When A Beatle Met Three Nirvanas

Last night was the 121212 concert to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims, and the stage was choked with classic rockers all night long. But the real highlight of the event came at the end; Sir Paul McCartney took the stage, rocked out a bit (seriously, his version of Helter Skelter killed) and the brought out three friends. They were Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear*, aka the remaining members of Nirvana. And so a Beatle and the rest of Nirvana played.

What they played was a new song, Cut Me Some Slack, which the quartet had written and recorded for Dave Grohl's upcoming documentary, Sound City. The film premieres at Sundance and will then be available for digital download shortly thereafter (go here to pre-order). The film is about Sound City Studios, where Nirvana recorded Nevermind, and which closed down in 2011. Grohl bought a bunch of the equipment from the studio, and in the course of making the film jammed out with musicians ranging from McCartney to Lee Ving to Barry Manilow to Lindsey Buckingham  to Tom Petty and more. 

I think this song is great. Hands down great. It's not a single, but it's a terrific rock song with drive and balls, something sorely needed in an era when Coldplay and Mumford & Sons have a stranglehold on popular rock. How can a guy as old as Paul kick ass so hard? It's incredible. I hope these four get together and record a whole album together. 

* Having Paul intro Pat Smear blew my mind. Smear was a member of one of the most amazing punk bands ever, The Germs, and so on that stage we had The Beatles, The Germs and Nirvana - pretty much all the rock music I love.