As part of the Grunge movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Nirvana revolutionized rock music with their album “Nevermind” in 1991, which became a mainstream hit. Kurt Cobain said in a 1991 interview with Gilbert Blecken that they were approached to open for many well-known bands at the time, but they declined.
4 famous bands that Nirvana refused to be their opening act:
Kurt Cobain stated the following regarding Ozzy Osbourne during the interview: “He also asked us to go on tour with him, but we turned it down. It would have been fun and kind of exciting to be part of his last shows, but we don’t really wanna play in huge arenas supporting someone.”
The journalist then inquired as to whether it was accurate that the group turned down an offer from Guns N’ Roses, to which Cobain responded, “Yeah. And Rush, Skid Row and a bunch of others also asked us. Those kind of bands.”
Ozzy Osbourne
The guitarist mentioned Nirvana as one of his favorite Hard Rock bands in a 2007 interview with Lauch Radio Networks. Regarding the group, Ozzy stated: “Apparently, I met (late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain), ’cause I was talking to Dave Grohl and he said, ‘You probably don’t remember this, but when you were in Devonshire Studios in the (San Fernando) Valley, me and Kurt were in the room where they had a pool table. When you walked in we were like, ‘F***ing hell.’”
Early in the 1990s, Ozzy Osbourne received a false diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating condition affecting the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). This led to the announcement of the “No More Tours” tour, which was named after his most recent album, “No More Tears,” and his retirement from the band as a result of the illness. Later on, though, he discovered everything was well and carried on with his profession.
Rush
Rush was promoting their 14th studio album, “Roll The Bones,” in 1991. The album was a commercial success, charting at number three in the US. They toured North America, Europe, and Canada between October 1991 and July 1992 to promote the record.
Guns N’ Roses
In addition to their critically lauded earlier albums, Guns N’ Roses achieved their zenith in 1991 with the publication of “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II,” which featured songs like “Don’t Cry,” “November Rain,” “Civil War,” and “You Could Be Mine.” The two albums were promoted with a tour that visited 27 countries between January 1991 and July 1993.
Skid Row
The legendary album “Slave To The Grind” by Skid Row, which debuted in 1991 and sold 134,000 copies in its first week, became the first Heavy Metal record to reach the top of the Billboard 200 during the Nielsen SoundSacan period. Back in 1991, the group opened for Guns N’ Roses on their “Use Your Illusion” Tour, which took them around North America.