It doesn't seem possible that Kurt Cobain and the music of Nirvana was reshaping the face of modern popular music just over a decade ago, a thought rendered even more ironic when you consider the band in question existed barely a decade themselves, having come together and fallen apart in roughly five years' time. Exploding like a whirling flannel dervish upon the collective consciousness of America's youth and giving "Generation X" something into which to channel their coffee-fueled angst, the now seemingly timeless oeuvre of Nirvana -- a mere three studio albums (1989's "Bleach," 1991's "Nevermind" and 1993's "In Utero") -- feels like an awfully slender thread upon which to hang a cultural revolution, until you consider a film like Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!, which lays bare precisely what made (and continues to make) this trio from Seattle so relevant.

Conceived by Cobain as a kinetic document of the band's 1991-92 world tour, but completed by bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, along with director Kevin Kerslake, Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! careens through the band's early catalog and, of course, their earth-shaking platinum sophomore smash, 1991's "Nevermind," interspersing clips from countless television interviews and home video antics amid searing live performances of such now-classic tracks as "About A Girl," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Polly" and "Come As You Are." Above all else, what shines through most in Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is the band's tireless sense of humor; faced with a soul-crushing schedule and a frenzied media descending upon these three twentysomethings in an effort to decipher the appeal of the then-newly tagged "grunge" phenomenon, Grohl, Novoselic and Cobain all maintain a wry detachment from the insanity swirling around them. Cutting up on an airplane or goofing around backstage, you clearly see that these were men not comfortable shouldering the weight of an entire generation.

Released in the mournful months after Cobain allegedly took his own life in April 1994, Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! functions as a companion piece to the chilling "Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York," which was released two weeks prior to the documentary, providing a glimpse at both ends of the band's musical spectrum. The incandescent flare which lit up popular music in the early Nineties, only to just as quickly be snuffed out, the music and message of Nirvana still resonate to this day. Like the man says: here we are now, entertain us.

The Video:

Presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen, Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! ranges from acceptable to downright scary -- shot on an array of formats in a wide variety of locations (airplanes, arenas, hole-in-the-wall clubs, dimly lit living rooms), the visual quality is, understandably, not anywhere near perfect. It's likely the director's and band's intent to keep this material scuffed up and (pun semi-intended) grungy. As such, you shouldn't pick this up expecting a revelatory image.

Having only been previously available on laserdisc and VHS (with its far-from-sophisticated audio options), it's good to see that Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! was deemed worthy of an aural upgrade to a Dolby Digital 5.1 track (the original Dolby 2.0 stereo is also included). Unfortunately, the 5.1 track, while plenty loud, is strangely harsh and has some clunky directional effects; the crowd noise pops in and out of the back speakers while the bass often threatens to overwhelm the abrasive guitar work. It's an odd mix, with peculiarities that I can't quite put my finger on but of course, like the visuals, these audio tracks were nearly always recorded under less than ideal circumstances.

There isn't much in the way of supplemental material included, which strikes me as a missed opportunity. Only five additional songs from a 1992 Amsterdam performance -- "School," "About A Girl," "Been A Son," "On A Plain" and "Brew" -- are on board, all presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen with DD 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtracks, as is a sorta nifty feature called "Personal Playlist," which basically allows you to arrange the songs in the film in whatever order you'd like.

Released in the mournful months after generational messiah Kurt Cobain allegedly took his own life in April 1994, Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! functions as a companion piece to the chilling "Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York," which was released two weeks prior to the documentary, providing a glimpse at both ends of the band's musical spectrum. The incandescent flare which lit up popular music in the early Nineties, only to just as quickly be snuffed out, the music and message of Nirvana still resonate to this day. Like the man says: here we are now, entertain us. Recommended.