Documentary Milestone: Nirvana! Live! Tonight! Sold Out!

What do you get when you combine a poet, a Croatian bassist and a jock drummer: Nirvana. They defined the 90's. They defined an entire generation. But it always seemed Nirvana were misunderstood, particularly their lead singer Kurt Cobain. Throughout the 90's Nirvana and Cobain were a safe haven for disenchanted youth across the world. He was unwillingly a voice and prophet to a generation which in the end proved to be too much to handle when mixed with manic depression and a serious heroin addiction. But 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!', which was released a mere months after his suicide, shows a different side a Nirvana: the TRUE Nirvana.


The documentary is made up of interviews with Nirvana or its individual members, interspersed with live performances which was largely put together by Cobain prior to his death. Never before has a documentary captured the very essence of its subject better than 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!' does. Throughout their history, and even today, when Nirvana is mentioned two things come to mind: Kurt Cobain's suicide and teenage angst. They get coupled together quite unfairly. Revisionist history has painted Cobain to be this dark, tortured soul (clearly exploiting his manic depression) who never wanted to be a rock star. This documentary puts this theory to rest. Nirvana clearly wanted to be rock stars and were actually quite happy and content being massive superstars. It's the media attention they would have rather done without. At one point Cobain says "We write songs and we sing. I'm sure what more people want. I can juggle, and do somersaults, I'm not sure what they want." Instead of showing Nirvana as deep artists, 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!' shows them as they really were; three friends who loved to goof around and be silly (Cobain is seen in one interview in massive Buddy Holly glasses and a rain coat and in another all three use funny voices to answer all questions). They were all clearly very close and this is proven even further when at one point when Cobain crowd surfs and accidentally rams his guitar into a bouncer's head. The bouncer gets up on stage and punched Cobain in the back of the head to which drummer Dave Grohl leaps up faster than I've ever seen a human move, and tackles the guy.


The documentary says it covers the band from its beginning up to the tours for Nevermind, but the beginning it means is the start of their massive popularity. The live performances are electric. Cobain is shown as a true genius as he deliberately tries to sabotage his own songs in concert (much to the enjoyment of bassist Krist Noveselic and drummer Dave Grohl). Numerous times are we shown clips of Nirvana destroying their equipment on stage, many times setting up make-shift improv contraptions with drum sets and amps, only so they can toss either a guitar or themselves into it. They banter with the crows in between songs, and ask for requests only to play an insanely (and intentionally) bad version of some poppy 60's song before blowing into one of their classics. Another interesting note which sets Nirvana aside is their reluctance to play their 'chart' songs, most notably "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Many times the band will play the first few chords then stop and simply reply "We don't wanna play that one". Pure brilliance.

Live! Tonight! Sold Out! shows an entirely different side if Nirvana, one that I hadn't ever seen before. It turns out that Nirvana is simply three best friends who just want to goof around and play music. The music is genius and the way that Cobain goes about making Punk/Pop tracks is brilliant. He tells of how the studio's wanted clean versions of songs, but the band refused, sticking by their rough cut, watery garage band sound (in the liner booklet the band is quoted as saying their favorite album was In Utero, not Nevermind). We know all about Kurt Cobain's troubles and his ultimate fate which makes seeing him energetic and happy that mush more special. Whether he liked it or not though, he did embody an entire generation. At one point he kicks over an amplifier and pretends to surf. That single image sums up not only Nirvana, but Generation X and the 90's.

Photos Courtesy of:

www.rollingstone.com
www.nirvana.com