"Very Ape" & "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" - Nirvana [MTV Live & Loud Soundcheck 12.13.1993]

Twenty years after MTV's iconic Nirvana "Live And Loud" set from 1993, you can watch the soundcheck for "Very Ape" and "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter." It is revealing and entertaining in a way you that the final performance could not be. Early on in the video for "Very Ape" you'll see Kurt make full use of Grohl's drum kit. Hitting the cymbals, pumping the foot pedal setting the rhythm, he does so with the composure of a dancer. It's a mesmerizing thing to watch.

With deadpan delivery, Kurt opens soundcheck on "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter": "Should we play now? We're just gonna stand here until someone tells us to play." He stares out and gets his cue; Nirvana breaks into a lo-fi distortion of radio-friendly rage. Watching this video, I love seeing a young, clean-shaven Dave Grohl beating the shit out of those drums, and just plain killing it.

As reported here on Zumic, Universal Music has officially released an In Utero deluxe box set that includes the original In Utero CD remastered at Abbey Road Studios, a 2 CD deluxe edition with B-sides and rarities, and a DVD of the "Live and Loud" concert. You can purchase it on Amazon.