On Feb. 14 at Brooklyn’s Academy of Music, Hole taped their MTV Unplugged. Here’s my mini-review with the set-list for those who are interested. I have no word as to when this will be broadcast, but I am assuming it will take about a month or two to get on the air.

First of all, the place was 98% filled with industry people, which I am sure is the case with most of these Unplugged tapings. I was about one of 20 people who won the tickets on the radio (thanks Z-100), and therefore was forced to be in the back of the massive line. We were told to arrive at 8:30 and the taping would begin at promptly 9:30. Well, all I can say is, so much for what they said. I didn’t enter the stage area until 10:15. While I was on line, though, I did get a chance to see MTV VJ Kennedy walk around and talk to lots of people. She seems pretty cool and down to earth, despite mostly everyone’s hatred for her.

Anyway, once in the stage area I immediatley noticed how nice the Opera Room was decorated. It had the typical Unplugged look to it, but there were nets all around the back of the band with dolls hanging all over them. There were cardboard Roman columns and multi-colored curtains hanging around as well.

Finally, after an hour delay (nobody knows yet why this happened; some say Courtney was upset over something) the band took the stage at 10:30 and the show began. They played for a little over an hour, which included some delays and “imprompetu” cover songs.

The songs they played (straight from the set-list) is as follows:

1. Miss World 2. Best Sunday Dress (Courtney said it was a new song) 3. Softer. Softest 4. Drown Soda (Written by Kurt Kobain) 5. He Hit Me (+ It Felt Like A Kiss) (Carole King song) 6. Asking For It 7. You Got No Right 8. Untitled (She said she & Kurt wrote this while they were drunk in Rio) 9. Season Of The Witch 10. Old Age 11. Doll Parts 12. Sugar Coma

Courtney had a little trouble starting. “Miss World” was okay, and they had to start over “Softer. Softest” a couple of times. “Drown Soda” was probably the highlight of the Unplegged. She said that they always mess it up, and it’s probably because Kurt makes them fuck up when they do it. Well, it sounded great. “Asking For It” was pretty solid, and also done well. The rest of the show was alright. I’m sure after a lot of post-production it will be nice and polished and sound really great. When the set was over, Courtney and Eric smashed their guitars together and she knocked him over on his stool. She then trashed some of the stage, and they left.

There were also a couple of interesting moments that I don’t think will make it to the broadcast. They jammed on a good rendition of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf” I’m sure it was done as a joke, but it sounded really good. Too bad they stopped playing it half-way through the song. Some guy gave her flowers for Valentine’s Day. She took them and gave the guy a hug and a kiss, but then she just dropped them on the floor, which was pretty funny. She also had some words with Spike Jonze who was sitting in one of the side balconies with his “people” and Kennedy and her “people” and the rumored to be there Drew Barrymore (I didn’t see her.)

Finally, after the show was over, the band came back to redo some of the songs that needed some help. This is usual for Unplugged, which is why it is usually always nice and polished sounding. They did “Softer. Softest” yet again, because Courtney and Patty didn’t seem to be on sync. Patty kept drumming too slow, and it threw everyone off. Then they did “Asking For It” and Courtney quickly left. The band seemed a little surprised. I think they were supposed to do some more songs over and also some encores (according to the set-list: “Plump” and “Babies”), but Courtney looked annoyed that she had to come back out at all. She kept complaining all night that she had to pee. Guess she really had to go. 🙂

All in all, it was an okay show. Really nothing great, and I must admit, worse than I expected. I hope when it gets on TV, it comes across better. Somehow I think it will.

As a final note to those who might not know, MTV also taped Unplugged shows with The Cranberries, Melissa Etherige, Live, and Sheryl Crow.