Nirvana's Concert in Spokane, WA, Jan. 6, 1994

Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl Play on the Feast of the Epiphany

Oct 30, 2009 Teresa Knudsen

Nirvana, the three piece band that put Seattle on the world map and grunge on the airwaves, played one of the group's last concerts in Spokane's Coliseum.

Nirvana is the band that became famous world-wide, leading the grunge, or alternative, music scene, especially after the band released its album Nevermind in 1991, and In Utero in 1993. On January 6, 1994, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl appeared as Nirvana for the first and last time in Spokane, Washington, at the old Coliseum.

Line Up of Bands

The poster for the concert gave the following information:

"Nirvana with Special Guests, BH Surfers & Chokebore & M.C. Bobcat Goldthwait, Thursday, Jan. 6, 7 PM, Spokane Coliseum."

Nirvana in Spokane, January 6, 1994

Of all types of musicians, grunge musicians in particular were notorious for drug and alcohol use, and Cobain specifically had been known to use heroin. Yet there was no evidence of these issues in Spokane, where the band played with energy and wit. Some audience members had expected to see musicians slogging through sets, but instead heard the band play in top form. According to the Nirvana Live Guide 1994, "The band was in a great mood and talked to the audience quite a bit."

During the concert, band members actively engaged and addressed the Spokane audience. Cobain noticed that some members of the audience were aggressively pushing their way to the front of the stage. Cobain spoke directly to the people being pushed around by saying, "Just don't let them through."

Cobain also noticed that a small group sitting in the balcony were the only people not dancing to the songs. Speaking into the microphone, he directly addressed the group, saying, "Why don't you people in the balcony get up off your asses and dance?"

What Cobain did not realize was that the group in the balcony were parents of kids in the audience, and that while the group certainly were fans of Nirvana, many of the parents had promised to sit quietly so as not to embarass their kids. Thus, though the older group wanted to dance, they had been forbidden to dance by their kids, who would have been mortified to see their parents "rocking" to Nirvana.

Krist Novoselic also spoke directly to the audience on several occasions. One example is his greeting of the audience in a self-parody of a zoned-out, confused rock star. Though clearly the band was playing on the east side of the state in Spokane, Washington, Novoselic yelled out "Hello Ellensburg!" as if he thought he was on the west side of the state in Ellensburg, Washington.

Nirvana in Seattle, January 7, 1994

The next evening after the concert in Spokane, Nirvana played a concert at the Arena in Seattle. This concert was recorded and issued as a bootleg under the title Rape Me, a reference to one of the band's songs.

On this bootleg CD recording, Krist Novoselic again repeats his satire of a zoned-out rock star, yelling to the Seattle audience, "Hello Spokane!"

Thus, many people who have listened to the bootleg CD believe, apparently incorrectly, that at least some of the CD was recorded in Spokane.

Nirvana: The Blowing Out of the Candle

These two concerts in Spokane and Seattle were among the last performed by Nirvana, before the loss of Cobain in April 1994, only a few months later. Like the original meaning of the word "nirvana," a blowing out of a candle, the band Nirvana ended in the year 1994. Nevertheless, these concerts show all the reasons that Nirvana became famous: the catchy music, and the engaging, talented musicians.

References

Bootleg Recording of Nirvana appearing at the Arena, Seattle, WA, January 7, 1994. Alley Kat.

Nirvana Live Guide. http://www.nirvanaguide.com/1994.php

Pelle, Dan. Photo of Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl. Jan. 6, 1994, Spokane, Washington. Spokesman-Review. [Note: While the photographer took additional photos of the band, including Krist Novolselic, the Spokesman-Review editorial policy only allows those photos actually published to be reprinted. Thus, the additional photo by photographer P.B.Rage, of a 1991 or 1992 concert, is also included.]

Rage, P.B. Photo. Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. 1991.

The copyright of the article Nirvana's Concert in Spokane, WA, Jan. 6, 1994 in Alternative Music is owned by Teresa Knudsen. Permission to republish Nirvana's Concert in Spokane, WA, Jan. 6, 1994 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Kurt Cobain, Spokane, WA Jan.6,1994