For those of you who scour the internet for old trading lists, there are many mislabels floating around which may distract you. Some of these errors are due to mistakes, misinformation, or even obfuscation by bootleggers on pressed bootleg CDs; whilst others are due to poor memories of tapers.
This list will attempt to compile all of the known mislabels over the years of Nirvana trading.
If you find a copy of what appears to be an unsurfaced show, but the recording is listed in the first column of this page below, do check with the Nirvana Live Guide to see if the setlist of your find is the same as that of the recording given in the corresponding second column below - if the setlists match, then it is almost certain that you have the mislabel and not an unsurfaced recording.
We shall compile all mislabelled dates in the first column, list the correct date of the concert in the second column, mention whether a concert actually occurred on the mislabelled date in the third column, state whether a recording of the concert on the mislabelled date actually exists in the fourth column, and state a reason for the mislabel in the fifth column. Here "CD" means a bootleg CD has incorrectly reported the date or venue of the concert in its sleeve notes; "Vinyl" means a vinyl bootleg release notes the incorrect information on its cover; "Hoax" means an unscrupulous trader has deliberately mislabelled a tape; "Other" encompasses all other reasons. The Notes column adds extra information, including the names of CD or vinyl releases blamed for the mistakes.
1987-1989
| Mislabel: | Actual Details: | Concert Played? | Recording Exists? | Reason & Notes: |
| xx/xx/85 rehearsal | 06/23/89 Los Angeles | No | No | Other / MTV gave the wrong date when they aired clips from 06/23/89. |
| xx/xx/87 Raymond | 03/xx/87 Unknown | Yes | No | Other / This show turns out to be NIRVANA's first ever concert. The Cobain biography, 'Heavier Than Heaven' by Charles Cross, confirmed the date to be 03/87. The bootleg 'First Live Show' is even more exact, claiming the date to be 03/07/87, but there is some skepticism about this. |
| 12/?/87 Tacoma | 01/23/88 Tacoma | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show list this show as '12/?/87 Legends Club - Tacoma, WA'. |
| 12/14/87 Tacoma | 01/23/88 Tacoma | No | No | CD & Video / The rare "Tacoma 1987" Bootleg CD lists the date as "1987", but this confusion can be traced back to the original video source, which was labelled as "December 1987". Dale Crover has since confirmed this show to be 01/23/88, the evening show following the recording session. |
| 05/15/88 New York | 04/10/90 Ann Arbor | No | No | Vinyl / The "Oi Kinnock, Give Us Back Our Rose" 7" vinyl bootleg has a few songs from the 04/10/90 show, and is not from the New Music Seminar in 1988 as stated on the sleeve. |
| 06/xx/88 Olympia | 06/xx/89 Olympia | No | No | CD / The "Complete Cover Versions" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 10/31/88 Seattle | 10/28/88 Seattle | No | No | The Union Station show is now believed to have taken place on the 28th, and is uncirculated |
| 12/xx/88 Aberdeen | xx/xx/8x Aberdeen | No | No | Other / There are no known dates for Kurt's 'Bambi Kill', 'Clean Up Before She Comes', 'Beans' and 'Black And White Blues' home recordings. Several bootlegs lists this recording incorrectly. |
| 12/24/88 Seattle | 06/xx/88 Seattle | Yes | No | CD / Several bootlegs lists this studio session incorrectly. The real 12/24/88 studio session is not circulating in trading circles. |
| xx/xx/89 Aberdeen | xx/xx/88 Aberdeen | No | No | Other / Several bootlegs lists this concert incorrectly. (The 'About A Girl' demo). |
| xx/xx/89 Seattle | 11/22/89 Vienna | No | No | CD / The "Out Of The Blue" CD lists this show as "Seattle University 1989", which is likely to be obfuscation on the part of the bootlegger to avoid detection, or possibly just the assumption that all early Nirvana shows were likely to be in Seattle. |
| xx/xx/89 Australian Radio | 11/22/89 Vienna | No | No | CD / "Outcesticide VI - A Mess Of Blues CD" lists this concert incorrectly. |
| xx/xx/89 Atlanta | 05/06/90 Atlanta | No | No | Other / Mislabelled on trade lists. |
| 02/25/89 Seattle | 11/22/89 Vienna | Yes | No | Other / Mislabelled on trade lists. |
| 04/15/89 Portland | 02/09/90 Portland | No | No | CD / The "World Without End" 2CD set has this mislabel. |
| 07/xx/89 Los Angeles | 06/23/89 Los Angeles | No | No | CD / The "In Memory Of Kurt Cobain" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 07/07/89 Chicago | 07/08/89 Chicago | Yes | No | CD & Other / This show circulated widely on the "Bleach Out! Break Out!" bootleg CD, which lists the date as the 7th. In November 2002 it was revealed that NIRVANA played in Madison on the 7th, so the original date is now thought to be incorrect. The true date is most likely to be 07/08/89. |
| 07/09/89 Wilkinsburg | 07/12/89 Philadelphia | Yes | No | Hoax? / The real 07/09/89 show is unsurfaced. |
| 09/01/89 Tijuana | 02/17/90 Tijuana | Yes? | No | Video / This video is now known to be from 1990, but was widely reported to be 09/01/89 before this was corrected. |
| 09/09/89 Chicago | 09/30/89 Chicago | No | No | Video / This show was previously assumed to be a Sonic Youth support slot, but analysis of the venue's website reveals that this was not the case. |
| 10/01/89 Cincinnati | 10/06/89 Cincinnati | Yes | No | Other / The date of this show was originally misreported until a newspaper clipping surfaced which gave the true date. |
| 10/12/89 Birmingham | 10/29/89 Birmingham | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 10/15/89 Long Beach | 02/16/90 Long Beach | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 10/23/89 Newcastle | 02/16/90 Long Beach | Yes | No | CD / Those tracks on Outcesticide II which claim to be from this show are really from Long Beach. |
| 10/27/89 London | 10/25/89 Leeds | Yes | No | CD / "Blew" Australian CD. |
| 10/27/89 London | 10/30/89 Norwich | Yes | No | An incomplete 10/30/89 circulated as 10/27/89. The real 10/27/89 surfaced in 2004. |
| 11/05/89 Hilversum | 11/01/89 Hilversum | Yes | Yes | Other / The session was aired on the 5th hence the mislabel. |
| 11/13/89 Hamburg | 11/09/89 Hannover | Yes | Yes | Vinyl / From the vinyl "Love Box" , listed as 11/89 Germany. The real date is most likely to be 11/09/89, as evidenced by the band's attempts to learn German in contemporary shows. A genuine recording from 11/13/89 is circulating. |
| 11/17/89 Frankfurt | 11/17/89 Gammelsdorf | No | No | In October 2002 it was ascertained that the correct venue for this show was Circus, Gammelsdorf and not Negativ, Frankfurt as had been believed. |
| 11/19/89 Gammelsdorf | 11/17/89 Gammelsdorf | No | No | Other / Tapes of incomplete 11/17/89 used to circulate as 11/19/89. Although it was thought that this was a hoax, it now transpires that the venue was correct after all, and the error in the date was probably a mistake. |
| 11/19/89 Heidelberg | 11/15/89 Heidelberg | No | No | Video / The video originally surfaced as 11/19/89 before the true date was established. |
| 11/21/89 Linz | 11/20/89 Linz | Yes | No | Video / The "Dankeschön" DVD bootleg lists this show incorrectly. |
| 11/22/89 London | 10/26/89 London | Yes | Yes | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 11/24/89 Hilversum | 11/25/91 Hilversum | Yes | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 11/25/89 Hilversum | 11/25/91 Hilversum | Yes | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 11/28/89 Florence | 11/26/89 Mezzago | Yes | No | CD / The "In The Bloom" CD bootleg lists this show as 11/28/89, but this concert is actually from 2 days prior to that. |
| 11/28/89 Vienna | 11/22/89 Vienna | Yes | No | CD / The "Live At The U4" CD bootleg lists this show as 11/28/89, but this concert is actually from 2 days prior to that. |
| 12/01/89 Paris | 12/01/89 Issy-les-Moulineaux | Yes | Yes | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
1990
| Mislabel: | Actual Details: | Concert Played? | Recording Exists? | Reason & Notes: |
| xx/xx/90 New York | 01/10/92 New York | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 01/01/90 Seattle | 01/01/91 Seattle | No | No | CD / The "Undiscovered Tracks Vol. 2" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 01/07/90 Seattle | 01/06/90 Seattle | No | No | CD / The "Supercollossal Bigmuff" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 01/15/90 Los Angeles | 02/15/90 Los Angeles | No | No | CD / The "Dive into Hole" and "Live Vol. 2" bootlegs has this mislabel. |
| 02/13/90 San Francisco | 02/14/90 San Francisco | No | No | Other / This show has been mislabeled in the past. |
| 02/18/90 Tijuana | 02/17/90 Tijuana | No | No | In March 2004 it was ascertained that the correct date is 02/17/90. |
| 03/xx/90 Olympia & 04/xx/90 Olympia | 03/20/90 Olympia | n/a | No | Video / The early music videos, known as the "Evergreen Videos", were made on the 20th. |
| 03/11/90 Chicago | 10/26/89 Chicago | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 04/02/90 Chicago | 04/01/90 Chicago | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 04/04/90 Atlanta | 05/06/90 Atlanta | No | No | Other / Unsure of information. |
| 04/15/90 Portland | 02/09/90 Portland | No | No | Other / Unsure of information. |
| 05/05/90 Jacksonville | n/a | Yes | Yes | Hoax / A trader pretended to have this show. An audio does exist but is not circulating. |
| 05/14/90 Lincoln | 05/13/90 Lincoln | Yes | No | CD / "Saturday Night Sonic Attack". Note that the "Mindblower" CD had the right date all along. Nirvana played in Denver on this date. |
| 08/13/90 Long Beach | 02/16/90 Long Beach | No | No | No show was played at this date. |
| 08/xx/90 San Francisco | 04/xx/91 San Francisco | No | No | Other / 'Drain You', recorded at "Melvins House" in April 1991 claims to be from August 1990 on several bootlegs. |
| 09/?/90 Portland | 02/09/90 Portland | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 09/15/90 Olympia | 09/25/90 Olympia | No | No | Other / KAOS broadcast now believed to have been on the 25th. |
| 11/05/90 London | 11/05/91 London | No | No | CD / The "Ultimate Collection Vol. 1" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
1991
| Mislabel: | Actual Details: | Concert Played? | Recording Exists? | Reason & Notes: |
| 01/xx/91 London | 10/21/90 London | No | No | Other / The session was aired in January 1991 hence the mislabel. |
| 01/xx/91 New York | 01/10/92 New York | No | No | Video / The 1994 MTV tribute to NIRVANA was littered with factual errors. The songs selected from the MTV Studios concert in 1992 were labelled as January 1991. |
| 01/11/91 Seattle | 01/01/91 Seattle | No | No | CD / The "Heart-Shaped Box (Disc 2)" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 01/16/91 Olympia | 01/18/91 Olympia | No? | No | Other / The date of this concert was misreported at first. Two songs from this show is circulating. |
| xx/xx/91 Dallas | 10/11/91 Detroit | Yes | Yes | CD / "Dallas 91" & "Live Trees". The 10/19/91 Dallas show is available on video, and clips are on "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!". |
| xx/xx/91 Seattle | 12/28/91 Del Mar | No | No | CD / The "Live At Duffy's" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly as Seattle '91. |
| 04/11/91 Bristol | 11/04/91 Bristol | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 04/12/91 Del Mar | 12/28/91 Del Mar | No | No | CD / The "See You Soon" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 05/05/91 London | 11/05/91 London | No | No | CD / The "Live Tits" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 06/16/91 Del Mar | 12/28/91 Del Mar | No | No | CD / The "The Club" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 06/19/91 Sacramento | 06/17/91 Sacramento | No | No | Other / In September 2006 it was discovered that the real date for the show is 06/17/91. The date of this concert was misreported from a person who taped the show. |
| 06/xx/91 Reading | 08/23/91 Reading | No | No | Video / MTV frequently gives the date of Reading 1991 clips as June 1991. |
| 08/11/91 London | 11/08/91 London | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 08/17/91 Köln | 08/24/91 Köln | No | No | Video / The "Lives Forever" bootleg DVD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 09/30/91 Boston | 09/23/91 Boston | Yes | No | Other / MTV gave the wrong date when they aired clips from the show |
| 10/03/91 Seattle | 10/31/91 Seattle | No | No | CD / The "Ultimate Collection vol. 1" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 10/21/91 Houston | 10/21/91 Austin | No | No | Other / A show was played in Houston the previous night. The confusion was over the location of the day show. |
| 10/23/91 San Diego | 10/24/91 San Diego | No | No | Other / The Off The record in-store show took place on the 24th, the same day as the concert in Tijuana, and not the previous day as was assumed before. |
| 10/29/91 Portland | 08/20/91 Cork | No | No | CD / "Put The Money Down". |
| 11/xx/91 Leningrad | 11/17/91 Mezzago | No | No | Other / Mislabelled on trade lists as '11/xx/91 Leningrad Sports Complex'. |
| 11/04/91 Paris | 02/04/94 Paris | Yes | Yes | Video / The "Live Forever" bootleg DVD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 11/12/91 London | 11/09/91 London | Yes | No | CD / The "Smells Like Nirvana" 7" bootleg lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 11/13/91 Munich | 11/17/91 Mezzago | Yes | Yes | CD / The "Europe 1991" CD had no date so various guesses were made until August 2005 when the real 11/16/91 surfaced. |
| 11/16/91 Muggia | 11/17/91 Mezzago | Yes | Yes | CD / The "Europe 1991" CD had no date so various guesses were made until August 2005 when the real 11/16/91 surfaced. |
| 11/20/91 Bariciella | 11/17/91 Mezzago | Yes | Yes | CD / The "Europe 1991" CD had no date so various guesses were made until August 2005 when the real 11/16/91 surfaced. |
| 11/20/91 Bologna | 11/17/91 Mezzago | Yes | Yes | CD / The "A Season In Hell Part 2" CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| xx/xx/91 Gent | 11/11/91 Hamburg | Yes | Yes | CD / "Bleach Pop" and "Live In Belgium". |
| 11/24/91 Amsterdam | 11/25/91 Amsterdam | No | No | Other / The "2 Meter" Session took place on the same day as the Paradiso concert, and not the previous day as was assumed before. |
| 11/26/91 Amsterdam | 11/25/91 Amsterdam | No | No | CD / "Paradiso" ("2 Meter" Session). |
| 11/28/91 London | 11/27/91 London | Yes | Yes | Other / Top Of The Pops was first aired on the 28th hence the mislabel. |
| 11/29/91 Edinburgh | 11/30/91 Glasgow | Yes | Yes | Other / Some old tapes were mislabelled. |
| 12/05/91 London | 11/22/89 Vienna | Yes | Yes | CD / The "Over The Rainbow" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 12/15/91 London | 09/03/91 London | No | No | Vinyl / The "Foretaste" 7" bootleg lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 12/28/91 San Diego | 12/28/91 San Diego | Yes | Yes | Other / The first FM broadcast has been mislabeled as audience recordings on trade lists. |
1992
| Mislabel: | Actual Details: | Concert Played? | Recording Exists? | Reason & Notes: |
| 01/31/92 Melbourne | 02/01/92 Melbourne | Yes | Yes | CD / "Saturday Night Sonic Attack". |
| 02/03/92 Melbourne | 02/01/92 Melbourne | No | No | Other / The show was broadcast on the 3rd of February 1992. |
| 02/06/92 Stockholm | 06/30/92 Stockholm | Yes | Yes | Other / Mislabel from eBay. |
| 02/17/92 Kawasaki | 02/14/92 Osaka | Yes | No | CD / This surfaced on "Tribute To Kurt Cobain Series Vol. 1", with this mislabel. |
| 03/xx/92 San Diego | 12/28/91 San Diego | No | No | Other / Several bootlegs lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 06/03/92 Stockholm | 06/30/92 Stockholm | No | No | CD / "Unleashed". |
| 06/24/92 Paris | 09/11/92 Seattle | Yes | Yes | CD / The "Love Paris" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 07/07/92 Chicago | 07/08/89 Chicago | Mo | No | Other / Mislabel from eBay. |
| 09/08/92 Los Angeles | 09/09/92 Los Angeles | Yes | No | CD / The "Higher State Of Mind (Rottweiler)" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 09/08/92 Belgium | 11/11/91 Hamburg | Yes | No | Other / Mislabel from eBay. |
| 09/10/92 Los Angeles | 09/09/92 Los Angeles | Yes | Yes | Video / MTV Video Music Awards was aired on the 10th as "live", hence the confusion. |
| 09/29/92 Los Angeles | 09/09/92 Los Angeles | No | No | Other / MTV gave the wrong date when they aired 'Rape Me' from 9/11/92. |
| 10/02/92 Washington DC | 10/02/91 Washington DC | No | No | Other / Old tapes and trade lists of this show were mislabelled. |
| 10/02/92 Bellingham | 10/03/92 Bellingham | No | No | Other / There is a clip on "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!" of this concert, and 20 minutes of an audience recording is now circulating. |
| 10/04/92 Seattle | 09/11/92 Seattle | Yes | Part | Video / Five songs have surfaced on video. |
| 10/11/92 Seattle | 09/11/92 Seattle | No | No | Other / Mislabel from eBay. |
| 10/13/92 Buenos Aires | 10/30/92 Buenos Aires | No | No | CD / The "Higher State Of Mind (Rottweiler)" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 10/26/92 ??? | 12/28/91 San Diego | No | No | Other / An old Nirvana discography lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 10/30/92 Buenos Aires | 01/23/93 Rio de Janeiro | Yes | Yes | Video / Mislabelled video. |
| 11/xx/92 Rockin The Environment Festival Seattle | 12/28/91 San Diego | No | No | CD / Mislabelled on multiple bootleg CDs. |
| 11/xx/92 San Diego | 12/28/91 San Diego | No | No | CD / Mislabelled bootleg CD. |
1993
| Mislabel: | Actual Details: | Concert Played? | Recording Exists? | Reason & Notes: |
| xx/xx/93 Reading | 08/30/92 Reading | No | No | CD / "Unplugged And More". |
| xx/xx/93 Chicago | 10/31/91 Seattle | No | No | Other / "Aftershow at the Staying Power Club, Chicago 93". Several bootlegs lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 01/07/93 Seattle | 01/07/94 Seattle | No | No | CD / "Rape Me Again". |
| 01/22/93 Rio de Janeiro | 01/19>21/93 Rio de Janeiro | No | No | CD / "The Sessions". |
| 03/xx/93 Cannon Falls | 02/12>26/93 Cannon Falls | No | No | Other / Mislabeled on various Nirvana websites. |
| 03/14/93 Cannon Falls | 02/12>26/93 Cannon Falls | No | No | Other / Mislabeled on various Nirvana websites. |
| 07/23/93 New York | 12/13/93 Seattle | Yes | Yes | Video / The MTV concert was frequently mislabelled amongst older video traders, and this confusion still persists on some commercial lists, e.g. at CD Shop Gold. |
| 07/25/93 New York | 07/23/93 New York | No | No | CD / The "Make Me Sick" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 08/30/93 Reading | 08/30/92 Reading | No | No | CD / The "Unplugged And More" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 09/14/93 Montreal | 02/14/94 Paris | No | No | CD / "Come As You Are" and clones. |
| 10/21/93 London | 10/21/90 London | Yes | Yes | CD / The "Plugged & Unplugged" CD lists this concert incorrectly. The Peel Session was aired in October 1993. |
| 10/25/93 Chicago | 10/23/93 Chicago | Yes | No | Other / unsure of information. |
| 11/27/93 St. Petersburg | 11/27/93 Miami | No | No | CD / "Meltdown". |
| 11/28/93 Miami | 11/27/93 Miami | No | No | CD / "Miami 1993". |
| 12/xx/93 New York | 11/18/93 New York | No | No | CD / The "Plugged & Unplugged" CD lists this concert incorrectly. The show was aired in December 1993. |
| 12/04/93 Chicago | 12/10/93 St. Paul | No | No | CD / "Unleashed". |
| 12/15/93 Seattle | 12/13/93 Seattle | No | No | Video / The date of the MTV broadcast was uncertain for a long time. |
| 12/31/93 Seattle | 12/13/93 Seattle | No | No | Video / The MTV Live and Loud concert, although premiered on New Years Eve, was in fact recorded earlier in the month. Nirvana played in San Francisco on New Years Eve. |
1994
| Mislabel: | Actual Details: | Concert Played? | Recording Exists? | Reason & Notes: |
| xx/xx/94 New York | 02/04/94 Paris | No | No | CD / The "Fighting The 'N' Factor" bootleg CD lists this concert incorrectly. |
| 01/06/94 Spokane | 01/07/94 Seattle | Yes | No | Hoax / An old hoax from many years ago. |
| 02/12/94 Paris | 02/12/94 Toulon | Yes | Yes | Video / The Toulon video surfaced labeled as 02/12/94 Paris (correct date, wrong location). Since the Paris concert was known to have taken place on 02/14/94, the video's date was often changed to reflect this, and became 02/14/94 Paris, when in fact it was the location that was incorrect not the date. |
| 02/22/94 Rome | 11/18/93 New York | Yes | Yes | CD / 'The Man Who Sold The World' from Unplugged claims to be from Rome on multiple bootleg clones of "XXII II MCMXCIV". |
| 03/01/94 Munich | 02/24/94 Milan | Yes | Part | Video / The commercial release of the bootleg video is titled "The Last Nirvana Show", which it is not. |
| 03/02/94 Munich | 03/01/94 Munich | No | No | Nirvana's final show was on March 1st. |
| 04/02/94 Paris | 02/04/94 Paris | No | No | Video / The "About A Boy" bootleg DVD lists this concert incorrectly. |