The set was recorded, unlike the other episodes of Unplugged, all in one take. MTV Unplugged in New York is an all-knowing showcase of what Nirvana was really about, and proof that without too much volume or electricity, Nirvana was just as powerful. His passion for what he wanted to do as a person and an artist is hard to talk about without sounding cliché. On MTV Unplugged in New York, without too much volume on anything else, you can really hear his meticulous rasp. The leaps and bounds in Cobain’s vocal range bottom out and fill a void like nothing else has ever been able to.
But it’s on MTV Unplugged in New York where his vocals stole the show. Not only was his songwriting shattering but he played the guitar every time as if it was his last. The band closed with Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” which remains one of the greatest covers of all time.Ĭobain had a way of making any song he sang sound like his own. Cris and Curt Kirkwood of The Meat Puppets joined the band on stage to play lead and backup guitar for “Plateau,” “Oh Me,” and “Lake of Fire.” Cobain of course sang lead on all three. They played David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World,” The Vaselines’ “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam,” and three songs by The Meat Puppets. Now, of course all of the songs are popular in the Nirvana and rock canon, but at the time only “Come As You Are” was a single. The set list contains six covers among its fourteen songs. When Kurt Cobain and his bandmates finally agreed to do the show, it was on their terms.
The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 with guests ranging from Mariah Carey to Eric Clapton, from Shakira to Alice in Chains.
There was a lot of ill will surrounding Nirvana’s participation in MTV’s Unplugged series. The first lines of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged Live in New York are spiteful. Happy 25th Anniversary to Nirvana’s live album MTV Unplugged in New York, originally released November 1, 1994.
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