Semi-Nirvana Reunion At Bumbershoot

Music Fans in the Pacific Northwest can attest to the fact that Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival was one of the coolest Labor Day Weekend fiestas in the country. And while artists like Sonic Youth, David Byrne, Sugar Ray, Sleater-Kinney and Reel Big Fish rocked throughout the four-day festival, it was two other mega-stars that stole the show.

During the Foo Fighters' Friday night performance, former-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic joined his ex-bandmate Dave Grohl on stage during the Foo's encore in an apparent salute to the late Kurt Cobain. Grohl took his old position on drums, Novoselic jammed on bass and a spotlight encompassed the mic to honor Cobain, who took his life in April of 1994.

The former Grunge kings did what was described as a very emotional version of Prince's "Purple Rain." Following the song, a roadie for the Foo Fighters joined the two on stage and sang a rockin' version of Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown."

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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