LIVE NIRVANA SESSIONS HISTORY January 9 & 10, 1992 - Studio 8H, NBC Studios, New York, NY, US View in Google Maps

  • NIRVANA
    • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
    • Krist Novoselic (bass)
    • Dave Grohl (drums)
  • Nic Close (guitar technician)
  • James Downey (producer)
  • Barrett Jones (drum technician)
  • Lorne Michaels (executive producer)
  • Craig Montgomery (assistant sound engineer)
  • Jon Silva (tour manager)
  • Jay Vicari (sound engineer)
  • Dave Wilson (director)
  • John Zonars (music coordinator)
  • [X] Smells Like Teen Spirit
  • [X] Territorial Pissings
Source ID Quality Complete Runtime Lowest Gen Tracks Featured Notes
PRO #1 CLIP a 10.0 TBC TBC>MP4
  • Territorial Pissings
  • Broadcast on mtv.com, The Nevermind You Never Knew. Territorial Pissings cuts in and out.
PRO #1 CLIP b TBC TBC VHS(2)>DVD
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit
  • Broadcast on MTV, The Day In Rock. Smells Like Teen Spirit cuts in and out.

NIRVANA rehearsed at NBC Studios, New York, for their first appearance on Saturday Night Live. Cobain's mood was reportedly upbeat for the first day of rehearsals, which saw the band running through some of their early numbers. (1)

For the second day of rehearsals, the show's producers requested that the band perform only the songs intended for the live broadcast. We ran through the two songs they did a couple of times, explained Lisa Gladfelter-Bell, the band's publicist at the time. You're supposed to do exactly what you're going to do on Saturday—any movements, you jump over the drum kit or switch places or go upstage—so they can block the shot. I remember saying, If you're gonna break an instrument or something like that, at least go through the motions. And of course, they didn't. (2)

The band's choice of Territorial Pissings was not to the network's liking and a debate ensued. Cobain had had enough of working that day and promptly left the studio. (1)

  1. Cross, Charles R., 2001. Heavier Than Heaven. Hodder & Stoughton, London.
  2. Bozillo, Carrie, 2000. Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day-By-Day Chronicle. Carlton Books.

© Alex Roberts. Last modified: August 28 2022