In a rare reunion of the surviving members of Nirvana late in Thursday night’s FireAid benefit, Dave Grohl (drums), Krist Novoselic (bass), and touring guitarist Pat Smear (who also plays with Grohl in Foo Fighters) revisited the iconic grunge act’s enduring songbook with a number of notable women of rock and roll serving as stand-ins for the late Kurt Cobain.
First, St. Vincent took the reins on guitar and vocals for a reverently seething take on Nevermind favorite “Breed”, capping her rendition with an unhinged scream into the microphone before slipping offstage. Over a hum of distortion, Novoselic thanked St. Vincent and introduced the next guest, Kim Gordon. The Sonic Youth guitarist and vocalist brought her own brand of angst to Cobain’s lyrics as she howled about the Nirvana recess policy (read: no) on the cut from Nirvana’s 1989 debut, Bleach. Upping the ante yet again, the surviving members of Nirvana then called in rock icon Joan Jettto lead them through Nevermind deep cut “Territorial Pissings”. Finally, Novoselic grabbed an accordion, Kim Gordon returned on bass, and Violet Grohl, Dave’s daughter who has played live with him on various occasions, joined in to lead a take on In Utero‘s “All Apologies”.
Reunions of Nirvana’s surviving members have been few and far between in the three decades since Cobain’s death by suicide in 1994. The last came in 2020 during a benefit concert in Hollywood.
Of note, the FireAid Nirvana celebration marked the first live performance by the typically ubiquitous Dave Grohl since he announced last fall that he had fathered a child outside his marriage and subsequently cleared Foo Fighters’ tour schedule of upcoming dates. As if 2025 wasn’t already weird enough, Nirvana has now played more shows this year than Foo Fighters—and with no concerts currently scheduled for either band, it seems that won’t change for a while.
Related: FireAid Benefit Blowout Raises $100 Million For L.A. Wildfire Relief Efforts [Watch]
The Nirvana segment was one of various surprises during FireAid, which took place simultaneously at Inglewood, CA’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum and featured billed performances by Billie Eilish, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Tate McRae, Alanis Morissette, Anderson. Paak, John Mayer, Dawes, Graham Nash, Green Day, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell (with members of Dawes, Lucius, R.E.M., and more), No Doubt, P!nk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, and The Black Crowes. Other surprise guests included John Fogerty (with The Black Crowes), Slash (with The Black Crowes), Dr. Dre (with Anderson .Paak), Sheila E (with Anderson .Paak), Graham Nash (with Stephen Stills, Dawes), Mike Campbell (with Stephen Stills, Dawes), and more. Find the full setlist by act here.
Watch the full Nirvana segment from FireAid via the video player below. [Note: Video is queued up to the start of the Nirvana set.]
FireAid – Full Concert
Contributions made to FireAid in connection with the FireAid benefit concert and other direct donations will be distributed under the advisement of the Annenberg Foundation for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California. The FireAid benefit concert initiative had already raised more than $60 million ahead of showtime via ticket sales, sponsorship dollars, and donations. That number only grew via donations made by from-home viewers on one of 25 streaming that ran running the feed—all of which will be matched dollar for dollar by Steve and Connie Ballmer, the owners of the LA Clippers. Read more about the event here.