Something very special took place in Los Angeles on Saturday night as part of the Heaven is Rock and Roll event, a celebration/concert honoring the Art of Elysium. One of the most electrifying moments of the night came when Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear of Nirvana convened once again for a handful of classic Nirvana songs — aided by special guest pals Beck and St. Vincent, not to mention Grohl’s daughter, Violet.
Videos posted to Instagram from some attendees lucky enough to make to the event shared the amazing moments with the world, beginning with a Grohl count-off before the ensemble slams into “In Bloom”:
Another angle of “In Bloom” from somebody up closer to the stage:
The group even played a cover of David Bowie‘s “The Man Who Sold The World,” as Kurt Cobain and Nirvana played on their iconic MTV Unplugged set:
For another, even better angle of “In Bloom,” here’s Cheap Trick drummer Daxx Nielsen — Rick’s son — from behind Grohl’s drum kit during the song:
Violet Grohl, Dave’s daughter, lent her services singing lead on “Heart-Shaped Box,” one of the more emotive and haunting songs Nirvana ever recorded:
More from “Heart-Shaped Box”:
The Nirvana mini-set included the following songs, all with Beck and St. Vincent on guitar and vocals in addition to Grohl, Smear and Novoselic:
“Lithium”
“In Bloom”
“Been a Son”
“Heart-Shaped Box”
“The Man Who Sold The World”
This was all part of the event’s festivities paying tribute to the Art of Elysium. Via the foundation’s official site:
The Art of Elysium was founded in 1997 to support artists working for the benefit of others.
For over twenty-one years, we’ve paired volunteer artists with communities in Los Angeles to support individuals in the midst of difficult emotional life challenges like illness, hospitalization, displacement, confinement, and/or crisis. We serve medically fragile children, teens, adults, seniors, those dealing with social, emotional and mental health issues, and the homeless.
This also isn’t the first time that a mini-Nirvana reunion has taken place in recent years, as back in 2018 a similar event closed out the Foo Fighters‘ Cal Jam festival in San Bernardino — and it, too, was extremely special.
Who knows when it might pop up again …
