Nirvana – Live at Reading

Releasedate: 30-10-2009; Label: Universal
By: Nina Mende

Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990. With the lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from the band’s second album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana entered into the mainstream, bringing along with it a subgenre of alternative rock called grunge. Other Seattle grunge bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden had also gained popularity, and as a result, alternative rock in general became a dominant genre on radio and music television in the United States during the early-to-mid-1990s. As Nirvana’s frontman, Kurt Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the “spokesman of a generation,” with Nirvana the “flagship band” of Generation X.[1] Cobain was uncomfortable with the attention and placed his focus on the band’s music, believing the band’s message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, challenging the band’s audience with its third studio album In Utero (1993). Nirvana’s brief run ended with Cobain’s death in April 1994, but the band’s popularity continued in the years that followed. In 2002, “You Know You’re Right,” an unfinished demo from the band’s final recording session, topped radio playlists around the world. Since their debut, the band has sold over twenty-five million albums in the US alone, and over fifty million worldwide.

Nirvana is a band that never gets forgotten, just like The Ramones or Elvis. And somehow bands like these happen to still have new releases even many years after they passed away or simply quit. And for some strange reason these releases are mostly around Christmas. But me as a die-hard Nirvana fan back in the day, I don’t care. I was happy as a little child as I held the Live DVD in my hands.

Kris Novoselic does the first announcement on the huge stage at Reading while Kurt gets pushed in on a wheel chair being dressed as a insane and retarded person before they start rocking. Somebody is dancing around on stage as the guys perform. The music is totally energetic and passionate. Each tone is like a needle in the heart. The band seems to be in a sort of trance on stage and definitely in their own little worls. But so is the audience in front the stage at the Reading Festival. The guys are talking about somebody having announced this being the last show of Nirvana but the guys say it definitely is not before they start blasting out “Silver”. As the beginning riff of “Come As You Are” begins you can hear the audience going wild, and even during the song you can hear them shout. Even louder the audience is for “Lithium”, you can hear the masses singing along. Right before “Smells Like Teen Spirit” begins you can see the audience jumping and moshing. You can feel Kurt putting his entire heart and soul into performing this song. Kurt is dedicating “All Apologies” to his twelve day old daughter and Courtney and makes the thousands of fans yell “Courtney we love you”. As Nirvana comes back for the audience Kurt says “Happy Birthday” to Dave’s Mom and wants to start playing “Dumb” but the audience begins singing “Happy Birthday”. After that the band begins with their six songs encore. Kurt is leaving the stage for a while though while Dave and Kris jam a little. At the very end of the show Nirvana is making a mess on stage: pushing over the amps, throwing around the drums and such. A perfect grunge show.

This DVD is a wonderful journey back to 1992 and a must for every Nirvana fan.

Links:
Nirvana Official