by With the recent news of Paramount+ streaming the highly popular MTV Unplugged series I thought I’d take a look back at the top performance that defined the show.
MTV Unplugged Debuted in 1989 featuring the English rock band Squeeze. The first episode I remember watching featured Stevie Ray Vaughn and Joe Satriani. I was hooked after that episode.
MTV Unplugged featured some of the hottest bands of the time. Some, one notably, was the last time we’d ever get to see them preform. While the quality of the sing varied from band to band there are a few that stood out back in the 90s and still stand out today.
MTV Unplugged was one of the shows I always watched on MTV. Sometimes I liked the performance, sometimes I didn’t. It was always great to tune in and see who was going to perform and how they would change their songs into acoustic versions.
There were a number of great bands on MTV Unplugged over the years. Many of the great rock bands of the 80s even made an appearance. Great White, Aerosmith, Poison, Ratt and Winger to name a few. They all did a fantastic job and showed a different side to their hard rocking persona.
As great as those were they didn’t make the Top 10 list. While the Top 10 features a couple of rock bands it also features bands and singers from other genres. Bands who took their appearance on MTV Unplugged to the next level and made it a masterpiece. Many of them sold their Unplugged session as an album (I suppose it was a CD by then), selling millions of copies.
As always we’re counting down from 10 to 1, let’s get it started…
10. George Michael (1996)
George Michael appeared in 1996 without his iconic hair. His hair may have been short but but his voice was unmistakable. His set is a good mix of songs including Freedom and Father Figure.
His voice is amazing to listen to with out any of the normal backing music and accompaniments.
9. Stevie Ray Vaughn & Joe Satriani (1990)
One of the early episodes featured two magnificent guitar players, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Joe Satriani. Both put on a masterclass. I’d say you could close your eyes a listen to this episode but you’d miss all the great finger work on the guitar.
Joe Satriani is a rock legend. He has over 20 albums and has taught many famous guitarist including Steve Vai, Kirk Hammet (Metallica), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Kevin Cadagon (Third Eye Blind) and many more.
Sadly this was a bit of a farewell tour for Stevie Ray Vaughn. He died in a Helicopter accident in August 1990. He died way to soon. I can only imagine what music he would have put out in the last 35 years.
8. Pearl Jam (1992)
In 1992 Grunge music was hitting it’s stride thanks in part to Nirvana’s hit album Nevermind. Pearl Jam wasn’t far behind releasing their album Ten in the same year. Pearl Jam actually released Ten one month before Nevermind.
Pearl Jam was a huge success and went on MTV Unplugged in early 1992 to keep their popularity going. The show was a hit. Pearl Jam’s session on Unplugged might be one of the best sets I’ve seen from them.
7. Eric Clapton (1992)
Eric Clapton is a musical superstar. He was in The Yardbirds, Cream and Derek and the Dominoes before going solo in the mid-70s. His 1977 album Slowhand was a breakout success with hits “Lay Down Sally,” “Wonderful Tonight” and “Cocaine.” He didn’t perform any of those songs for his Unplugged set.
He played a new arrangement of “Layla” which may be better than the original. He rearranged most of the songs for a better acoustic feel. It was a nice slow bluesy concert. He played “Tears in Heaven” less than a year after his sons death, it’s a wonder he can even finish the song.
Clapton wrote “Tears in Heaven” to help heal his grief from the tragic death of Conor, his four year old son. In March 1991 Conor fell to his death from a 53rd floor balcony of a Manhattan apartment.
Clapton released his Unplugged session in August of 1992 and it sold over 26 million copies. He won six Grammy Awards for the album as well.
6. Rod Stewart (1993)
Rod Stewart, or should I say Sir Rod Stewart (he was knighted in 2016) has been singing since the early 60s and worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry. In the late 60s he joined the Jeff Beck Group, by early 1970 he was embarking on a solo career.
His popularity grew in the 70s with hits like “Maggie May,” “You’re in my Heart” and the Disco anthem “Da’ Ya Think I’m Sexy.” In the 80s he embraced the new synth-pop sound on “Tonight I’m Yours” followed by other hits throughout the 80s like “Downtown Train,” “Young Turks,” “Forever Young,” “Some Guys Have All the Luck” and so many more.
He continued through the 90s with “Have I Told You Lately” and “All for Love.” In 1993 Stewart appeared on MTV Unplugged and was reunited with longtime friend and band member Ronnie Wood. Yes, Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones fame. Stewart and Wood were in the Jeff Beck group together and Wood played guitar on a few of Stewart’s early albums before he joined The Rolling Stones.
Stewart sang for over an hour with hit after hit. He released the set as on album in May 1993. It would sell over 3 million copies.
Some of my favorite Rod Stewart albums are his Great American Songbook series. It’s three albums with songs from the 1930s and 1940s. Stewart’s voice is exceptional and brings the songs new life. If you haven’t heard them they are worth checking out. Songs from his Christmas album, Merry Christmas, Baby (2012) always get played during the Christmas season.
5. Stone Temple Pilots (1993)
Another one of the iconic Grunge bands of the 90s. Stone Temple Pilots probably doesn’t rank in the top five grunge bands for most people but I’m not most people. Critics at the time called them grunge imitators. Stone Temple Pilots is one of my favorite grunge bands of the 90s.
They were on MTV Unplugged shortly after their first album, Core, hit the market. But it wasn’t the first time they were unplugged. Core was released in September 1992, in December lead singer Scott Weiland and guitarist Dean DeLeo appeared on MTV Headbangers Ball and sang an acoustic version of “Plush.”
During Stone Temple Pilots MTV Unplugged set they debuted a new song, “Big Empty” from their upcoming album Purple.
Stone Temple Pilots is another band wrapped in tragedy, lead singer Scott Weiland died of a drug overdose in 2015. He was replaced by Chester Bennington of Linkin Park fame. Bennington died by suicide in 2017.
4. KISS (1995)
KISS was a polarizing band in my house, probably in a lot of houses. My mom was fully onboard with the ‘Knights in Satan Service’ propaganda and wouldn’t allow KISS in the house. That didn’t stop my sister, who was a huge KISS fan and bought all their albums. Only to have my mom break them in half and throw them away. I can’t tell you how many times KISS albums were destroyed in my house. Neither of them would give in…
Of course with all the arguing over the albums my other sister and I became intrigued and started listening to KISS. My mom lost us all to the Knights! 🤣
In 1995 KISS made an appearance on MTV Unplugged and the KISS Army was thrilled. It was excitement to see KISS but more importantly the original band was back together. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons contacted Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to join them on MTV Unplugged. It was the first time the original band members played together since 1980.
KISS Unplugged was a fantastic night of music ending with the KISS anthem “Rock and Roll All Nite.” KISS released their set as an album, KISS Unplugged, in 1996. It wasn’t their best seller but it’s a great album.
3. Alice in Chains (1996)
Alice In Chains was another huge band in the 90s. They took the grunge scene by storm and are one of the best grunge bands of the era. Their first album, Facelift, was released in 1990, a year before Nirvana would transform the grunge scene. It sold over 3 million copies. Their album, Dirt, sold over 5 million copies and gained them even more fans.
Like a large percentage of rock bands, drugs started taking a toll on the members. Lead singer Layne Staley and bassist Mike Starr were the biggest users. Mike Starr was released from the band during their Dirt tour. The official word was ‘different priorities’ but Starr maintained he was let go due to drug use.
Staley had his own drug problems as he was addicted to heroin. He entered rehab and the band missed a tour in the summer of 1994 with Metallica, Danzig and Suicidal Tendencies and they missed out on a Woodstock ‘94 spot.
The rehab and hiatus lasted longer than expected and Alice in Chain’s appearance on MTV Unplugged in April 1996, was the first time the band played together in three years. Staley looked gaunt and weak but his voice was still strong.
They played most of their popular songs like “Rooster,” “No Excuses” and debuted the new song “Killer is Me” which only appears on the Unplugged album. I wish they would have played “Man in the Box” too.
Alice in Chains started touring again with KISS on their Alive Worldwide Tour. Their tour was cut short after only four stops when Staley relapsed in July 1996 and overdosed on heroin.
Staley became a recluse and battle drug addiction for the rest of his life. He was found dead of a drug overdose on 05 April 2002. Exactly seven years after the death of Kurt Cobain. Mike Starr battled drug addiction and lost as well. He died of a drug overdose in 2011.
2. Queensryche (1992)
Queensryche is one of my all time favorite bands and favorite live performances. Operation: Mindcrime is easily the best album of 1988, there is no debate. Operation: Mindrime is a concept album and rock album telling a story from start to finish. While you can listen to the songs in any order it’s best to listen to them in the order on the album.
It was Operation: Mindcrime that gave them the most recognition. The follow-up album in 1990, Empire with the hit single “Silent Lucidity” shot them into mainstream stardom.
I saw them on the ‘Building Empires’ in May 1991 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. It was a fantastic concert. They played songs from the new album, some older songs and about half-way through they started playing Operation: Mindcrime. They played the entire album from start to finish, it was awesome! They weren’t done either, they played four or five more songs before ending the night with “Silent Lucidity.”
Geoff Tate’s voice and breath control are amazing and is showcased perfectly in “Silent Lucidity.” During the live show he never sounded out of breath or missed a word to take a breath. Even with all the on-stage antics he was in perfect control of his singing. Tate is an excellent and underrated singer of the time.
The concert sits in my top three concerts of all time. It was amazing. When I moved to Denver in late 1991 Queensryche was in town for the final leg of their tour. I wasn’t able to get tickets but I did get to meet the band. For some reason, probably PR work, the band was at a local drum store for a meet and greet and signing autographs the day before the concert.
My brother-in-law and I drove down to Drum City, a little hole-in-the-wall drum store, which is still open today, to meet Queensryche. I expected a huge crowd and long lines to meet the band and I was completely wrong. We parked and walked into up to the table where Geoff Tate, Chris DeGarmo and Scott Rockenfield were sitting. There were less than 30 people milling about.
I had a Queensryche hat and shirt from the concert they all signed and we talked with them for 20-30 minutes. Rockenfield had a drum kit setup in the parking lot and played for the crowd. It was a great couple of hours. I still have no idea why there wasn’t a bigger crowd.
Following the ‘Building Empires’ tour Queensryche filmed their session for MTV Unplugged. It featured songs from their current album including the ever popular “Silent Lucidity.”
1. Nirvana (1993)
Nirvana was one of the biggest bands around in the early 1990s. They were certainly the biggest grunge band and put grunge music on the map and in the ears of everybody.
Their album, Nevermind, was a groundbreaking (and record breaking) album that remains one of my all time favorites. It topped all the charts and sold over 13 million copies in the US alone.
In late 1991 I relocated to Denver and was hoping to see Nirvana in concert. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. The Nevermind tour didn’t come to Denver, which I never understood.
The In Utero tour came to Denver and played at the Denver Colosseum, which holds about 8,000 people. One of the smallest venues in the city. I don’t know why they didn’t play at a bigger arena. Tickets sold out fast and I wasn’t able to see Nirvana in concert.
Nirvana’s appearance on MTV Unplugged is one of the best performances of the entire Unplugged series. Nirvana broke all the rules and broke records along the way. They didn’t play their popular songs, instead playing cover songs and lesser known songs from their albums. They introduced a new guitarist, included a cello and even had an accordion on one song.
Tensions were high between MTV producers and Kurt Cobain. MTV wanted more popular songs and Cobain didn’t care, he even brought on Nirvana’s opening act Meat Puppets to play some of their songs. Another issue; Cobain was in the height of drug withdrawals trying to kick the habit and everyone was worried if he would get through the show.
Cobain made it through the show just fine and it was one of his best performances. Even he admitted it was a good show, which he rarely (never?) admitted.
Nirvana’s album, MTV Unplugged in New York was released seven months after the untimely death of Kurt Cobain. It sold over 8.5 million copies and won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance.
Sadly, Kurt Cobain died by suicide on 05 April 1994 in Seattle, Washington. The news shocked fans, the music industry and the world.
That ends the list of the best MTV Unplugged performances in the 90s. While some of the bands had a tragic ending they all gave us (and continue to give us) enjoyment with their music. I miss the days when MTV was the one stop channel to get news on bands and great music.
Did you watch MTV Unplugged in the 90s? Did you watch in the 2000s? What are your favorite performances? Let us know in the comments below.
You can share your thoughts on X too. The main Retro Network channel is @TRNSocial and I’m @MileHighSamurai You can also find me on Bluesky @MileHighSamurai
