Listen to the only time Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love shared a stage
For a period of time, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love were two figureheads of contemporary culture seemingly on top of the world. The musicians, who came together as one when they married in 1992, lived through a somewhat tumultuous relationship built on intense love but marred by life of touring musicians in and out of the throws of mental heath struggles and heavy drug addiction.
Despite being two of the world’s most recognised artists for a time, both fronting pioneering bands in their own right, somewhat surprisingly, they only shared the stage in public on one occasion. That moment arrived on September 8th, 1993, when Cobain made an appearance during Love’s acoustic set at Club Lingerie in Hollywood, and he did so for a very important cause which was extremely close to the Nirvana frontman’s heart: an anti-rape benefit.
Cobain’s comments on rape were way ahead of their time, given that society had not treated the despicable crime with the gravitas it is thankfully met with today. That said, when the Nirvana leader was speaking out about the topic both during interviews and famously as part of his lyrics, it was still very much a taboo topic.
Sexual assault was the subject of Nirvana’s song ‘Rape Me’, a track from their third and final studio album In Utero, a number which was Cobain’s attempt to write an anti-rape anthem. When reflecting on his material, Cobain once explained the meaning behind the track during an interview with Spin magazine. He said: “It’s like she’s saying, ‘Rape me, go ahead, rape me, beat me. You’ll never kill me. I’ll survive this and I’m gonna fucking rape you one of these days and you won’t even know it’.”
A couple of years later, during a 1993 interview, Cobain delved deeper into the source of his passion for equality for women came from: “I couldn’t find any friends (at school), male friends that I felt compatible with, I ended up hanging out with the girls a lot,” he said. “I just always felt that they weren’t treated with respect. Especially because women are totally oppressed”.
This was a bold stance to take back in the early 1990s, a time when musicians and politics were not as aligned as they are today, a topic which shows how ahead of the curve Cobain was and how he was not just a trailblazer because of his music, but because of his refreshing attitude towards how society should function.
The Rock Against Rape Benefit held at the intimate venue in Los Angeles didn’t even include Love or Cobain on the official line-up, and it remains unknown whether their special show-stealing appearance was pre-planned or on a whim – but that seemingly adds to the importance of the now-historical recording.
Love had performed the Hole songs ‘Doll Parts’ and ‘Miss World’ before she turned to the audience and jokingly introduced Kurt as “my husband, Yoko”. Cobain then joined his wife for a glorious version of Nirvana song ‘Pennyroyal Tea’ before the duo closed out the set with a beautiful performance of ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ – a rendition which oozed the unique chemistry that held the two together.
Cobain was clearly going through difficulties with his mental health at this period in time, but the moment he stepped on stage, his problems seemed to momentarily disappear. This felt especially apparent when performing in a small venue such as Club Lingerie, with few eyes glaring at him. Instead just he, his wife, two acoustic guitars, and a building of like-minded individuals fighting for justice.
Listen to the audio of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain performing live below.
