Kurt Cobain is one of the most inspiring musicians in the history of music and, along with Nirvana, has accompanied many of us along this road called life. Kurt, Pat, and Dave broke several grunge stigmas and always tried to have fun, both on and off stage. Like the day the ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ band celebrated Halloween as only they could have thought of.
The Day Kurt Cobain Played Dressed as Barney
Yes, this was real during a Nirvana Halloween show on October 31, 1993; the group dressed up as different popular characters, and Kurt Cobain decided to be Barney, Pat Smear was Slash, and Dave Grohl was a mummy. This happened in Ohio, United States, and Nirvana played some of their most emblematic songs, among these, Heart-Shaped Box, Come as You Are, and Lithium, among others.
According to some reports, there are no videos of that night, only photographs of the vocalist being a very punk Barney. Witnesses at the time claim that Kurt Cobain challenged Pat to a guitar duel “to the death,” which caused enormous fun among the band.
“I couldn’t get tickets to the show, but as a student, I worked for college events, so I volunteered to work security for this concert. My job was to push the surfers back into the stands, but I finally gave up and saw the show because it was awesome. I still have vivid memories of the fun of Slash vs. Barney on stage,” reported one of the witnesses of that event.
Some people who were there and remember the moment say that Pat Smear pretended to decapitate Barney, removing the head of the Kurt Cobain costume… and how I wish I had been there.
It is also known that the tickets for that concert sold out quickly, however, the American band decided to release more tickets at the last minute on the same day of the show so that no one would be left without enjoying Nirvana. Nirvana had many moments that we would have loved to witness.
Story written in Spanish by Kate Nateras in Cultura Colectiva
The Odd Day Kurt Cobain Dressed Up as Barney and Challenged Slash to a Guitar Duel