Brent Porche

Afternoons 3PM - 7PM

Today (April 5) marks the 25th and 17th anniversaries of the passing of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Alice In Chains’ Layne Staley.

Cobain and Staley were two voices that helped define a genre, a generation and a changing of the guard. Both were incredible forces live as evident in their performances on MTV Unplugged.

In their memory, take a look back on the Nirvana and Alice In Chains episodes of MTV Unplugged as well as these four other outstanding performances.

 

Nirvana

Recorded just five months before the untimely passing ofKurt Cobain, the band’s performance would later be released as the live LP MTV Unplugged in New York.  It was Nirvana’s first release following Cobain’s death, and it would go on to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.

 

Alice In Chains

Equal parts extraordinary and bitter-sweet, AIC’s 1996 performance on MTV Unplugged was the band’s first performance together in over two years due to Staley’s issues with drug abuse.  It would also be one of the band’s last high-profile gigs with the singer.  In spite of that and Jerry Cantrell famously battling food poisoning, AIC’s set served as a reminder of why they were the first band to really break out of the fruitful Seattle music scene.

Alice In Chains - Down in a Hole (From MTV Unplugged)

"Down In A Hole" by Alice In Chains, MTV Unplugged Listen to the new album, Rainier Fog: https://aliceinchains.lnk.to/RainierFog On tour this spring and summer.

 

Stone Temple Pilots

MTV Unplugged is just a goldmine of remarkable performances for anyone that loves rock from the ’90s.  Stone Temple Pilots recorded their set in 1993, which marked the first time they performed “Big Empty.”

Big Empty (acoustic) - Stone Temple Pilots

"...these conversations kill..."

 

R.E.M.

R.E.M is responsible for two marvelous MTV Unplugged performances from 1991 and 2001, which were both released in 2014 as Unplugged:  The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions. Below is their set from 1991.

REM - 45 Minutes Live Performance ( 12 Songs In Stereo From REM On 10th April 1991 )

Track Listing REM MTV Studio Performace 1991 : 1. Half A World Away 2. Disturbance at the Heron House 3. Radio Song 4. Low 5. Perfect Circle 6. Fall on Me 7. Belong 8. Love Is All Around 9. Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) 10.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam simply crushes it in this set from March 1992, about seven months after the release of Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten.

Jeremy (Live) - MTV Unplugged - Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam performing "Jeremy" from their 1992 MTV Unplugged concert in New York City. Get Pearl Jam's new album, Lightning Bolt, here: http://smarturl.it/PJLightningBolt SUBSCRIBE: https://pj.lnk.to/PJ_SubscribeYD LIKE on Facebook: https://pj.lnk.to/PJ_FacebookYD FOLLOW on Twitter: https://pj.lnk.to/PJ_TwitterYD FOLLOW on Instagram: https://pj.lnk.to/PJ_InstagramYD FOLLOW on Tumblr: https://pj.lnk.to/PJ_TumblrYD With nine studio albums, hundreds of live performances, and hundreds of live concert bootleg releases, Pearl Jam continues to be a major force in rock and roll today.

 

Thirty Seconds To Mars

Later episodes in MTV Unplugged’s history are tragically overlooked, but this incredible set from Thirty Seconds To Mars more than holds its own thanks to Jared Leto’s dynamic vocal performance.

30 Seconds To Mars MTV Unplugged- Hurricane

30 Seconds To Mars MTV Unplugged

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger. The first man she ever loved was Jack Daniel.  (True story.)

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock news blogger who's well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights

Sign me up for the MMR VIP email newsletter!

Get the good stuff sent straight to your inbox, and be the first to know: concert presales, exclusive contests, and behind the scenes photos and video.

*
*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.