Nirvana Live At Reading Review
Nirvan – Live At Reading DVD
Words by Brendan Monteiro
What else is there really to say about probably one of the most legendary shows the Reading Festival has ever brought us. Back in 92 I was just stumbling across Nirvana and had never heard of the Reading Festival but as I have grown so too has my desire to have been present at that show. The feedback from the press back in the day was utterly immense and it was said to be one of those shows that you should lie about being there.
So fast forward to modern day and finally the 1992 date has been brought back to life in this never before seen DVD with remastered work from the original takes. In a way I found it a little sad watching Kurt rummage through greats like Sliver, In Bloom and my all time favourite Love Buzz (which unfortunately is not on the CD version). The reason that makes it so sad is on the frightful day back on April 4th 1994 the rock world lost one of it’s greatest assets it has ever had. His stage persona was at times a little confusing to the public but looking back through their monstrous 25 song set a lot of respect has to be given to him, he really was a truly gifted talent.
The quality will never be the same as modern day hollywood so don’t let that disappoint you when watching, there is just something for me in that old vintage styled film that makes the whole experience more real, and I think that if it somehow came out in full HD it would lose the organic feel and maybe have people questioning if this iconic show was just another moon landing filmed in a basement. The audio is great, this is not the only live recording of Nirvana that I have had the pleasure of seeing and it is by far the most enthralling sonically. Another great thing about this live performance is how Nirvana let their mistakes really shine through, they weren’t trying to deliver something polished and generic, what they do is authentic and shows the viewer what music is all about and that is having fun. Some people might get aggravated and blame Kurt’s drug misuse but I think it was just the style in which he played, whether intoxicated or not. I don’t want to give to much away about the performance because I hate it when somebody tells 75% percent of a story and then you watch it and it’s seems rather pointless as they could of just dropped in the last 25% and saved you the time. What I will give away is my favourite part of the DVD even though it may sound a little cliche, the chords to Boston’s More Than A Feeling echo out into the cold night followed by Krist Novaselice’s rather off key singing, Kurt then changes it into Smells Like A Teen Spirt and the effect is just absolutely bloody phenomenal. Kurt literally played until his fingers bled (in the final scenes if you look closely you can see blood in Kurt’s scratch board) and the show ends with the stage in ruins typical of the band. But I could of told you all of this way before the DVD came out, because I was there myself (I wish).
Strangely some lucky guy is handed Kurt’s guitar personally to him in one piece once the stage destruction comes to an end, can you imagine getting that at a show?
