Nirvana – ‘Live, Tonight, Sold Out!’ DVD Review

Let’s look at the legacy a minute. Nirvana released just three studio albums throughout their turbulent lifespan (Bleach, Nevermind and In Utero) a compilation (Incesticide) and various singles. Posthumously they’ve released two live records, a best of, a box set and a short form compilation of said box set, not to mention two DVDs and a slew of bootlegs and unofficial releases. Of course, the untimely death of Cobain was going to leave many thirsty for more and I can still remember the excitement when this was released the first time round on VHS followed by the slight feeling of disappointment that came with watching it. 

Make no mistake, by all accounts Nirvana were an awesomely powerful live band. If you’ve seen the MTV footage from a concert on their In Utero tour (or if you were lucky enough to witness them live) then you’ll know that. This DVD just doesn’t quite do that justice. Here you will find chop and paste footage from their tours between 89 – 91 (sometimes cutting in the same song, which is rather annoying) as well as interview footage and discourse from other stars upon the importance of Nirvana’s output. On the one hand you can understand this DIY approach, falling into line with Cobain’s increasingly punk ethics, but on the other it’s all so unsatisfying; rather like a meal of starters without ever reaching a main course. 

Of course there are moments of pure joy: witnessing their comic Top Of The Pops performance again reminds you just how anarchic they could be, Aneurysm is as heavy as hell and footage from a Seattle show in front of a rapturous home crowd is fun, but the ragged quality is sometimes off-putting and when you consider the quality and generosity of modern rock and metal DVDs (Sigur Ros or Within Temptation’s DVDs spring to mind) it’s hard not to feel let down by miserliness of the package when one considers the amount of material that must be lying around. Quite simply a VHS transfer with a few extra songs tacked on just isn’t good enough, and while the transfer is admirable and the audio packs a fair amount of punch (taking the poor source material into account) it feels like fans of the band are once again being robbed shamelessly. There is much to enjoy here, but ultimately it feels like a missed opportunity.