Rock and Roll’s worst kept secret got out Saturday night, as concertgoers saw the Foo Fighters invite Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear, Joan Jett and Deer Tick’s John McCauley on stage for a Nirvana reunion. The secret meetup happened in San Bernardino at the 2018 Cal Jam Festival during the Foo Fighter’s headlining set.
According to an article from the Rolling Stone rumors began to spread since Nirvana founder Novoselic was listed on the card with his band Giants in the Trees. Also scheduled to perform as headliners were Foo Fighters members, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear.
The Cal Jam lineup also included McCauley who performed with Nirvana during their 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The final member of that hall of fame performance was Jett, who was added late to the shows but seemed to cement the rumors.
The duo each took three songs, with McCauley singing vocals for “Serve the Servants”, “Scentless Apprentice” and “In Bloom”. Jett took care of vocals for “Bleed”, “All Apologies” and the classic hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
On the song “All Apologies” Brody Dalle of the Distillers took over on bass, as Novoselic played on the accordion. Before the song began Novoselic asked the crowd to make some noise for Nirvana’s former frontman, the late Kurt Cobain.
“I just wanna hear a big cheer for somebody,” Novoselic said, “I wanna hear a big cheer for Kurt Cobain.”
While Novoselic seems happy to celebrate his past, he is also working on new music. In August, the former Nirvana bassist announced he the formation of his band, Giants in the Trees.
The band released a music video for their newest single “Sasquatch” in August. Novoselic founded the band with fellow members Erik Friend, Jillian Raye, and Ray Prestegard who he met at his local Grange organization in Skyway, Washington.
Like their former bandmate, Grohl and Smear have had a busy summer with performing with the Foo Fighters. Besides headlining Cal Jam, the band performed show in Los Angeles under their alias “The Holy Shits”, along with Rodger Taylor of Queen. This is on top of releasing their ninth studio album, Concrete and Gold.
Besides teaming up with the Foo Fighters for secret performances, Jett has her own exciting news. In September, she dropped a new single titled “Fresh Start.” The song will be included on the soundtrack for her upcoming autobiographical documentary, Bad Reputation. Based on the title of one of her hit songs, the biography will document Jett’s journey through the music industry, going back to the ‘70s.
Jett is also set to appear with Smith’s frontman, Steven Patrick Morrissey at the Microsoft Theater on November 1. Jett will be opening for Morrissey along with her band, the Blackhearts.
Despite Jett’s and Novoselic’s busy careers, Nirvana fans shouldn’t be too worried about missing out on this performance. If the crowd at Cal Jam is any indication this lineup will be back to thrill audiences again.
Photo Credit: Marisa Rose Ficara
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