Nirvana's MTV Unplugged: 19 images from the hallowed performance as it turns 32 this month

It has been 32 years since the most haunting and essential performance of the grunge era was captured on tape.

On November 18, 1993, Nirvana stepped onto the stage for MTV Unplugged in New York, delivering a session that famously defied the network's expectations and became the band's unintentional final testament.

Far from a greatest-hits acoustic recital, the atmosphere was dark, the song choices obscure, and the emotion raw, capturing the complicated soul of Kurt Cobain and the immense power of a band operating at their most vulnerable.

To mark this enduring anniversary, we are taking a deep dive into the stories behind that legendary night, pairing each with a piece of trivia from the taping and the subsequent events afterwards.

From the chilling request to decorate the stage "like a funeral" to the record-breaking price paid for Cobain's famous mohair cardigan, this curated look reveals the secrets behind a performance that forever changed the rock and roll landscape.