Thursday night saw the first resemblance to any kind of Nirvana reunion for the first time in 20 years, as the grunge-rock pioneers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, making the evening especially poignant. Rolling Stone reports that surviving members Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear were there to accept the award, and took a moment to honor their friend.
“People stop me every day, (and) they say ‘thank you for the music.’ When I hear that, that reminds me of Kurt Cobain. I wish he was here tonight. That music means so much to so many people. Kurt was an intense artist. He really connected with a lot of people,” Novoselic said during his acceptance speech.
Four female rock and rollers took the stage to help power through some classic Nirvana songs: Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon, St. Vincent, Lorde and Joan Jett. Jett specifically got the honor of singing the iconic teen angst anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” according to MTV news.
Other acts inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame this year include KISS, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, and Hall & Oates. The ceremony will air on HBO on May 31.
Check out below to see Jett and the rest of Nirvana rock out to “Teen Spirit.”