Seattle, WA. A typical Saturday night, a typical live music venue. It’s a struggle these days in the era of the plague, but they say the show must go on. And as that show went on, a band found themselves pelted with rocks and garbage nearly from the opening note to the end of their abbreviated set.
Starkville, Mississippi’s Nevermind is a tribute band with a unique “mash-up” twist founded by brothers Kyle and Ezra Wagoner in 2016. In an area where people tend to prefer country and western music, the band knew they’d have to set themselves apart. The gimmick they arrived at was to perform the songs of Aberdeen, WA’s legendary Nirvana in the neo-technical/progressive power-metal style of Nevermore, another hero hailing from Seattle, not far from Aberdeen in the same region as Nirvana. When they got the Seattle show confirmed, it was a dream come true for the brothers and the band. “I can’t wait for them to see my re-imagining of the solo for Teen Spirit in the home of grunge,” read a post from guitarist Ritchie Van Zandt before it was pulled down following the show.
Plans of wooing the Emerald City were short-lived however, as fans in the music mecca were not impressed. In fact, the dozens in attendance took up arms against the band resulting in a shortened set, their drink tickets were voided by the bar, and as violence ensued, the band is grateful to have made it out alive.
Reaction from a bewildered and pissed off audience ranged from generally negative to outright hostile:
- “It’s just a bit close to home, dontcha think? Oh, and what the actual fuck, right??!!”
- “When the fuck did Kurt Cobain ever play an arpeggio sweep??!!”
- “These guys like… know these bands are from around here, right?? Why in the hell would the come here to do this??”
- “Just wait til we send some shit-ass band to their podunk little jerkwater town!”
- “I really don’t recall there being so many in the band or Kurt having such a dynamic vocal range and I cannot say that the addition of either component did the songs ANY good whatsoever.”
- “Who the fuck re-imagines Nirvana??!!”
One angry fan was ejected by house security for chanting shotgun references threateningly.
The promoter could not be reached for comment and the venue wishes to remain nameless, but both assure the public that Nevermind will not be performing at their venue again. At press time we have learned that the Wagoner brothers have disbanded Nevermind due to a steady stream of death threats.