Fans in the Intuit Dome wondering what hit them may have belatedly realized they were witnessing the closest thing to a Nirvana reunion we’ll get: The band’s three surviving members — Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear — blazing through bruising versions of “Breed” with St. Vincent on vocals, “School” with longtime friend and patron Kim Gordon and “Territorial Pissings” with Joan Jett, all filling the lead vocal slot vacated by Kurt Cobain’s death almost 31 years ago. Each singer brought the full gravel out of their voices while channeling Cobain, but St. Vincent in particular showed a rare ferocity. 

For the final track, Grohl’s daughter Violet took the mic for a much more chill song — a version of “All Apologies,” the beautiful lament that closes the band’s third and final studio album, “In Utero.” 

In many ways it was a sort of family reunion — Gordon and her former band, Sonic Youth, played a huge role in Nirvana’s rise, bringing them on tour and paving the way for the record deal that led them to superstardom — and for longtime fans, the sight of Novoselic, Grohl and Smear playing those songs again was deeply emotional. 

The set was actually a reprise of the four-song showcase that the surviving members — and most of the above singers — played at the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, although Lorde performed there instead of Violet Grohl. After that evening’s long ceremony (ended after 1 a.m.), friends and associates of the band decamped for an ultra-late blast through even more songs from the Nirvana canon featuring all of the evening’s singers.