A number of acts were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last night, including Hall And Oates, Kiss, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, and the E Street Band. While that’s all well and good—and you can read Bruce Springsteen’s moving E Street induction speech here—all everyone’s really talking about today is Nirvana. Surviving members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl were joined onstage for the band’s induction by both Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain’s mom, Wendy. After some words from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, the band and Cobain’s loved ones gave speeches—speeches which, for Love at least, were surprisingly restrained. Afterwards, Love hugged both Grohl and Novoselic, a move that should come as surprising to anyone who’s followed their fractious relationship over the years.
Then the music started. As expected, Grohl and Novoselic were joined by both Joan Jett and St. Vincent for songs—“Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Lithium,” respectively. But they were also fronted by Kim Gordon and, for whatever reason, Lorde. Gordon led the band in “Aneurysm,” while Lorde did a (somewhat cringeworthy) version of “All Apologies.”
Then the band, Gordon, St. Vincent, and Jett took the party over to St. Vitus, a 230-capacity room in Brooklyn, for another live show. There, the group was joined by Deer Tick’s John McCauley (who also fronts the Nirvana cover band Deervana) and Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis. Brooklyn Vegan has a number of pics from the show, as well as a rundown of the amazing setlist, but it should go without saying that the show looked fucking awesome, with the band ripping through songs like “Drain You,” “Heart Shaped Box,” and “Territorial Pissings.” According to Noisey, the crowd was full of Nirvana’s friends and family, including people like producers Butch Vig and Jack Endino. Novoselic also reportedly spent the whole show trying to remember the songs while drinking whiskey from a pint glass. A couple of clips are below—and more should emerge throughout the day, as attendees sober up and get posting.