This as everyone who sees this cover image will come to know that it’s the Seattle grunge band in concert in New York City on the 18th November 1993 for MTV's Unplugged season.

With Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1994, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl could've shaped this material into a sappy tribute. On the contrary, as they state in the opening inter-title, "Though circumstances did not allow for the piece to be completed by those who forged its original vision, great care was taken to maintain the integrity and intent of the original edit."

Consequently, viewers get a glimpse of Nirvana as they were, both in concert and off-stage. So what you have here is songs from their albums ‘Bleach’ and ‘Nevermind’, with locations ranging from Seattle to Rio de Janeiro and five bonus selections from Amsterdam (School, About A Girl, Been a Son, On A Plain, Blew).

In most cases, songs incorporate footage from different shows. Highlights here include Dive, Territorial Pissings, and an out-of-control Love Buzz, during which Cobain accidentally hits his guitar on a security guard and is attacked back. Cobain fights back hilariously. There’s also a beautiful performance of Something In The Way.

The best of the lot include a screechy version of Come as You Are and purposefully sluggish Smells like Teen Spirit. Sadly many associate Nirvana by just these two songs, but if you actually look back on their music, they had a lot going of themselves. As Grohl puts it, "For a lot of people, it's like the only Nirvana song, and that's upsetting."  So back on the song Smells Like Teen Spirit, Kurt purposely sang it different because that's the song everyone liked, and he knew they were kind of sick playing it. It’s just that on this DVD he just sang it more in another voice, rather than in his own voice.

Other tracks inlcude Aneurysm, Negative Creep, Love Buzz, Lithium, Territorial, not forgetting About A Girl. On some performances you can say that Cobain is probably drunk, but believe me it makes it more entertaining to watch.

Some of the performances highlight their rebelliousness towards the show business media entities that they held contempt for, even though they were hosting their appearances. There’s also moments and a few entertaining we’d say, where in interviews and some footage the band had shot themselves on a home movie camera. A great piece of unseen footage.

Some viewers may complain about the footage quality, or lack of technical prowess in shooting at some venues, but this DVD shows the genuine raw character of the band, from the early days of small, raucous clubs, to the eventual massive arena days in the end. This long-awaited DVD is infact, a reissue and features color correction and digitally re-mastering. 

This is a pretty cool collection of songs by Nirvana. Unfortunately Kurt passed before its completion and Krist and Dave had to finish it. This DVD is a definite must have for any Nirvana fan, or someone wanting to get into their music. It has some brilliant shows/gigs of some of their best songs. Trust me, you won't be bored. It really makes you feel part of the scene, like you are at the concert.

A great DVD to watch with some mates over a couple of drinks, of course.

Director: Kevin Kerslake

Duration: 83 minutes

Rating: *****

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira