Watch Nirvana surprise-reunite with Post Malone on vocals at SNL50

Andy SambergAndrew Sacher
Watch Nirvana surprise-reunite with Post Malone on vocals at SNL50

Nirvana have just made their second surprise appearance in the past two weeks. After surviving members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear joined forces to play Nirvana songs at FireAid with three of the same guest lead vocalists who joined them 11 years earlier at the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Kim Gordon, St. Vincent, and Joan Jett, plus Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet this time), the three of them did it again at the SNL50: Homecoming Concert on Friday night (2/14), which Dave Grohl was added to shortly after he resurfaced at FireAid. This time, their lead vocalist was Post Malone, who famously did an all-Nirvana covers livestream with Travis Barker on drums during COVID lockdown (which Dave Grohl praised), recordings of which are now set to come out on vinyl for Record Store Day 2025.

They were introduced by Adam Sandler, and they went on to play “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Watch footage of that below.

St. Vincent was also at SNL50 but didn’t play with Nirvana this time, and instead took part in a David Bowie tribute alongside David Byrne, Arcade Fire, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. SNL50: The Homecoming Concert also included fellow grunge legend Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam (covering Tom Petty), Lady Gaga and Andy Samberg teaming up for a “Shallow” / “Dick In A Box” medley during a Lonely Island set that also had Andy and Chris Parnell doing Kendrick Lamar’s “TV Off,” Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer reprising their Culps roles and doing Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” (and Chappell Roan and Doechii and Megan Thee Stallion and more), Miley Cyrus & Brittany Howard covering Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” DEVO, The B-52s, Bad Bunny, Snoop Dogg, Robyn & David Byrne, Lauryn Hill, Mumford & Sons (who covered Simon & Garfunkel with Jerry Douglas), Cher, show-closer Jack White (who covered Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” before wrapping up the show with The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”), and much more. Watch some other clips from the show below.

Update: official video of the full “Smells Like Teen Spirit” performance is out now:


Tags: Andy samberg, Bvhome, David byrne, Eddie vedder, Lady gaga, Music, Nirvana, Post malone, Punk, Robyn, Saturday night live, Snl, Snl50, The roots, Tom petty