Photo from Post Malone on YouTube
By Korey Elliott
Post Malone paid tribute to Nirvana on a YouTube livestream the night of April 24 to help raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts. The rapper shows off his impressive widespread genre range with this spot-on grunge performance, alongside notorious Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, producer Brian Lee on bass, and guitarist Nick Mack. The performance was announced just days beforehand but Malone said during the livestream that he had the idea “for awhile.”
The four musicians practiced the setlist twice before performing it live at the “Posty Estate” (Malone’s words, not mine!) in Utah. During the hour and 17-minute stream, the singer of the award winning rap song “Rockstar” shows us what he really means when he calls himself that- with a raw grunge voice and electric guitar in hand. While performing Nirvana’s songs, frontman Malone says over and over how fond he is of the iconic band and their songs.
From the socially distanced layout, we’re able to take a peek into Malone’s mansion. Malone stands in front of his fully stocked home bar which includes Maison No. 9, his own brand of French Rosé. Lee is featured in front of a pool table with the word “Stoney” stitched on it in large font, the name of Malone’s debut studio album. The two are both seen wearing long floral dresses just like Nirvana’s lead, Kurt Cobain, did in the ’90s. Barker sits in his own corner of the house, wearing a ripped t-shirt, Hooters booty shorts, and the usual black beanie, while Mack stands in front of his choice of pricey guitars.
Malone refuels between songs with none other than his favorite beer, Bud Light, and cigarettes. Malone’s infectious smile and energy carries the bandmates through a laid-back performance, giving off a casual “jam sesh” feel. The four play so naturally together. As I watched through my screen, it felt as if I was actually in the room with them.
The production of the livestream was professional and ran seamlessly with nearly no technical difficulties, making viewing easy and enjoyable. The only mistakes that were made go unnoticed to the common ear. After some of the songs, Malone apologized for minor mistakes that he made while playing the cords. Yet, I never would have noticed the slight imperfections if he hadn’t pointed them out.
The song selection of the set is one of true fan. Malone’s affection for the material is clear to viewers through the intimacy he displays while playing the guitar chords and singing the band’s lyrics so naturally. It’s definitely not his first time playing these songs and something he probably does on his own time, anyways. In true Nirvana style, Malone doesn’t include “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in his song lineup. The track is a favorite among many fans, but the band hated the mainstream popularity of the overplayed song and refused to perform it during their shows. Malone performed 15 of the band’s rock classics including “Come As You Are,” “Heart-Shaped Box,” “Something In The Way,” and “Lithium.” But for those who are not fans of Nirvana or Malone’s vibrato singing, the livestream might get a little old after a couple of songs.
The viewers were either devoted fans of Post Malone or Nirvana. Ironically, it seemed the people who enjoyed this performance the most weren’t Malone fans at all, but actually Nirvana supporters. “This was my introduction to Post Malone.. imagine my shock when I went and looked up his other music?!?” says D Knight in the comments of the video because of how natural and unforced the grunge sound is for Malone. The performance brought fans of the two opposite music tastes together.
Throughout the entire performance, the four musicians banter, telling funny stories about their lives and songs. While introducing the song “Stay Away,” Malone explains why he got the two words tattooed on his face. “A long time ago I got this song tattooed on my face and… uh… it’s one of my favorite songs and uh… we like to party,” says Malone before he abruptly starts strumming his guitar and moving on to the song.
In the YouTube comments, loyal Nirvana fans express their respect for Malone’s rendition. While scrolling through some of the 32,000 comments it’s almost impossible to find any negatives. This speaks volumes to Malone’s interpretation of the alternative rock band. “I’m 49 years old. Nirvana was my voice. The day Kurt died I cried like I lost a family member. So many people have covered Nirvana and fell flat. I have never heard anyone do it like Post and his friends did. Just badass. Thank you Austin for this amazing tribute,” says Gene Ford.
Nirvana fan or not, you can see Malone’s admiration and respect for their music through his performance. The tribute raised over $700,000 in support of The United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for The World Health Organization. Nirvana is one of Malone’s favorite bands that he frequently jams to backstage so in Malone’s own words, “why not do something f***ing fun and do it for a good cause.”
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