In a recent column for The Guardian, musician and photographer Melissa auf der Maur reflects on her iconic 1995 Lollapalooza photograph of Hole frontwoman Courtney Love applying makeup backstage, capturing the raw humanity, pressure, and survival of the 1990s alternative rock movement.
The 1995 Lollapalooza Tour Realities
- Melissa auf der Maur shares her personal archive in her book Melissa Auf der Maur: My ’90s Rock Photographs, currently on exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario through June 6, 2027.
- The featured photograph depicts Courtney Love preparing to go on stage near the end of a demanding three-week tour where Hole co-headlined alongside Sonic Youth.
- Auf der Maur utilized a Nikon point-and-shoot camera with a wide-angle lens to document the band’s environment, capturing intimate moments amidst grief following Kurt Cobain’s death, addiction struggles, and intense industry rivalries.
Melissa Auf Der Maur Documents 1995 Lollapalooza Tour
As detailed in her column for The Guardian, Melissa auf der Maur’s journey behind the lens began long before her tenure as the bassist for Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. Tracing her artistic roots back to a childhood visit to Jim Morrison’s grave at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, auf der Maur explains how photography provided her with a sense of agency. When she joined Hole, her artistic medium shifted naturally to documenting her surroundings on stage, backstage, and across the globe during a volatile era for alternative rock.
The 1995 Lollapalooza tour served as a crucial cultural flashpoint, marking the collision of radical underground freaks with mainstream corporate visibility. Armed with a newly purchased Nikon point-and-shoot camera featuring a wide-angle lens, the then-23-year-old musician captured the frantic energy of the road.
Capturing Courtney Love Backstage at Peak Power
Reflecting on the dynamics within the band, auf der Maur notes the profound trust that existed between herself and Courtney Love. Serving simultaneously as the group’s bassist and right-hand woman, auf der Maur occupied a unique insider position that allowed her to photograph Love without interference. In the selected cover image from her book, Love is captured applying her makeup just moments before walking out in front of massive crowds.
According to auf der Maur’s essay in The Guardian, the presence of an extensive roll of film from that specific night indicates a rare moment of collective strength and happiness within the group. The band was navigating the heavy shadow of Kurt Cobain’s death, internal addiction struggles, and external pressures from tour rivals like Sonic Youth, who held significant sway as alternative gatekeepers. Despite navigating what she describes as an absolute nightmare of a personal life, Love was consistently giving her all to every performance.
| Exhibition & Publication Detail | Specific Fact |
|---|---|
| Book Title | Melissa Auf der Maur: My ’90s Rock Photographs (Published by DelMonico Books) |
| Exhibition Location | Art Gallery of Ontario |
| Exhibition Closing Date | June 6, 2027 |
| Key Tour Documented | Lollapalooza ’95 |
Reflections on a Defining Decade in Rock History
For auf der Maur, the years spent touring with Hole constituted the defining chapter of her professional and creative life. While her subsequent career included notable stints with The Smashing Pumpkins and independent art photography projects, her archival work serves as a personal barometer and guiding tool for her ongoing midlife resurrection as a visual artist. Contrasting the limitations of the pre-digital film era with the saturation of modern digital culture, she emphasizes the enduring value of working with intention and strict limitations.
The newly published collection preserves a vital window into a generation of musicians hijacked by corporate forces and shaped by sudden loss. Through her lens, auf der Maur documented not only the misunderstood and heavily scrutinized persona of Courtney Love, but the authentic resilience of artists performing at the absolute peak of alternative power.
