Just weeks before the devastating loss of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s European tour took a dark turn, culminating in a final, omen-filled performance on March 1, 1994, at Terminal 1 in Munich, Germany.
The tour itself had been plagued with problems. Cobain’s ongoing stomach issues continued to cause him pain, and he was resorting to self-medication, often with heroin. This led to the cancellation of a show in Paris, and by the time the band reached Italy in late February, Kurt was struggling with a new ailment – laryngitis brought on by bronchitis. Depression further clouded his mood, making a show in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a particularly difficult one.
Munich, it seemed, offered a glimmer of hope. The March 1st concert, held in front of roughly 3,000 fans at a disused airplane hanger called Terminal 1, was supposed to be the first of two gigs in the city, followed by seven more dates across Europe. This would be before a well-deserved break and a summer headlining Lollapalooza tour.
However, the Munich show proved to be a struggle. A weakened Cobain faced difficulty hitting high notes, but the band persevered. Adding to the unsettling atmosphere, a power outage disrupted their set during “Come as You Are.” Despite the power returning and the band resuming their set (albeit with a shortened playlist), the 23-song concert (which did not include “Smells Like Teen Spirit”) concluded with “Heart-Shaped Box” and wound up being the shortest set of the entire tour, clocking in at just 80 minutes.
One of the more interesting moments of the show came from bassist Krist Novoselic about mid-way through the set when he humorously delivered a comment that would become eerily prophetic. Channeling the film Spinal Tap, Novoselic quips: “We’re not playing the Munich Enormodome tonight. Because our careers are on the wane. We’re on the way out. Grunge is dead. Nirvana’s over. … Our next record’s going to be a hip-hop record!”
Tragically, Novoselic’s prediction would hold true. The rest of the European tour was cancelled. Just three days later, Kurt Cobain attempted suicide in a Rome hotel room. A little over a month after the Munich show, the world would lose a musical icon.
Listen to the entire performance below.
This post originally appeared on Unplugged from All Punked Up. If any images or media seem to be missing, then view the original post here.
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