April 5, 1994: The news of Kurt Cobain’s death shook the rock world.
Devastated fans mourned the iconic Nirvana front man and were left wondering, what now?
Channel 9’s operations manager, Dave Sirak, filmed Nirvana’s Spokane Washington show in 1994, just months before Cobain’s death.
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Cobain was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside his Seattle home at the age of 27.
Nirvana came out of the Seattle shadows in the late '80s at a time when hair bands ruled the airwaves. But by the early '90s, those big-haired party bands were fizzling out and the youth of America was looking for a new sound to rescue them from the angst of society.
“Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be.”
The simplicity of Nirvana’s lyrics along with the raw and rough sound of the music was impactful and influential.
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“I do remember being a bit star struck and overwhelmed when I found myself feet away from Nirvana. The audio level at the foot of the stage was so overwhelming, my senses were rattled,” Sirak said.
Now, 25 years later, fans around the world are remembering the music, the words and the vibe that Cobain created.
“There was a lot excitement and anticipation among the crowd of fans to see Nirvana. The band had played many shows in Seattle, but the Spokane show was a collection of locals and fans who drove from Montana, Idaho and Canada to see the show,” Sirak said.
Cobain struggled with addiction, depression and the pressures of fame. He seemed to reject the label of “spokesman of a generation.”
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Despite Cobain's modesty, his death affected so many, and to this day, people remember hearing the news.
“I remember where I was and exactly what I was doing when I heard the news. I compared it to the stories I heard about my parents learning of Elvis’ death. It was a punch in the gut,” a Nirvana fan told WFTV.
Fans took to social media to remember Kurt Cobain:
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