Smells Like Nirvana Heads to Planet Hollywood
For all those 1990’s Seattle grunge rock music lovers, it’s time to step back in time, while still witnessing Rock 'N Roll Compendium of Nirvana, the newest musical residency at Planet Hollywood with tribute band Smells Like Nirvana.
Yes, that’s right, it’s a Nirvana tribute band, but there are some very eerily entertaining similarities to the real Nirvana, which essentially ended after Kurt Cobain's death in 1994.
“I do look a lot like Kurt [Cobain],” said Kevin Leonard, lead singer of Smells Like Nirvana. “I have a similar face, long blonde hair and play guitar left-handed like Kurt, which is an extra bonus that I’ve seen no other Nirvana tribute have.”
The band is expected to put on more of a show rather than just perform a list of Nirvana's greatest hits in the standard rock-concert format. According to Leonard, the show will incorporate video, re-enactment of Nirvana’s most memorable moments, actual audio recordings of Cobain and his band members talking, and much more.
You’ll also get a chance to see Cobain’s most iconic guitars as Leonard uses real-deal replicas of Cobain's musical instruments including his “Sunburst Fender Jaguar, Orange Fender Mustang and ‘Vandalism’ Strat.”
Smells Like Nirvana is a rather recent venture, having only been formed in February 2013 with Leonard’s brother, who plays Dave Grohl’s position in the band as drummer. So far, the tribute band has frequented Hard Rock Hotel’s Vinyl, Hard Rock Café, M15 in Southern California and the ever popular local hotspot Vamp’d. For being a tribute band, that's a pretty good run for only being a year and a half old.
“The main thing that we want to portray with this Nirvana tribute is to help keep the spirit of their music alive and really capture the vibe of them,” said Leonard. “The angst, attitude, aggression, sorrow and overall emotion are the things that we are trying to create.”
You can catch Smells Like Nirvana beginning August 21. The band will have a six-week residency inside Planet Hollywood’s Sin City Theatre. Tickets will be $58.75 for general admission or $84.85 for VIP seating. When tickets go on sale, buy them here.
What: Rock 'N Roll Compendium of Nirvana
When: Aug. 21 – Sept. 28
Thursday – Sunday at 10 p.m.
Where: Sin City Theatre inside the
Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino
3667 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
