Nirvana - Would they have headlined?

[Stocksey]

Driving back to Portsmouth from a weekend trip to Plymouth this past on Sunday. Glorious sunshine, over green fields somewhere in the middle of Dorset and a very festivally kind of day. A couple of Nirvana tracks hit the wife's Spotify playlist back to back (Heart shaped box and one other I cant recall). It really got me thinking... what would have happened to Nirvana had Kurt not died? Would they become a bigger band, stadium tours etc? or had they reached all they ever would have? - would they have burned out? Would we still have had the Foos, due to split/break-up? And ultimately would they have played or even headlined at the Farm?

I know many of these questions are unanswerable, but i would be interested on peoples thoughts and opinions.

[Gabi_says]

Ahhh, who knows... but what a glorious experience it would've been, to see them headlining the Pyramid Stage and all of us singing along at the top of our lungs. 

Rest in rock Kurt, wherever you are. 

[priest17]

I don't really know what the bookings were like way back when, I guess there was a much bigger divide between Glastonbury and Reading around '92? You've gotta think they'd have headlined surely.

People like to talk themselves into thinking they're a bit overrated because a few people who aren't massive fans have nirvana tshirts they bought at topshop, there aren't many headliner sets as good as this though 

 

[whitehorses]

Interesting thought experiment. I had a ticket for the Cardiff gig  (April 9th I think) and always mourn not seeing them. Such a loss. 

He clearly had a huge cultural impact. Maybe far beyond his talent...? Glasto never embraced Nirvana’s contemporaries so hard to see how they would have embraced Nirvana too. But maybe like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden they would have got much bigger, but not any better. And they had probably peaked in cultural impact terms. 

I like to think he’d have embarked on a Neil Young like solo career. And one day played Pyramid.

Personally Foofighters don’t interest me but fairly sure Grohler would have ended up making some kind of supergroup at some point regardless - he’s too talented and charismatic not to. 

Edited April 5, 2019 by caballosblancos
Added line about Pyramid

[Wooderson]

The festival has yet to show passing interest in their contemporaries 25 years since the poor fella's death. I doubt it.

[hurdy]

Absolutely. Carter USM managed it after all. 

[Mouseboy11]

Probably, but they'd have been shite by the time they were booked

 

[bombfrog]

I also had a ticket to their Brixton gig back in 1994 and was absolutely gutted about missing them at Reading.

I would say there would only have been two reasons they wouldn't have headlined - (A) Their career took a nosedive and they weren't popular enough and (B) They didn't want to do it because the money isn't enough. I can't see that A would have happened and I can't see any of them being the types to turn it down because of money, especially Kurt.

So yes, I think it's inevitable they would have headlined in the 90s.

[Wooderson]

I don't see it as inevitable at all. Granted they were hugely popular, but the festival has had opportunities to branch out into heavier stuff multiple times are always turned away from that "path". Michael has an aversion.

[CaledonianGonzo]

15 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

The festival has yet to show passing interest in their contemporaries 25 years since the poor fella's death. I doubt it.

BMX Bandits?

[HeyPorter]

We’d be debating that they’re too big for the Other and too niche for the pointy one. 

[Wooderson]

8 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

BMX Bandits?

Yeh. Them and the Vazalines innit. Kurdt loved Glezzgih.

[Quark]

I'd have been happiest with them headlining the Acoustic with a 25th anniversary of Unplugged

[fatyeti24]

Still got my ticket.

[CaledonianGonzo]

People were talking about having to queue overnight for Oasis tickets, which - having seen them a number of times without having to queue up - I'm a little sceptical about..

Mates of mine definitely queued overnight for tickets for the show in Glasgow.

[Flysheet]

I was fortunate enough to have seen them 3 times, Reading 91, Rock City same year and then the 92 headline slot. 

Had a ticket for the Gmex think it was around the 8th or 9th?

May well have headlined in 94 I guess? 

[Flysheet]

5 hours ago, fatyeti24 said:

Still got my ticket.

I’m sure I’ve got mine, need to have a look inside the Nevermind vinyl sleeve 

[eastynh]

5 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

People were talking about having to queue overnight for Oasis tickets, which - having seen them a number of times without having to queue up - I'm a little sceptical about..

Mates of mine definitely queued overnight for tickets for the show in Glasgow.

I queued up overnight outside Maine Rd for Maine Rd tickets, queued up overnight outside the Apollo for Knebworth tickets and queued up overnight outside the old Virgin on Market St for GMEX tickets.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Fair enough. I was also at Maine Road but we sat in Glasgow kicking around the idea for a while after the tickets went on sale before we decided that we could justify the trip.

[Half Man Half Mattress]

7 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

People were talking about having to queue overnight for Oasis tickets, which - having seen them a number of times without having to queue up - I'm a little sceptical about..

Mates of mine definitely queued overnight for tickets for the show in Glasgow.

Queued overnight for Loch Lomond tickets in ‘96, but was probably unnecessary with hindsight. Was a fun evening though, Tennents Super and whizz being passed up the line like bread rations in post communist Moscow.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Half Man Half Mattress

[sime]

I saw their headline set at Reading 92. It was truly epic. Would love to have seen that at Glastonbury.

Were Kurt still here, I guess they would have split up, (they definitely had a lot of tensions building up in 94), and then all done their own thing before eventually getting back together.

Where maybe, after another couple of albums, they would have headlined the Pyramid as a band similar in stature to acts like The Who or Neil Young. They crossed over much more than other, similar big bands of the time. Never going to happen though but it's a lovely thought.

 

[Hugh Jass]

They booked the Foo Fighters, who were only the band Nirvana could have been.

[chazwwe]

I would of thought a 97 kinda time on the lead up or off the back off 2 albums from In Utero. 

[SecretFish]

This is the dream gig for me. 

[gigpusher]

Difficult to answer. His addiction problems would have come to a head in some way so whether he could have gotten through it or not with his talent and sanity in tact is the great unanswerable question. If he could would Brit Pop still have rained on their parade or would they have been producing good enough stuff to keep people interested. 

One things for sure I would have loved to see them live and Glastonbury headliners would have been epic.