Why Nirvana Turned Down Metallica Tour With Guns N’ Roses

The 1992 stadium co-headline tour that includes Metallica and Guns N’ Roses went down as one of many extra well-known (and sure ill-fated) excursions of all time, however the tour might have been much more star-studded had Nirvana accepted the opening slot on the run. Throughout an interview with NME, guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed that he had personally reached out to Kurt Cobain to ask in the event that they’d be part of the run, solely to have the Nirvana singer flip down the chance.

As followers know, Nirvana’s Nevermind was launched in September 1991, catching hearth and finally claiming the No. 1 place on Billboard Prime 200 Album Chart in early 1992, largely primarily based off the success of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The arrival of that album was so impactful {that a} shift in heavy music happened over the subsequent a number of years, with a slew of grunge acts discovering recognition. So the addition of the most well liked band in music on the time, becoming a member of two of rock and steel’s largest act, might arguably have been the thought of the highest live performance billing of all-time.

So why did Nirvana flip down the Metallica-Weapons N’ Roses tour? Hammett recalled, “I needed to make the telephone name to Kurt [Cobain] to speak to him about the potential for becoming a member of our tour and he simply went on and on about how he simply didn’t like what Weapons N’ Roses stood for.”

The guitarist added, “I mentioned to him: ‘Simply go on the market and signify Nirvana – simply play the present after which that’s it.’ I pleaded with him, however he simply wasn’t having it. So there you could have it. It might have been nice if Nirvana was a part of that tour – however you realize [the actual opening act] Faith No More have been nice as properly.”

Whereas Nirvana skipped the tour, Religion No Extra, who finally claimed the opening slot, had their very own points with Weapons N’ Roses, as singer Mike Patton revealed in a 2021 interview that he peed on the GN’R teleprompter in retaliation to Weapons’ remedy of his band.

The meat between Nirvana and Weapons N’ Roses would come to a head at the 1992 Music Video Awards, the place in keeping with Krist Novoselic, when Axl Rose crossed paths with Courtney Love she yelled out whereas carrying her daughter, “Axl, Axl, you are the godfather.” That prompted a confrontation with Cobain wherein Rose is alleged to have instructed the Nirvana singer to maintain his girl in line. Later, after the band’s efficiency of “Lithium,” Nirvana’s Dave Grohl appeared to taunt Rose by shouting “The place’s Axl? Hello, Axl.”

Grohl and Rose are actually on good phrases, with the Foo Fighters frontman loaning Rose his guitar throne after Rose broke his foot at the beginning of GN’R’s “Not in This Lifetime” tour. Grohl later revealed that Rose had Slash pick out a guitar for Grohl as a type of thanks. “he picked me an early-’60s Gibson ES 335 Dot, which to this present day is the nicest fucking guitar I’ve ever performed in my life,” says Grohl. “It was an extremely variety and stylish gesture, and I used to be very appreciative.”

As for Metallica’s relationship with Nirvana, it was extra pleasant. Hammett recalled, “After we performed Seattle on the ‘The Black Album’ tour, I bear in mind calling Kurt to ask him to the present and he mentioned to me: ‘Are you guys going to play ‘Whiplash? That’s my favourite Metallica tune!’. When he got here to the present, he was within the snakepit with Courtney Love and each time he walked by, he tried to get my consideration however my head was someplace else.”

The guitarist recollects, “He was nice. I turned pals with him proper when the primary Nirvana album [1989’s Bleach] got here out earlier than folks have been even calling it grunge, and it’s so unhappy after I assume again to all of the man needed to do was play guitar and write songs and sing and one way or the other that every one obtained destroyed for him.”