Paul McCartney Is Frontman In Nirvana Reunion At '12-12-12: The Concert For Sandy Relief'

The "12-12-12: The Concert For Sandy Relief" was full of surprises, but perhaps none was more surprising than the short-lived Nirvana reunion that took place thanks to former Beatles member Paul McCartney.

McCartney played for about one hour during the show, which is significantly more time than many of the artist were allotted. McCartney, being an incredibly well-experienced musician, made use of his time onstage by performing on a variety of instruments that includes the acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar, slide guitar and bass. McCartney also played with jazz pianist Diana Krall. Despite all the incredible songs he played, nothing topped the Nirvana reunion.

McCartney explained that he was simply invited to jam with some friends while everyone was rehearsing. He said that he didn't know exactly who the two guys he was jamming with were, but that he just played along. Then, he kept hearing them talk about how long it had been before they'd played together. Inevitably, Paul McCartney found himself in the middle of a Nirvana reunion. The trio decided to bring the jam session to the public during "12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief."

For the uninitiated, former lead singer of the recently disband Foo Fighter Dave Grohl started his music career as the drummer for Nirvana. His band mate Krist Novoselic has never been able to capture the same level of success as Nirvana, but he's also played in some bands since the passing of Kurt Cobain.

McCartney's explanation of exactly how he wandered into a Nirvana union was exactly the same when reported by the Guardian prior to the performance. Here's exactly how McCartney said he became involved in the reunion:

McCartney said: "I didn't really know who they were. They are saying how good it is to be back together. I said: 'Whoa? You guys haven't played together for all that time?'

"And somebody whispered to me: 'That's Nirvana. You're Kurt.' I couldn't believe it."

The Nirvana reunion was slightly bewildering because Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic didn't actually perform any Nirvana songs. Instead, they opted to play a new song that's called "Cut Me Some Slack," which has never been heard before.

The Nirvana reunion was just one of many performances from the world's biggest stars including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, The Who, Kanye West, Eddie Vedder and more. All of the world-class performers packed into Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 12. The promoters of the concert billed it as the largest musical event ever.

Click here or here to watch a video of the Nirvana reunion.