Nirvana's Reading set hits DVD - worth the wait?
Nirvana's Reading set hits DVD - worth the wait?
Thursday, 29, Oct 2009 02:26
On a blustery night on August 30th 1992, a hunched figure in a blond wig clad in a white hospital gown was wheeled on to the main stage at Reading Festival to the deafening applause of 50,000 fans who were about to witness what has now become known as the gig that shook the world.
The affectedly frail-looking wheelchair-bound figure was of course Kurt Cobain and while the stunt was a tongue-in-cheek response to media claims that he was nothing but a useless drug addict, the critics were about to be silenced even further by the band's triumphant performance in would become one of rock's most talked about gigs.
In the run-up to the performance rumours about Kurt's drug use were spreading thick and fast and there were murmurings that the band would not even make it to the festival, or perhaps even worse still, turn up and being a complete flop. But back on the main stage Kurt's ham-acting, which culminated in him fainting at the mic, eventually passed and getting to his feet he picked up his guitar and the band launched into the thunderous opening of Breed, kick-starting a ferocious set that although slightly scrappy at points remained utterly captivating from start to finish as it showed the band at their rawest and unpredictable best.
The set was a relentless barrage of tracks from the band's then current arsenal of heavily distorted grunge hits, the majority of which were lifted from their classic album Nevermind which since its release the previous summer had been selling several a hundred thousand copies a week worldwide.
Not surprisingly the gig was a huge hit with bootleggers as the band often pointed out throughout the set and footage of the show will no doubt be familiar to even the most casual of Nirvana followers but the planned release of the gig on CD/DVD in November offers a rare opportunity to relive the experience in full.
The release, simply titled Nirvana Live at Reading, consists solely of live footage from the concert but the audio has been digitally boosted and now comes at you as a 5.1 surround sound mix which may seem at odds with the shambolic live playing style of the band but the resulting sound quality is absolutely incredible.
Kurt's searing feedback, Krist Novoselic's driving bass runs and Dave Grohl's vicious kit pounding have been given a fearsome supercharging and although the ropey and almost embarrassingly lo-fi lighting makes the performance look like they could be a cheap wedding band, there is no denying the visceral and breathtaking energy the trio harnessed and that is captured perfectly here on film.
For many,Live at Reading will be a welcome reminder of what the band was capable of in full flight but there are moments here that will appeal to all fans of live music, like the goose-bump inducing sing-along to Lithium and Kurt's rather touching request that the crowd all shout "we love you Courtney" to his new and apparently slightly paranoid wife.
However, although the enraptured crowd heave and holler beneath him, Kurt's gaze remains piercing yet distant throughout and it is often difficult to ascertain just how much of his head and indeed heart is there. The playful between-song banter between the three is heart-warming to say the least and the chaotic and climactic destruction of their equipment is a fitting end to a gig that would never be matched again.
The mould was truly broken that night and tragically the pieces turned to dust when Kurt took his own life on April 5th 1994.
Ross McTaggart
Nirvana Live at Reading is released on November 2nd.
The full track listing of the DVD is:
Breed
Drain You
Aneurysm
School
Sliver
In Bloom
Come As You Are
Lithium
About A Girl
Tourette's
Polly
Lounge Act
Smells Like Teen Spirit
On A Plain
Negative Creep
Been A Son
All Apologies
Blew
Dumb
Stay Away
Spank Thru
Love Buzz
The Money Will Roll Right In
D-7
Territorial Pissings