April 5 is a dubious day in rock history: it’s the day we lost Kurt Cobain in 1994 and Layne Staley in 2002.
We’re paying tribute to both artists all day on ROCK 92.9. With both of them on our minds, those legendary live performances that have marked themselves indelibly in our memories need to be revisited. So let’s do that.
We’ll start with the obvious: Kurt Cobain, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” Nirvana MTV Unplugged. Enough said.
Layne Staley had a similar “Unplugged” moment with his heartwrenching vocal on “Down In A Hole.”
Let’s head to Seattle next for Kurt’s gritty version of “Lithium” from their 1993 Live And Loud set.
That same year, Alice In Chains played Lollapalooza, and Layne Staley absolutely crushed this performance of “Man In The Box.”
One more from Kurt, back in Seattle: live at The Paramount in ’91.
And one more from Layne, as he raspily howls his way through “Junkhead” at the movie release party for Singles in 1992.
Legends, both. And sorely missed. We have more live Kurt for you here. And a touching tribute to Layne from his mom here.