Preview Clip Of NIRVANA's 'Lithium' Performance From HBO's ROCK HALL Induction Special

May 29, 2014

On Saturday, May 31, HBO will air a three-hour special of the 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. The event itself — which took place April 10 in Brooklyn, New York — ran nearly two hours longer and featured NIRVANA members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic performing a four-song set that saw them joined by an impressive lineup of some of rock music's most iconic female artists, specifically St. Vincent (whose real name is Annie Clark),Lorde, SONIC YOUTH's Kim Gordon, and Joan Jett.

Jett kicked things off by singing lead and playing guitar on "Smells Like Teen Spirit". She was followed by Gordon, who fronted "Aneurysm". Then came Clark on "Lithium". And finally, Lorde joined the band for a rendition of "All Apologies".

HBO has released a preview clip featuring the surviving members of NIRVANA rocking "Lithium" with Clark. Check it out below.

Grohl and Novoselic spoke with Rolling Stone about the band's performances during and after their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Grohl revealed, "We didn't even start talking about playing until about eight weeks ago. It just seemed practically impossible. It was hard to imagine jumping onstage and playing those songs. It takes a little bit of musical preparation, and a lot of emotional preparation."

Although they reached out to a number of singers, Joan Jett was the first to sign on. Grohl said, "She took it on like it was her calling . . . She learned every song on 'Nevermind'. She's everything that NIRVANA stood for. She's a powerful, rebellious, musical force of nature. We couldn't think of anyone better to join us."

Once Jett was involved, the other members realized that the singers at the induction had to be "all women," with Grohl explaining, "It also added a whole other dimension to the show. It added substance and depth, so it didn't turn into a eulogy. It was more about the future."

The biggest surprise of the night, however, was Grohl's onstage embrace with Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, with whom he has had a longstanding feud.

Grohl said about the moment, "We're family, no matter what. And we all love each other, no matter what. It's a lot bigger than a paragraph or a picture. It's real. So it was a reunion, and we were there for Kurt. It was a beautiful night. It was good."

The induction was followed by a 19-song show at a tiny bar in Brooklyn, featuring Jett, St. Vincent, Gordon, DEER TICK's John McCauley and DINOSAUR JR.'s J. Mascis.

That show was filmed and Grohl has that footage, but it's not clear whether it will be made public any time soon.

As for any future NIRVANA reunions, Novoselic said, "You never say never now. We did it. I sure won't say no. Maybe we can even do some new music one day." Grohl responded, "We haven't even talked about it. We looked at that evening as a night that may never happen again. That's what made it so powerful and beautiful and meaningful."

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