Nirvana’s headlining appearance at the 1992 Reading Festival has achieved legendary status. Bootlegs of the show have been circulating for years. Many fans have two or three copies, and have spent hours debating which is best. The debate is over. The gig has finally been officially released, and all the distortion has been remastered for your listening and viewing pleasure.
Live at Reading is the mirror image of Unplugged in New York. Unplugged showed Kurt Cobain at his most vulnerable and insecure. Live at Reading shows a band that is completely comfortable in such a large setting. The moment they tear into “Breed,” they never let go. All of the stupid live album clichés are absent. Kurt rarely addresses the audience for more than a terse “Thank you.” There is none of the indulgence that comes with arena rock. Live at Reading is just Nirvana and their incredible songs.
The setlist is flawless. The band blows through all of their major hits, along with key album tracks like “About a Girl,” “Drain You” and “Territorial Pissings.” They also play an early version of “All Apologies.” The musical structure is in place, but Kurt hasn’t written the all the lyrics yet. Instead of singing, “I wish I was like you/Easily amused,” he repeats the first verse. Kurt’s voice holds up well throughout, but his voice starts to buckle towards the end. Fortunately, Krist Novaselic and Dave Grohl are there to pick up the slack.
Live at Reading dispels the myth that Nirvana was all about Kurt Cobain. Novaselic and Grohl provide a rock solid canvas for Kurt to paint his walls of distortion. Because Grohl is such a phenomenal drummer, Novaselic gets overlooked. His bass playing is nimble and melodic, creating a nice counterpoint to Kurt’s guitar playing.
“Aneurysm” is the best example of Nirvana’s chemistry. It starts with a harmless guitar riff and then explodes. Grohl’s drumming alone could flatten the entire arena. However, each member is equal. If one member of Nirvana was missing, it wouldn’t have worked. This is a band that was clearly the sum of its parts. On the DVD, it’s fascinating to see how the band worked as a unit. Kurt was on stage left, teetering back and forth with the beat of the music. Novaselic was the showman, hopping around and mugging for the fans. Grohl was aggressive, hitting the drums with a frightening level of intensity. They don’t look like a unit, but they were all on the same page.
Live at Reading strips away the myth of Nirvana and reveals a band. Kurt Cobain was not a deity, he was a man. His voice cracks under strain. He misses chords and goes out of tune. He was never able to completely transform into a rock hero. The vulnerability was always on display. There is a very revealing moment during the introduction. Kurt teeters to the microphone and sings the first line of “The Rose.” His voice is dripping with sarcasm, but his anxiety is palpable. The moment he starts to play “Breed,” the anxiety dissipates. He may have resisted the “rock star” label, but he knew how to command a stage.
Live at Reading is available as a CD, DVD and a CD/DVD combo.