Live at the Paramount is a live performance by the grunge band Nirvana released in 2011. It was released on HighResAudio as part of the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind album. It showcases the band at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle from October 31, 1991.
The band was newly flush with fame, having just released their groundbreaking Nevermind one month prior, and was reeling from their newfound fame with cameras all around to capture it all.
From the Vaselines cover 'Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam', which they would later reprise on Nirvana's MTV Unplugged, to the jangly 'About A Girl' and their seminal hit 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', it's a setlist that dreams are made of, and put Kurt's jagged and seering voice front and centre. The conclusion to the 19-song set includes 'Rape Me', a song that wouldn't appear on a studio release until 1993's In Utero.
One can hear the crowd moshing along like it's just another lost Halloween night out, unknowingly witnessing music history. For anyone who wasn't around during the band's peak, this release offers the closest replication to an in-concert experience.
Kurt Cobain, vocals, guitar
Krist Novoselic, bass
Dave Grohl, drums, backing vocals