Glasgow only welcomed Nirvana one time, back in the early ‘90s to a sold out crowd at the University of Glasgow’s Queen Margaret Union (QMU).
Kurt Cobain, who took his own life in 1994, hit the stage with Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl in November of 1991. The trio, who were at the height of their fame, would never return to Glasgow.
With most big names these days heading to the Hydro, Armadillo or SECC - it may come as a surprise that the band chose to head to QMU. Having released two of their three albums, Nirvana played huge hits like Smells Like Teen Spirit, Lithium and Come As You Are.
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Little to no photographic evidence of the gig seemed to exist, as the gig took place long before we all had cameras in our pockets at all times. But in 2018, Facebook site LiveNIRVANA managed to track an image down, which quickly circulated among Glasgow fans.
While video footage of the gig doesn't exist, audio was uploaded to YouTube by a fan account which can be listened to below.
An original handwritten setlist done by Grohl in black marker pen was sold at auction for an eye-watering £5,626 back in June 2014. As the tale goes, the sheet of paper also included a foot print from Kurt Cobain and was locked up in a safe at QMU for many years.
The set list was supposedly taped to the mic stand during the group’s performance, and saw two bidders battle over the phone for possession.
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Three years after the memorable gig, Nirvana were set to return to Glasgow for a gig at the SECC on March 28, 1994. The concert was postponed just weeks before it was due to happen, as a result of Cobain’s poor health.
Just 11 days after the gig was scheduled to take place, the world learned of Cobain’s death when his body was found in his Seattle home on April 8.
While Nirvana would never return to the city, Krist Novoselic did come back as a surprise appearance with The Melvins at SWG3 in 2016.
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