Customer Reviews

Nirvana: Live at Reading

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In a word - amazing! Live At Reading serves as a vibrant reminder as to why Nirvana belongs in the pantheon of great rock bands, and how they may likely be the last great and meaningful band to emerge in the past twenty years. Live At Reading captures the band at a crossroads - just a year before in 1991, the band played the very same festival, but was relegated to an afternoon performance somewhere in the middle of the multi-day, multi-band gathering. Just a year later, they would be arriving as conquering anti-heroes, having in the space of a year, accomplished the small feat of changing the face of music. Now the festivals headliners, Nirvana - and particularly Kurt Cobain, had become the subject of much public attention, and amidst a cloud of rumours and innuendo stirred up by the press, the appearance was as much anticipated for the spectacle as it was for the expected performance, a performance that would be the bands final in the U.K. What is captured on tape, hardly comes across as a band in its final moments - Live At Reading explodes with ferocity and moments of sheer brilliance. Granted it has its less than sparkling moments, but those are few and far between, and seem more a by-product of a band at odds with its own success, and adding verity to event.

The moments where Nirvana truly shine are too many to mention - the performance of "School" displays the skills and sound which made Dave Grohl such a key addition to the band. His drumming matches the visceral attack of Kurt's vocals, turning the performance into a thundering pummel that churns the crowd into a sea of screaming bodies. Other highlights include blistering performances of tracks from Nevermind, including "Breed," and "Lithium," the latter of which induces the crowd into a most memorable sing-a-long segment, serving to illustrate both the bands immense popularity at the time, and the potency of its songs.

Other highlights include those from the then forthcoming In Utero album, including the first ever performance of "Tourette's" and the soon to become classic "All Apologies."

On the technical side, the 5.1 Surround mix mastering done by Bob Ludwig is nothing short of incredible. Having been fortunate enough to work from the original multi-track masters, the sound freed from those tapes is a revelation, and reason enough for any lagging fans still listening in simple stereo, to make the leap to a surround system. The picture quality is also a quantum leap forward, having owned a bootleg copy for years, the improvement is clearly visible. Live At Reading is a must have for any Nirvana fan, casual or core.

this will be pretty short...I've been a Nirvana fan since I was a wee boy. I was lucky enough to see them on the In Utero tour in 1993 and its always been one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I love this concert and can't wait for more. The shot is professional...over the years I've been used to crappy bootlegs. The Nirvana machine keeps rolling. I'm sure Kurt is rolling in his grave.

One of the things that struck me eventually, was the fact that here were just three lone wolfs and the sound they managed to make was amazing! Most of the bands I can think of are at least 4, most are 5 person bands. And along came Nirvana with three....and played awesomely ! Not having had the opportunity to ever see the band live, this recording is absolutely fabulous to have. I TRULY HOPE THE NIRVANA CAMP PUTS OUT ONE OF THE IN UTERO CONCERTS at some point because I would surely buy it as well. I assume eventually they will & they should. Contrary to what some people know of Cobain's views, he was a paradox when it came to his success in that he wanted commercial validation, and the money from it, as much as the next guy, but certainly shunned the notoriety associated with it.

At the time of this concert he was at a particularly difficult time in his life concerning his family - his daughter was born just 2 weeks prior and the child was removed from their care because of an article appearing in Vanity Fair painting the couple as unfit parents. I read about the incident in two sources and was struck with an idea of the terrible horror I would feel if someone had taken my child from me at any time, let alone shortly after birth. Irregardless of whether there was enough evidence pointing to the possibility of child endangerment due to drug use, I believe the state agency handling the affair should have considered (and had more compassion) a more humane way of handling the whole matter.

So if anyone was wondering why Cobain looked the way he did in the video (actually not as bad as you would think given the circumstances) yet I could see the strain in the man's face during the performance. He was also in the throes of kicking his unfortunate heroine habit - but still managed to pull out an amazing performance just to prove he wasn't DOA. The relationship between Novoselic, Grohl & Cobain was also very strained at the time. To me, this makes this performance all the more stunning in that it amazes me Cobain was able to perform as well as he did, though it was said of him that when it came to the business of Nirvana, Kurt was always on top when he wanted to be.

I am so sorry for his family, bandmates and friends that he did not want to continue what he had started. It seems apparent from written sources that insofar as Cobain was concerned, his own music would have progressed beyond the confines of the music genre he was in because that was what he had expressed an interest in doing. I wish exceedingly he had given himself the opportunity to do so. To Nirvana, one of my favorites, a great performance indeed & I'm very happy it was preserved for a later time.

I loved the MTV Unplugged performance and this is a great show with the normal amplified format....or Nirvana at FULL POWER !!! A must have for your collection if your a fan !!!

I'm not going to go into detail about what an amazing musician/performer Kurt Cobain was. You know the name, you know the sound, etc. This concert is a must have. Kurt gets wheeled out onto the stage as if the backstage area was a hospital, and proceeds to rip through a set of tunes that are as relevant today as they were in '92. Just buy this, put your feet up, grab a beer, cocktail, ur girlfriend/boyfriend etc.. and watch this band sing and play their hearts out for you! Yes this is THAT good! Hey Kurt, wherever you are thanks for the music & ROCK ON DUDE!!!

Great show, good sound quality, good footage, good performance, and good set list, the band played for a while.

This concert was fortunate to be preserved in time for the enjoyment of all future generations, to offer insight into the culture of an era that redefined the polished trend of music. This is a phenomenal concert.

Part of what makes this DVD great is how unrefined the final product is. Parts where the band faltered were left in instead of edited out. One instance of this is very apparent in "Sliver" where Kurt Cobain starts the song off singing off key, holds back a laugh, and continues to try to find the right note. I would have been exceedingly disappointed if this was edited out. Everything about this concert has been done in tune with the philosophy of the grunge movement in the late 80s and early 90s. Everything from the on stage stumbling dancer Tony Hodgkinson (who "still writes all [their] songs," =) to the chanting of the crowd, singing the songs with equal vocal force against the amplifiers of the band.

Its the small things which make this show interesting. The crowd roaring the lyrics of "Dumb," which was not even on an album yet, and Krist remarks "The power of the bootleg, Kurt!" the tongue in cheek sense of humor of Kurt Cobain being wheeled out to the microphone in a blond wig, all make this an "must have" for any Nirvana fan.

That said, this dvd does have its downside.

For one, some critics have called this "the greatest concert of all time," and while despite being a huge Nirvana fan for years, this simply is not true. Its a great concert, but it by no means tops the performances of Woodstock and various other legendary events.

Another issue, which I actually decided not to give the 5th star for, was the lack of interviews or bonus features. I would have loved to have seen some interviews with Dave, Krist, Kurt, or even zombie dancer Tony Hodgkinson (sure, mark me down as a Hodgkinson fan now too. It takes stones to be a one man dancing troop!)

Altogether though, great show, great set-list, and an amazing era in music, which still continues to have a solid impact on music being written over 17 years later. This is going to be a dvd you'll kick yourself 20 years from now if you don't get your hands on a copy.

This is a great set-list. The band sounds at their best, although you can see some stress between the band members. They even end the show in their trade-mark ways. Fun to re-live what a nirvana live show was all about. I miss them.

This is the best Nirvana's live DVD so far. I hope they release more live DVDs of this quality (like the one they played with Pat with the In Utero statue at the back). Recommended.

this cd/dvd collection is awesome and a must own...the sound and video is great. this collection with the cd/dvd is the one to have for sure..just buy it