Tony Hawk remembers “transformative” Nirvana gig, wishes Kurt Cobain had met their grandson

Tony Hawk has reflected on watching Nirvana perform live and expressed his regret that Kurt Cobain was never able to meet their grandson.

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Tony Hawk and Nirvana have a shared history, with the legendary skater having seen the iconic Seattle grunge band perform back in 1991. Beyond that, Hawk’s son Riley would go on to marry Kurt Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean, with the couple welcoming their son Ronin Walker in September last year.

Now, Tony Hawk has reflected on the “transformative” experience he had watching the band and spoken about Kurt after coming across a 1991 ticket stub from Nirvana’s Washington concert.

In a now-expired Instagram Story – which has since been captured and posted onto Reddit – Hawk wrote about the 1991 gig: “Went straight from S.U.A.S [Shut Up And Skate] event at Houston Skatepark to this concert in 1991. It was as transformative as live music can possibly be: we all experienced something rare and powerful that night. The world would never be the same.”

He added: “I wish Kurt were here so he could see the incredible woman his daughter has become, meet her devoted, caring husband, and hold our wondrous grandchild.”

See the full post below.

Tony Hawk discussing Kurt, Frances, and seeing Nirvana.
byu/sludgezone inNirvana

Frances Bean Cobain – who was only one year old when Kurt died – and Riley Hawk welcomed Ronin Walker Cobain Hawk in September last year, a year after they got married.

Prior to Ronin’s birth, Frances remembered her late father on the 30th anniversary of his death: “I wish I could’ve known my Dad. I wish I knew the cadence of his voice, how he liked his coffee or the way it felt to be tucked in after a bedtime story. I always wondered if he would’ve caught tadpoles with me during the muggy Washington summers, or if he smelled of Camel Lights & strawberry Nesquik (his favourites, I’ve been told).”

She added: “But there is also deep wisdom being on an expedited path to understanding how precious life is. He gifted me a lesson in death that can only come through the LIVED experience of losing someone. It’s the gift of knowing for certain, when we love ourselves & those around us with compassion, with openness, with grace, the more meaningful our time here inherently becomes.”

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A post shared by Frances Bean Cobain (@thespacewitch)

Frances Bean also added a collection of photos of her father from when he was a child to the post, and concluded by recalling a letter that Kurt wrote to her before she was born.

“The last line of it reads, ‘wherever you go or wherever I go, I will always be with you.’ He kept this promise because he is present in so many ways. Whether it’s by hearing a song or through the hands we share, in those moments I get to spend a little time with my dad & he feels transcendent. To anyone who has wondered what it would’ve looked like to live alongside the people they have lost, I’m holding you in my thoughts today. The meaning of our grief is the same.”

Elsewhere, Nirvana have staged two surprise reunion performances this year. The first came at the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles, where they were joined by Joan Jett, Kim Gordon, St. Vincent and Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet.

Earlier this month, Nirvana once again reunited for a special SNL 50 concert and were joined by Post Malone on vocals.

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