Nirvana was a rock band from the United States formed in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington. Kurt Cobain, lead singer, and guitarist, and Krist Novoselic, bassist, founded the band. The band was at the height of its powers in October 1992, and they were unquestionably one of, if not the hottest band on the planet. Because of the success of Nevermind the year before, they gained the hearts of millions of people all over the world as a band. In their first year of eligibility, in 2014, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But did you know what happened in their 1992 concert in Buenos Aires?
Because the opening act was an all-girl band, the audience in Buenos Aires was throwing anything out of their pockets, basically pelting them as a form of protest. Nirvana performed lesser-known songs and teased hit songs without actually performing them.
How Did Nirvana Mock Their Audience in Buenos Aires?
Nirvana played their first and last show in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 30, 1992. In the opening act, Calamity Jane received a terrible reception from the audience which led to Kurt Cobain threatening to cancel the show outright.
The band still performed at the concert, but they openly mocked the audience by playing the least popular songs from the backend of Nevermind. Cobain would also precede to tease them with the intro of their more popular songs but never actually complete it. (Source: Consequence)
Why Did Nirvana Break Up?
Kurt Cobain’s 1992 letter to David Geffen was just discovered. Cobain complains to Geffen in the letter over a Vanity Fair piece that claimed Courtney Love was still using heroin when pregnant with their daughter Frances Bean.
He wanted to focus on his wife’s pregnancy and to look after his disgruntled wife Courtney Love. But they eventually stuck together, until Kurt Cobain’s death due to suicide in 1994. The remaining band members called it quits.
Kurt Cobain died by suicide on April 5, 1994. He was discovered in his Seattle home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and high levels of heroin and diazepam in his system. (Source: Consequence)
How Did the Band Come Up with the Name Nirvana?
Before becoming Nirvana, the band was known as Skid Row, Fecal Matter, and Ted Ed Fred.
We wanted a name that was kind of beautiful or nice and pretty instead of a mean, raunchy punk name like the Angry Samoans.
Kurt Cobain, Nirvana Frontman
A British psych-rock band of the same name sued Nirvana for usage rights to the Nirvana name, although they had been operating under the band name since 1965, two years before Cobain was born. In the end, the two bands came to an agreement in court. (Source: Consequence)
What Inspired Kurt Cobain to Writing “Smells Like Teen Spirit”?
Kurt Cobain and then-roommate Dave Grohl were joined at their humble pre-fame domicile by Bikini Kill songwriter/vocalist Kathleen Hanna and drummer Tobi Vail after a night of partying.
The party went on, and Hanna spray-painted “Kurt smells like adolescent spirit” on Cobain’s wall, a reference to the deodorant that Vail, Cobain’s girlfriend at the time, used to smell nice without leaving any white residue. Cobain liked the wording and wrote the song without knowing about the Teen Spirit deodorant until after it was recorded. (Source: Consequence)