Live at the Paramount | ||||
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Video by | ||||
Released | September 24, 2011 | |||
Recorded | October 31, 1991 | |||
Venue | Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 70:44 | |||
Label | DGC | |||
Nirvana chronology | ||||
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Live at the Paramount is a live video and album by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 2011. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc as part of the 20th anniversary of the band's second album and mainstream breakthrough, Nevermind .
It features the band's live performance at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, on October 31, 1991. Recorded five weeks after the release of Nevermind, the footage is taken from the only Nirvana show to be shot entirely on 16 mm film. The Blu-ray features uncompressed 48 kHz/24-bit sound.
As well as the standalone DVD and Blu-ray releases, a DVD along with a CD audio version of the show are available packaged together as part of the limited edition Super Deluxe box set reissue of the Nevermind album. The concert was released for the first time on vinyl in April 2019.
Nirvana's Paramount performance was the third of three shows in the Pacific Northwest with fellow Seattle band Mudhoney, and the final show of the North American leg of their Nevermind tour before the band departed for Europe. The three concerts, which also featured shows in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia, had been booked two months earlier and were originally to feature Mudhoney as the headliners. However, the surprising success of the band's second album, Nevermind , which had been released the previous month, led to Nirvana being moved to the headlining spot. The Seattle show, which also featured American rock band Bikini Kill on the bill, also had to be moved from the smaller Moore Theatre to the Paramount due to the demand for tickets. [1]
The Paramount show was attended by approximately 2,800 people, making it the largest audience the band played to during the first part of the Nevermind tour. Tickets to the show were $10. [2]
Nirvana's Paramount performance featured a typical set list of the time, with material from Nevermind and the band's 1989 debut album Bleach , as well as set list regulars "Aneurysm", "Been a Son" and the 1990 single, "Sliver". The show also featured a cover of "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" by Scottish rock band the Vaselines, and an early version of "Rape Me", which Cobain wrote while Nevermind was being mixed. [3]
The show was filmed by a video crew the band's co-manager, John Silva, had hired for $250,000. [4] Cobain had invited Ian Dickson and Nikki McClure, two friends of his from Olympia, Washington, to dance onstage, and they wore shirts that read "Girl" and "Boy", respectively. [5]
English music journalist Everett True, a friend of Cobain's, described the Paramount show as "the end of an era" that showed that "incontrovertibly, Nirvana was now big news". [6] Seattle photographer Charles Peterson, acclaimed for his role in documenting the rise of the city's grunge scene, recalled that "the record label, unbeknownst to Nirvana, had set up a big film shoot. There were six guys all clad in black running around with compact 35mm movie cameras and I was like, 'This is the beginning of the end.' It was so unfair to their home audience because it stilted the performance. It reeked of money." [5]
The idea of releasing the Paramount show in its entirety dates back to the band's lifetime. In his 1993 Nirvana biography Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana , Michael Azerrad wrote that the show "may one day be edited into a full-length film." [7] By the time of Cobain's death in April 1994, several songs from the soundboard recording, mixed by Andy Wallace, had been officially released. "School" and "Drain You" appeared on the second single from Nevermind, for the song "Come As You Are", in March 1992. "Been a Son" appeared on the following single, for "Lithium", in July 1992. Footage from the performance appeared in the music video for "Lithium" directed by Kevin Kerslake.
In November 1994, the Paramount versions of "About a Girl", "Breed", "Polly" and "Endless, Nameless" appeared in the home video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! , which had been compiled by Cobain but unfinished at the time of his death. In October 1996, the Paramount version of "Negative Creep", from Wallace's mix, was released on the live compilation album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah , compiled primarily by bassist Krist Novoselic. The video of "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" was released on the DVD of the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out , in November 2004, while the video of "Polly" was re-released as a bonus feature on the Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind DVD in March 2005.
The full soundboard of the Wallace mix had been available in trading circles for years before the release of Live at the Paramount, but remains unreleased.
Jayson Greene of Pitchfork wrote that "the joy of Live at the Paramount is hearing the charge of this moment: a great band newly famous, still reeling and flooded with nervy adrenaline." [8] Mark Deming of AllMusic compared the release to the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night in that they "captured the artists at a moment where success was a pleasure, just before it became a burden." [9]
Reviewing the vinyl release in 2019, Kerrang!'s Nick Ruskell wrote that the concert "doesn't even sound like the best show Nirvana ever played. But that's what makes this special – a truly spectacular band captured without hype, in the moment, just doing what they do. And for a band so steeped in legend, that is a rare thing to have. [10]
The Blu-ray version has been widely criticized for having audio sync problems. [11] Amazon has posted a statement from Universal that denies the problem exists, [12] but the review at the website Blu-ray.com gives the audio a score of 0/5 because of the sync issues. [13]
On December 12, 2021, Live at the Paramount was screened at the Paramount Theatre by Seattle Theatre Group, the nonprofit group in charge of venue. The screening featured opening live music by Seattle rock bands Them and the Black Tones, with the latter band's set mixed by Nirvana's sound engineer, Craig Montgomery. [14]
All songs by Kurt Cobain unless noted.
All video releases, the stand-alone DVD, Blu-ray, and the DVD that comes with the Nevermind "Super Deluxe" boxset, feature the following hidden tracks (easter eggs) from March 8, 1991, at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, British Columbia. [15]
The DVD that comes with the limited edition Nevermind "Super Deluxe" boxset features the music videos for the four singles from the Nevermind album. However these are not included with the standalone DVD or Blu-ray release.
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian DVD Chart (ARIA Charts) [16] | 1 |
Dutch DVD Chart (MegaCharts) [17] | 4 |
Portuguese DVD Chart (AFP) [18] | 5 |
Swedish DVD Chart (Sverigetopplistan) [19] | 6 |
Swiss Music DVD Chart (Schweizer Hitparade) [20] | 4 |
UK Music Videos (OCC) [21] | 4 |
US Top Music Video Sales ( Billboard ) [22] | 1 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [23] | Gold | 7,500^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The concert was released as a double LP vinyl set on April 12, 2019, [24] which came with a 12x24" poster and a replica of the VIP pass that was used on the night as a download card. [25] [26]
Side A [27]
Side B
Side C
Side D
Chart (2019) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [28] | 70 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [29] | 107 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [30] | 99 |
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [31] | 16 |
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [32] | 72 |
US Rock Album Sales ( Billboard ) [33] | 28 |
US Alternative Album Sales ( Billboard ) [34] | 14 |
Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. Founded by lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, the band went through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, before recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990. Nirvana's success popularized alternative rock, and they were often referenced as the figurehead band of Generation X. Despite a short mainstream career spanning only three years, their music maintains a popular following and continues to influence modern rock culture.
Krist Anthony Novoselic is an American musician and activist. Novoselic co-founded and played bass for the rock band Nirvana.
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind features a more polished, radio-friendly sound than the band's prior work. It was recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, in May and June 1991, and mastered that August at the Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California.
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by American rock band Nirvana, released on October 1, 1996 by DGC Records. It features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994.
With the Lights Out is a box set by the American rock band Nirvana, released on November 23, 2004. It contains three CDs and one DVD of previously rare or unreleased material, including B-sides, demos, and rehearsal and live recordings. The title comes from the lyrics of Nirvana's 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
"In Bloom" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the second track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Lithium" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the fifth track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Sliver" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic. It was first released as a non-album single by the band's then record label, Sub Pop, in the United States in September 1990, and by Tupelo in Britain in January 1991. The same recording was re-released on the compilation album Incesticide by DGC in December 1992, and a new music video, directed by Kevin Kerslake, was released in May 1993.
"Drain You" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the eighth track on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991. The song was released as a promotional single in late 1991, and also appeared as a b-side on UK retail editions of the first single from that album, "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
"Blew" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the first song on the band's debut album Bleach, released in June 1989 by Sub Pop.
"On a Plain" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the 11th track on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.
"About a Girl" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third song on their debut album, Bleach, released in June 1989.
"Endless, Nameless" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Dave Grohl. It is the 13th and final song on the band's second studio album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.
Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is a live video by the American rock band Nirvana, directed by Kevin Kerslake, and released on November 15, 1994, on VHS and laserdisc. It was re-released on DVD on November 7, 2006.
"Breed" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on their second studio album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.
Nevermind, It's an Interview is the only officially released interview CD of American grunge band Nirvana. It was only a promotional release and was never commercially available. Released in limited-edition form worldwide in 1992 by Geffen Records, written, produced and engineered at WFNX Boston by Kurt St. Thomas and Troy Smith, (authors of Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects,. The original interview sessions were recorded by St. Thomas the night of Nirvana's first appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1992. It contains over an hour of audio interview with live and studio recordings. The reason for its production was for radio stations world-wide to have a Nirvana interview to play because at that time the band was so popular that it was not possible for them to visit all the radio stations that were playing their music. Copies of the CD are rare and have become collectors items. However, for a limited time, the entire CD was included at the end of the iTunes version of With the Lights Out, Nirvana's posthumous box set. It is listed as:
Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind is a documentary DVD released by Eagle Vision in March 2005, as part of the Classic Albums series. It features interviews specifically for this release with Nirvana band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, as well as Nevermind album producer Butch Vig about the recording of the album. Other interview highlights include Garry Gersh, Jonathan Ponneman and Nils Bernstein, Thurston Moore and Jack Endino.
Live at Reading is a live CD/DVD by American rock band Nirvana, released on November 2, 2009. It features the band's headlining performance at the Reading Festival in Reading, England, on August 30, 1992. Bootlegged for years, the new issues present the performance for the first time mastered and color corrected.
Live and Loud is a live video by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 23, 2013. It was released as part of the 20th anniversary of the band's third and final studio album, In Utero.
Verse Chorus Verse is an unreleased live album by the American rock band Nirvana, scheduled for release on November 1, 1994. It was to be a double album comprising a CD of live performances on one CD and Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance on the other. It was canceled as Nirvana members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl found it overwhelming to compile material so soon after the death of Kurt Cobain earlier that year.