and I can only hope I do it the justice Kurt did
That Kurt took his own life just over four months later has contributed to this being seen as legendary but if he hadn’t, it would still be legendary. Greatest Unplugged made
It's probably my favorite one, but Alice in Chains unplugged was legendary as well. These two definitely share the top spots though for best unplugged sets.
@@mdog86 I go back and forth the only thing that I have Nirvana slightly above is that Nirvana was one take just 14 songs and that was it AIC did 3 or 4 takes of each song
I watch this specific video at least once a year, whenever I need a good cry, and also to wish that this amazing artist had had just a bit more love in his life when he needed it most.
There are some people for whom at a certain point in life, no amount of loving expressions from anyone they know can break through their personal turmoil. It’s a sad fact of the human condition.
If you hadn't noticed, the set they're playing on looks like a wake/funeral with all the flowers and candles. That was deliberate. Kurt asked the set decorator for the candles and flowers and the decorator asked "Like a wake?" and Kurt replied "Exactly"
"It might be nice to eventually start playing acoustic guitars, and be thought of as a singer and a songwriter. Rather than a 'Grunge Rocker you know?' Then one day I may be able to take advantage of that when I'm older, and sit down in a chair, and play acoustic guitar like Johnny Cash or something you know? And it won't be thought of as a big joke" -Kurt Cobain 1993, you did and we loved it. He had plans for the future beyond Nirvana
except for the part where he was never thought of as a big joke. he's projecting his own stuff onto himself. as a pro in that regard, even at 42 years old, he never even gave himself the chance to outgrow his own self loathing. I didn't get a handle on that til I was way over 27. sorry if this a biting assessment, but this is the person who made me love music when I was 11 years old and for years after. the notion that he was a joke is completely of his own making and his own hatred for being famous. totally valid to hate that, but nobody ever thought he was shit. at least nobody whose opinion matters at all.
@@Beluga_Too Kurt was his biggest own critic of himself. He was always self defeating but knew his talent. If you give him too much credit he could fail while being the underdog he could always succeed. Just my thought and probably right
@@Beluga_Too he's not saying he's a joke or that people think he's a joke. He's saying if he did grunge most of his life then switched to acoustic and cash like people might think it was a joke. Could you image Beyonce doing a country album? He wanted to do different kinds of music and not be thought of as just one kind one genre. Who knows what weird or interesting things he'd be up to musically today. He was also just 27.
I actually do think of yodeling with Cobain. That quick, deliberate voice-flip is one of my favorite things he does vocally. That and his amazing scream are his two most distinctive qualities as a singer.
That final scream and look at the audience speaks volumes I'd imagine Kurt had made up his mind about how he was going to go out by then bc he died 3 months after this show So sad RIP KURT I HOPE YOU FOUND THE PEACE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR 🧐🤘✌️😎
This is a cool story, but a huge reach. lol People romanticize his death so much. A lot happened between this performance and his death. I do think he was depressed, but its a massive leap for me to think he knew in 4 months from him performing that song that he was going to take his own life in that moment. I would suggest watching or reading the behind the scenes of that performance, and also the weeks leading up to his death. It will make it more apparent that those two things were not linked. A lot of the time the reality of something isn't nearly as magnificent as the stories we create in our heads.
From what I have read and docs he was most likely murdered due to the amount of herion that was found in his system not yet metabolized by his body. No way he was conscious when the trigger was pulled on the shotgun.
That last section just releases the tension and then that last breath and it's all over. Forever. At least till you start the album again. This record is my go to when I'm feeling bad
Definitely his best performance. So intense and heartfelt. MTV wanted him to come out for an encore after this, but he refused because he knew he couldn't top this.
I am so happy you saw the moment at the end. I saw it live on TV at the time and it's lived with me ever since. You are the only reaction video that has made note of it. The breath, his eyes, the pained look on his face, that moment.
I said when I saw it when it was broadcast for the first time: It was like he breathed out his soul at the moment you picked up on, Beth. You could see it in his eyes. I've been chilled by that moment for almost 30 years now, every time I see it. I love it and am terrified for the poor guy both at the same time, every time. Such a shame he's not still with us.
In my early 40s, first heard this when it came out on MTV. Gave me chills then as a middle-school aged preteen, still gives me chills now. Best live performance ever. That sigh before the wail is magic.
Three heads brewery in Rochester NY got a bunch of members of local bands together to play this set. They had the whole 9, candles, lillies, everything. They played this last of course and about a third of the way through the song they just stopped singing. The whole crowd sang the song. Ot was very very emotional. Probably about 140-50 people.
Little fun fact: The original guitarist for Nirvana, Jason Everman, became special forces in the Army. He was guitar in Nirvana and later bass in Soundgarden. Then he joined the Army and passed Ranger selection, became a tabbed and scrolled Ranger. After that, he became a Green Beret. Dude is a legend in the military circles.
He wasn't "The original guitarist" For Nirvana. But he did pay for Bleach. And got fired and never paid back. He did become a bad ass in his own sense.
He very briefly joined Nirvana as a second guitarist but he never played on any of their albums. He played with them on one tour but they fired him because he was a jerk. He also played bass for one tour for Soundgarden. He was with both bands for less than a year which is kind of a not a great sign for his ability to get along with people.
Thank You so much Beth I truly needed that cry today. I unknowingly go on day to day bottling most of my emotions, and once in awhile the floodgates just have to open up. When I saw that you posted this video, I knew to prepare myself. This song (which was the last song on the Unplugged album) always tugged at my feelers.
The song drones while gradually building. You can hear the playing get a more percussive throughout, like a sledgehammer beating on concrete. The tension compounds before the dam finally breaks and the emotion spills out in an pained, mournful surge.
The last part of the song that where you mentioned Kurt being vulnerable also reminded me of the last part of "black", where Vedder starts screaming "we belong together" while shaking uncontrollably...very powerful and emotional song too. And also part of an "unplugged" set... Those shows really brought a deep and powerful connection between the bands and the crowd, I miss those times! Great review as always!
I was 12-13 when Nirvana hit the scene. I remember being acutely aware of the types of chords they used and how unique they were, but didn't yet have a musical understanding of why. But there was always something haunting about their music to me on a subconscious level. I think that was that effective empathy you were talking about. Even without the lyrics, if they were in another language, they would still have this effect on me. They seem to challenge the natural resolve of melody that we expect. And yeah...haunting, complicated, tortured eyes.
Beth, when you said at the 4:30 mark, that you thought this song was going to go somewhere - YOU didn't know how CORRECT you where going to be! The vocals at the end of the song, give me chills and nearly brings me to tears every time I hear this song! I was blessed to be old enough to live thru the grunge music era, along with the Unplugged MTV era. They don't make very much music that moves me much, anymore! Thank you for the reaction... Peace to you!
This performance was the best MTV Unplugged. I listened to that CD so much back when i was a teenager.. Have the album on a Spotify playlist and have been listening to it for years. That track was the best way to close the show. My personal favorite.
I'm so glad to see you cover this song!! The whole show is special. But this song.......gets me every time!! You can , feel the passion, the pain, the heart. BUT when he briefly opens his eyes at end of the song , BAM !!!! It's like a glimpse into his soul, and makes my hair stand on end EVERY TIME❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
I listened to this album so much all through the 90s. Still put it on every so often. This concert has taken on an almost mythic status in music history.
9:57 One of the truest statements ever. When the emotion is so raw and you can feel it in your soul it doesn't matter if it's a bit out of key or pitchy. Nirvana didn't really play any of their hits in their MTV Performance. Also, 6 of the 14 songs they performed were covers from other artists including this one which was originally done by Lead Belly. They even brought out 1 of those artist to perform 3 of their songs. They also filmed the entire performance in a single take and left all their mistakes in. Kurt reportedly was going through withdrawals from heroin and was vomiting bile and blood during rehearsals. That sigh of relief that it's almost over and the way he looks at the camera still brings a tear to my eye no matter how many times I have watched this.
This was always such a haunting rendition. And he is pushing some of his vocal limits and comfort with the key they chose. Still love the wide eyed look at the end... It was the end of the performance and he had gotten through it.
Many think that when he opened his eyes, he had caught a vision of his “pending doom.” I’m not sure if that is true of course, but I think of it each time I see this performance…and WOW…it’s super emotional.
That song was written by the Kirkwood brothers as the band "The Meat Puppets." They were guest artists for the Unplugged show. Nirvana covered 3 of their songs that made it on the album... Plateau, Oh Me, and Lake of Fire. The Meat Puppets most famous song is probably "Backwater".
I watched this on Muchmusic in Canada when it happened. Little did I know that this was Curt's goodbye to the world. Easily one of my top 3 songs/performances of all time. Thanks for doing this one
I saw Nirvana live a couple weeks before the Unplugged set was recorded. It was so tragic that Kurt was gone only a few months later. The album was released after his death and was a reminder to everyone of the great loss. This track might be their best live performance. So much pain in the delivery.
You're one of the first reactors I watched and subscribed to for years now and you're one of my favorites. Your combination of musical knowledge, appreciation, honesty and empathy are most welcome. This reaction is one of the strongest that you've had from a song and it's most welcome. Thanks for your time and effort- it's definitely appreciated.
It was such a powerful moment where Kurt said "This is the last song F###ers" And after the song everyone went, "Yep" No one expected an encore after that performance.
Its a country song with raw unfiltered Kurt..spinning it down your earhole without any care in the world. This song really hurts my heart but somehow heals it simultaneously.
Nirvana is my favorite band EVER. This is the best single performance of a song in music history, IMO. I tear up each and every time I see this video. It’s just that amazingly powerful.
That was the last song of that concert and the MTV producer want them to make an encore but Kobain said he could not match the intensity of that final song, and he was completely right!
After this song, and after signing autographs for the fans, the producers BEGGED Cobain to perform an encore. His response: "How can I possibly follow that?"
I was gifted this album as a seventh grader and I never really appreciated it cuz I didn’t ask for it as a gift. My father gave it to me and I remember listening to it and not appreciating the gravity of it until much later in my adolescence and young adulthood. Watching this just makes me appreciate this performance more. Kurt’s death robbed us who were coming of age in the mid 90s what music could’ve been in the future, this combination of folk and grunge. And I fear that my own two kids won’t appreciate Nirvana and those 90s band for what they are/were cuz it’s “dad music”. I hope they do… thank you for this!
Fwiw, I'm a bit older than you: this came out when I was 19. My 19 year old daughter just concluded a job interview only hours ago. As a personal-interest question, they asked her favorite music. "Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails ..." Your taste in music is likely to rub off on your kids, is my point.
This is the 1st song I ever taught myself to harmonize with. I never viewed that voice break as a yodel. When I think of ydeling in country, I think of the late great Jimmy Rogers doing TY for Texas.
I have heard this song and watched this performance more times than i can count. I'm the same age as Kurt. I cant get through it without losing control of my emotions. It breaks my heart every time. We miss you Kurt.
You should check out You Know You're Right. Really hear the grit in Kurt's voice. Wasn't at the age of good taste before 94 but would have loved to see them live. Especially the Unplugged set.
Normally, you would think this was just a great performance, and his sigh and eyes opening were just for dramatic effect. But like you said, knowing what happens to him, we can surmise that it was absolutely genuine emotion and pain. So haunting. RIP Kurt. 😢
