nirvana europe tour 1994

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30 Years Ago: Revisiting Nirvana’s Final Concert

Five weeks before Kurt Cobain 's body was found in his Seattle home, Nirvana performed their final concert. On March 1, 1994, the band played an omen-filled show at Terminal 1 in Munich, Germany.

According to Antiquiet , by the time Nirvana reached Munich, Cobain was suffering from bronchitis as a result of the rigors of their European tour. The night seemed to begin smoothly enough, with an impromptu cover of the Cars ' "My Best Friend's Girl" before moving into "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and "Drain You." But a few songs later, during "Come as You Are," the power went out.

Bassist Krist Novoselic noted the Spinal Tap -like circumstances and said, “We’re not playing the Munich Enormodome tonight. Because our careers are on the wane. We’re on the way out. Grunge is dead. Nirvana’s over. ... Our next record’s going to be a hip-hop record!”

After a brief delay, the power returned, and the band picked up where it left off, after removing the next song on the proposed  set list , "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The 23-song concert ended with "Heart-Shaped Box." At 80 minutes, it was the shortest show of the tour.

Watch Nirvana Perform at Their Last Show

Because of Cobain's health, Nirvana canceled the rest of their European dates and Cobain flew to Rome to recuperate. Three days later, he was rushed to the hospital after overdosing on champagne and Rohypnol, which he had been taking to relieve the chronic stomach pain he had been suffering from for much of his adult life. At the time, it was suspected that overdose was accidental. But in the aftermath of his death it was acknowledged that it was a suicide attempt, and that Cobain had been struggling with serious drug addiction issues.

How Kurt Cobain's Friends Tried to Help Him

"Things got weird towards the end," drummer Dave Grohl later explained to Howard Stern . "There were drugs around, and there were the people who did the drugs and the people who didn't do the drugs. And I didn't do the drugs and so I was just out of that world, you know? I think at that point it was important that we took a break, I think everybody thought that way. It was time to take a break."

"Many people in Kurt's life knew the couldn't control him," Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg recalled in his book Serving the Servant , "but they tried to encourage him to help himself. Buddy Arnold kept trying to get Kurt into a twelve-step program, but as much as Kurt liked the old jazz player, he wasn't having it."

Buzz Osborne, a childhood friend of Cobain's whose band the Melvins opened for Nirvana at the Munich show, later told Revolver about his attempts to intervene. "[Kurt] wasn't happy. The very last thing he ever said to me was, 'I should just be doing this solo.' At that last show, I told him to leave, get out, run. He needed to get off drugs. ... He could've had a future, he could've turned his life around, and he would've been a wonderful person."

A month later, on April 5, Cobain died by suicide at his home . His body was discovered by an electrician three days later. "I would be far happier if he had never had one iota of success and was alive," Osborne declared. "He's dead and gone and over. And I'm not over it."

Nirvana March 1, 1994 Munich Germany Set List

1. "My Best Friend's Girl" (The Cars cover) 2. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" 3. "Drain You" 4. "Breed" 5. "Serve the Servants" 6. "Come as You Are" 7. "Sliver" 8. "Dumb" 9. "In Bloom" 10. "About a Girl" 11. "Lithium" 12. "Pennyroyal Tea" 13. "School" 14. "Polly" 15. "Very Ape" 16. "Lounge Act" 17. "Rape Me" 18. "Territorial Pissings" 19. "The Man Who Sold the World" (David Bowie cover) 20. "All Apologies" 21. "On a Plain" 22. "Blew" 23. "Heart-Shaped Box"

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The Truth About Nirvana's Final Tour

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Nirvana's legacy will never die.

And, no, we're not talking about the fact that the band's posters are printed on t-shirts all over the world. Half the people who wear them can't recognize a single Nirvana song .

We say that Nirvana will never die because their music was just that impactful. Not only do fans all over the world still listen to all of their best songs , but other celebrities still do versions of their music .

Had Kurt Cobain not left us early, the band would likely still be going. Alas, in 1994, the band set out on their final tour. According to Esquire , this tour was rocked by Kurt's impending death. Let's take a look...

Kurt's Self-Destruction Traveled With The Band Throughout Europe

In January 1994, Nirvana got together to work in the studio. By this time, Kurt's impact on the band was already twiddling. While bandmembers Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic were laying down good tracks, Kurt was too busy moving. However, Kurt still had an influence on the band and therefore there didn't seem to be an end in sight. And yet, the tour that started the next month would be the downward spiral that resulted in Kurt's tragic demise by April of 1994.

"I was struck by [Dave] Grohl's songs and the demos we made that week," producer and engineer Adam Kasper told Esquire of the week leading up to the tour. "At the time I offhandedly made the remark that he should do a solo album someday . . . There was talk of the guys wanting a chance to include some of their songs on the new album work. Cobain listened to a few tracks and it seemed he was open to considering other material, but not much time or energy was spent on this."

Related: This Is How Dave Grohl Created His Foo Fighter's Hit Song 'Everlong'

As Nirvana left the States for Portugal and their first European shows of 1994, there was still musical cohesion between Kurt Cobain, Dave, Krist, and Pat Smear. However, Kurt was becoming increasingly moody. His bandmates were used to his rollercoaster moods, which also included shyness and sullenness, according to Esquire, and therefore didn't think something was overly wrong with him.

The same was true for Kurt's excessive drug use. For the past three years, he had fallen deeper and deeper into the clutches of addiction. Kurt's bandmates put up with everything, although spent little time with him outside of their gigs. But the gigs themselves were strong and their chemistry was undeniable. By the beginning of March, however, things started to take a darker turn on the tour. Their sets felt repetitive and Kurt complained of being ill with 'boredom and being old'.

Related: Remember The Kid On Nirvana's 'Nevermind' Album Cover? This Is What He Looks Like Now

The Final Days Of Kurt Cobain And Nirvana

"There was some kind of destructive logic in [Kurt] at the time," Kurt's friend and photographer Youri Lenquette explained to Esquire. "He believed the people around him didn't like him—which totally wasn't the case! From being on tour with Nirvana, seeing how they acted with him, they were really good people . . . The fact that he couldn't connect to these people anymore was a sign of depression."

On top of this, Kurt started to look as sick as he claimed. The drugs were sucking the life out of him and it began to be apparent to everyone around him. In fact, in the Esquire article, someone described him as a 'walking ghost'.

The band itself was clearly feeling as though their days were coming to an end. In part because of Kurt's state and also because the music just didn't quite feel as though it was coming together. In fact, during their final concert in Germany, the power went out during their set. This sparked Krist to go up on stage and claim that their genre of music was over and that Nirvana was dead.

The power eventually came back on and the band finished their set, albeit without "Smells Like Teen Spirit" which Kurt hated singing and would often omit or purposefully play badly.

Upon moving on to Rome, Kurt overdosed. The events in Italy would cause him to fly back to the States and check into a rehabilitation center there. However, Kurt only lasted a day there before returning to his Seattle home. This is where, just weeks after the tour began, Kurt took his own life.

Related: AI Software Writes New Nirvana Song Itself To Raise Awareness About Mental Illness

A lot has been said about Kurt Cobain's passing, including stories about his conflicts with Courtney Love, unfounded conspiracy theories about his murder, and how this event is what ended Nirvana forever. All of that aside, the most important thing is that this outlandishly influential and beloved musical talent fell victim to his dwindling mental health.

Next: Noel Gallagher Of Oasis Laments Not Getting To Meet Kurt Cobain Before He Died

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Chances are you’ve heard of these guys before, but a quick word on their legacy remains essential; forget the constant glamourisation of Kurt Cobain’s suicide and the oft-peddled myth that his depression was in part down to his discomfort with having become a ‘major rock star’; do you really think the band would have signed to Geffen, of all labels, if they weren’t looking for global success? Nevermind is a record written with a pop sensibility and is polished - even if not conventionally - in its production, and that’s really where Cobain’s genius lay; he wrote songs that full of hooks and melodies, and yet lent a sound to them that made all who listened want to smash as many things as possible. The induction of Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year presents us with an opportunity to reappraise their live performances; with Kim Gordon, Lorde, St. Vincent and Joan Jett filling in on vocals, the remaining three members of the band proper rolled back the years; Dave Grohl a genuine animal on drums, Pat Smear shredding more viciously than he ever says, and Krist Novoselic remaining an endearingly aloof presence on bass. It gave those who held tickets for their cancelled 1994 UK tour a glimpse of what might have been; instead, the considerably less thrilling Foo Fighters are as close as you’re likely to get to the Nirvana live experience.

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Flashback: Nirvana Play Gut-Wrenching Encore at Last Concert

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Nirvana ‘s Unplugged concert is often presented as the band’s final show, but they actually played another month of American dates after that November 18th, 1993 MTV taping and then headed over to Europe the following February. Cellist Melora Creager joined the band for this leg, replacing Lori Goldston who spent the previous year on the road with the group. They also decided to have touring guitarist Pat Smear take over back-up vocal duties from Dave Grohl .

Tinkering around with the stage show was not exactly Kurt Cobain ‘s main focus at this point in time. Courtney Love didn’t fly out to Europe for the tour and the couple spent their two year wedding anniversary on separate continents amidst widespread reports they were going through a rough patch. Kurt looked increasingly pale and sickly as the tour went on, and his voice soon gave out on him. Doctors diagnosed him with bronchitis and a laryngitis and urged him to take a long break, but he ignored their advice and soldiered on.

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Nirvana ‘s last concert ever took place on March 1st, 1994 in Munich, Germany, at Terminal Einz, an airplane hanger that fit 3,050 people. It was far from an ideal venue for a rock show and the acoustics were terrible, though Cobain didn’t realize this until the performance began since he skipped out on the soundcheck. The band opened with a sarcastic version of “My Best Friend’s Girl” by the Cars and had to start “Come as You Are” over again when the power went out. It was obvious to everyone in the crowd that Cobain was experiencing severe vocal issues.

Cameras were rolling for local television on the first few songs, but no video has surfaced from the rest of the night. Here’s audio of “Heart-Shaped Box,” the final song of the night and thus the final song Kurt Cobain ever played in public. It’s painful to hear him struggle to hit the high notes on the “hey wait” part of the chorus and later in the song he gives up and delivers it in a deep voice.

The song ends with a squelch of feedback and Kurt thanking the audience. It was clear that Cobain was in no shape to carry on and the few remaining dates on the tour were cancelled. He passed away the following month. Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic wouldn’t play Nirvana songs in public together until the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony .

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Nirvana at Saint Vitus Bar, Brooklyn, NY, USA

• Smells Like Teen Spirit
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Nirvana at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony #29

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Nirvana at Hala Tivoli, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Nirvana at palatrussardi, milan, italy, nirvana at rai centro di produzione tv studi nomentano (tunnel), rome, italy, nirvana at palaghiaccio di marino, marino, italy.

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