Nirvana recorded their MTV Unplugged concert in November 1993, but when it aired on December 16 that year, it quickly became one of the band’s most beloved live shows. Months later, on November 1, 1994, the live album was released to overwhelming critical and fan acclaim. Nirvana had dissolved at that point, after Kurt Cobain’s suicide in April, and for fans, the MTV Unplugged performance was the last way to keep him in their hearts.The imagery of the show has since become iconic, with several elements being sold at auction over the years. Most notably, the 1960s-era olive-gray mohair sweater Cobain wore during the performance, which probably retailed for around $16 at the time, sold for $334,000 in 2019. Additionally, Cobain’s Martin D-18E acoustic guitar, which became the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, sold for more than $6 million in 2020.But the show itself was the real treasure, with Cobain in fine form for the stripped-back set. The small stage was set beautifully, with moody lighting and an intimate atmosphere. Cobain and Krist Novoselic were seated on stools with Dave Grohl’s drum kit nearby. Accompanied by cellist Lori Goldstone and rhythm guitarist Pat Smear, the set design was minimal but evocative.According to an account from Guitar World, Cobain wanted the set to look funerary. With candles and lilies surrounding them, bathed in muted light, Nirvana took on an otherworldly appearance. Kurt Cobain’s vocals floated as if through a dream haze, at once soft around the edges, then gritty and raw. Looking back, the overall atmosphere feels like someone attending their own funeral. Moody artistic choices at the time became shocking reminders of Cobain’s tragic death just months later.Nirvana’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ Performance Showed the Band in a Raw, Unpolished, and Authentic LightSetting aside grief and mourning for a moment, the performance itself was a great example of Nirvana’s skills as a band. They resisted sticking to the hits, first of all, knowing that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” likely wouldn’t work acoustically. This was also their first completely acoustic show, and tensions were high during the several days of rehearsals. Cobain was allegedly going through withdrawals the morning of the show. Additionally, MTV execs hadn’t been thrilled with the guest artist Nirvana had chosen.But despite the tension and heightened emotions, Nirvana produced one of the only MTV Unplugged sets that had no retakes. They played it all the way through, no breaks. Only two other groups achieved that feat (Crosby, Stills, and Nash in 1990 and Live in 1995).The only big hits they played were “Come As You Are”, “Polly”, and “All Apologies”. They instead focused on deep album cuts and covers. They covered The Vaselines, David Bowie, and Meat Puppets, with the latter joining them. The set ended with Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”, an unexpected closer following the familiar “All Apologies”.In a 2019 retrospective for Rolling Stone, journalist David Browne recalled experiencing the chilling closer. He described Cobain pushing his vocals into a higher register on the word “shiver,” the thick raspiness of his voice, and the “death-march trudge” of the musical arrangement. For Browne, it was “one of the most jolting things I’ve experienced at a concert.”‘MTV Unplugged’ Became Forever Linked To Kurt Cobain’s DeathDespite the surprise of the closer, it served a purpose for Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance. Kurt Cobain’s arrangement proved that he could take Nirvana all the way. That they were more than a flash-in-the-pan grunge band. It also served as a gateway to his own future, which still seemed endlessly promising at the time. When Cobain killed himself in April 1994, the MTV Unplugged show (and, subsequently, the album) were forever linked with his death. The show became his final live performance. Meanwhile, the album served as a way to grieve the loss of what could have been.The entire set has been praised as one of Nirvana’s best, but Cobain’s rendition of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” struck fans and journalists alike with an unearthly feeling. In a 2013 retrospective for The Atlantic, critic Andrew Wallace Chamings described that final moment with expressive and haunting detail.“For the final line, ‘I would shiver the whole night through,’” wrote Chamings, “Cobain jumps up an octave, forcing him to strain so far he screams and cracks. He hits the word ‘shiver’ so hard that the band stops, as if a fight broke out at a sitcom wedding.“Next he howls the word ‘whole’ and then does something very strange in the brief silence that follows, something that’s hard to describe: he opens his piercingly blue eyes so suddenly it feels like someone or something else is looking out under the bleached lank fringe, with a strange clarity.”Photo by Frank Micelotta.The post On This Day in 1993, Nirvana’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ Airs, Eventually Becoming One of Their Most Iconic Live Albums appeared first on VICE.