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Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!

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Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!
Video by
Nirvana
ReleasedNovember 15, 1994 (VHS)
November 7, 2006 (DVD)
Recorded1990–1993
GenreGrunge, alternative rock
Length83:00
LabelGeffen Records
DirectorKevin Kerslake
Nirvana chronology
Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!
(1994) 		Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind
(2005)

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.

Background

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Conceived by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, the film was intended to document Nirvana's unexpected rise to fame following the release of their second album, Nevermind, in September 1991.[1] After Cobain's death in April 1994, it was salvaged for release by surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, who completed it with editor Steve MacCorkle.

Kerslake, who had been in communication with Cobain during the film's development, revealed that Cobain's concept for the video was "much more evolved" than the version that was released, featuring "more of an interior sense of what it was like to be in the band," but "obviously, we never got to the point where that part was shot."[2]

Content

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The video includes live performances, as well as interview clips, news footage and the band's home movies.[1] The live material is drawn largely from the band's 1991 Nevermind tour, with their shows at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, on October 31, 1991, and Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 25, 1991, featured most prominently. This tour is also represented by appearances on the British music show Top of the Pops on November 27, 1991, and the British talk show Tonight with Jonathan Ross on December 6, 1991.

It also includes footage from the band's Pacific Rim tour in early 1992. One song, "On a Plain", is from their headlining appearance at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark on June 26, 1992, which had an attendance of 64,500 people in the audience.[3] One song, "Lithium", as well as other footage, is from the band's headline performance at the Reading Festival in Reading, England on August 30, 1992, which, according to Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, had an attendance of 50,000 people and that hearing the audience chant the lyrics to "Lithium" was one of their biggest moments.[4] Two songs are from Nirvana's headline appearance at the Hollywood Rock festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on January 23, 1993, which had an attendance of over 100,000 people in the audience.[5]

Three of the songs "Aneurysm," "Love Buzz" and "Territorial Pissings" are edits of two different versions each, with the Paradiso, Amsterdam version being used as one of the two versions for all three songs. The first part of "Love Buzz" is taken from a concert at Trees in Dallas, Texas, in which frontman Kurt Cobain got into a fight with a bouncer.[6][7]

The "Aneurysm" edit, which features the Paradiso and Hollywood Rock versions of the song, was used as a music video for promotion of Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! in 1994, but also for promotion of the band's 1996 live compilation, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.[8] Although it was actually a different version of the song that appeared on the From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah album that was recorded at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California, on December 28, 1991.

Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is located in Earth
Paradiso, Amsterdam
Paradiso, Amsterdam
Hollywood Rock Festival
Hollywood Rock Festival
Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre
Trees Dallas, Texas
Trees Dallas, Texas
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Pinks Garage, Honolulu, Hawaii
Pinks Garage, Honolulu, Hawaii
Kokusai Koryu, Osaka, Japan
Kokusai Koryu, Osaka, Japan
Reading Festival
Reading Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
class=notpageimage|
Recording locations of Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!
Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is located in the United States
Paradiso, Amsterdam
Paradiso, Amsterdam
Hollywood Rock Festival
Hollywood Rock Festival
Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre
Trees Dallas, Texas
Trees Dallas, Texas
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Pinks Garage, Honolulu, Hawaii
Pinks Garage, Honolulu, Hawaii
Kokusai Koryu, Osaka, Japan
Kokusai Koryu, Osaka, Japan
Reading Festival
Reading Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (the United States)
Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is located in Northern and Central Europe
Paradiso, Amsterdam
Paradiso, Amsterdam
Hollywood Rock Festival
Hollywood Rock Festival
Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre
Trees Dallas, Texas
Trees Dallas, Texas
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Pinks Garage, Honolulu, Hawaii
Pinks Garage, Honolulu, Hawaii
Kokusai Koryu, Osaka, Japan
Kokusai Koryu, Osaka, Japan
Reading Festival
Reading Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (Northern and Central Europe)

In 2002, an unsent letter to "Kevin & co" was published in Cobain's Journals, which contained numerous requests for changes to an earlier cut of the film, none of which appear in the final version. Among Cobain's instructions were the inclusion of the song "Sifting," from the band's show at Rhino Records in Los Angeles on June 23, 1989, and "Molly's Lips," from their appearance at the 1991 Reading Festival on August 23, 1991.[9]

Reception

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Allmusic's Greg Prato wrote that the film showed "how great the trio could be on stage," and offered "great insight into the group, just as they were hitting it big."[10] Charles Aaron of Spin wrote that it captured "the dizzying silliness of the times, as well as Nirvana's fractious magnetism."[11] According to Noah Davis of PopMatters, the film showed that despite the band's "position as world beaters," they were rarely serious, and "never played along" to the traditional rules of fame.[12] Dan Martin of the NME wrote that it showed "Nirvana as they should have been experienced: a raw, visceral, devastatingly sexy way of life."[13]

Chart performance

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The original 1994 release of Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Video Sales chart,[14] and at number 1 on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart.[15] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 2 on the UK Top Music Videos chart.[16][17]

Track listing

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  1. "Aneurysm" (In two parts: 1991.11.25 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland, and 1993.01.23 - Hollywood Rock, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Incorrectly labeled 1993.01.16 São Paulo, Brazil on inlay)
  2. "About a Girl" (1991.10.31 - Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington)
  3. "Dive" (1993.01.23 - Hollywood Rock, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Incorrectly labeled 1993.01.16 - São Paulo, Brazil on inlay)
  4. "Love Buzz" (In two parts: 1991.10.19 - Dallas, Texas / 1991.11.25 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland)
  5. "Breed" (1991.10.31 - Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington)
  6. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991.11.27 - UK TV show Top of the Pops)
  7. "Negative Creep" (1992.02.22 - Honolulu, Hawaii)
  8. "Come as You Are" (1991.11.25 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland)
  9. "Territorial Pissings" (In two parts: 1991.12.06 - UK TV show Jonathan Ross / 1991.11.25 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland)
  10. "Something in the Way" (1992.02.14 - Osaka, Japan)
  11. "Lithium" (1992.08.30 - Reading Festival, England)
  12. "Drain You" (1991.11.25 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland)
  13. "Polly" (1991.10.31 - Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington)
  14. "Sliver" (1991.11.25 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland)
  15. "On a Plain" (1992.06.26 - Roskilde Festival, Denmark)
  16. "Endless, Nameless" (1991.10.31 - Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington) (Not listed on VHS release)

DVD bonus tracks

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The DVD features the same track listing as the VHS release, as well as footage from Nirvana's performance at the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam on November 25, 1991, featuring the songs:

  1. "School"
  2. "About a Girl"
  3. "Been a Son"
  4. "On a Plain"
  5. "Blew"

There is also a secret "easter egg" bonus feature at the end of the credits, a rehearsal of "On a Plain" from early 1991.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[25] Platinum 8,000^
Australia (ARIA)[26] Platinum 15,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[27] 2× Platinum 20,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28] Platinum 5,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] 2× Platinum 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[30] 3× Platinum 300,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Prato, Greg. "Live Tonight Sold Out - Nirvana | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ^ Soulsby, Nick (31 March 2015). I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 272. ISBN 9781250061522.
  3. ^ "Roskilde Festival - 30 Years of Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll". everything2.com. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "Nirvana Headline Reading Festival". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  5. ^ Hegarty, Niam (July 1, 2021). "A collection of the craziest Kurt Cobain live performances - January 1993, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil". ToneDeaf. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "Watch Kurt Cobain attack a bouncer with his guitar while performing in 1991". Far Out Magazine. October 19, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  7. ^ Lacour, Brad (October 23, 2018). "Trees Wants You to Never Forget About the Time a Bouncer Punched Kurt Cobain in the Face". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  8. ^ Billboard - Video Monitor (PDF). Billboard. October 12, 1996. p. 104. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  9. ^ Cobain, Kurt (2002). Journals. USA: Riverhead Books. p. 227. ISBN 978-1-57322-232-7.
  10. ^ Prato, Greg. "Nirvana - Live Tonight Sold Out". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  11. ^ Aaron, Charles (April 2004). "Selling Out". Spin.
  12. ^ Noah, Jones (7 December 2006). "Nirvana: Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! [DVD]". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  13. ^ Martin, Dan (5 January 2007). "Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! Vs Foo Fighters: Live In Hyde Park/Skin And Bones". NME. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  14. ^ a b Top Video Sales (PDF). Billboard. December 24, 1994. p. 72. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  15. ^ a b c "Nirvana - Chart History - Music Video Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  16. ^ "UK Music Video Chart" (PDF). Cashbox. December 3, 1994. p. 21. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  17. ^ "Music Video" (PDF). Music Week. November 26, 1994. p. 20. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  18. ^ Nirvana - Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! - Geffen and DGC: DGCV-39541: Ending credits.
  19. ^ "The ARIA Music Video Top 20". ARIA Report. No. 278. June 11, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  20. ^ "Official Video Chart". officialcharts.com. November 20, 1994. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  21. ^ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  22. ^ "ARIA Report - ARIA Top 40 Audiovisual" (PDF) (1311). April 13, 2015: 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-13. Retrieved September 8, 2019. see Highest Position "HP" {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  23. ^ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  24. ^ "The ARIA Music Video Top 20 1995". ARIA Report. No. 307. December 31, 1995. p. 13. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certifications". CAPIF (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  26. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  27. ^ "Canadian video certifications – Nirvana". Music Canada.
  28. ^ "Latest Gold / Platinum DVDs". Radioscope. 3 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  29. ^ "British video certifications – Nirvana – Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!". British Phonographic Industry.
  30. ^ "American video certifications – Nirvana – Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!". Recording Industry Association of America.
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