3/5 Crappy performance from Kurt
  by a customer (earth)
Dave & Krist are great here as always. Both clearly smiling and enjoying playing the show. Kurt on the other hand plays like he'd rather be anywhere but on a stage. He's unusually sloppy and boring on the guitar and his singing lacks enthusiasm. Strange show to release on DVD when there are great shows like MTV's Live & Loud available where not only Kurt was set to ON for the night, but the entire band was amazing. Comparing the band playing this show in 1992 and the band playing Live & Loud in 1993 is fun to do. Is it even the same band? Were the members upgraded scientifically to be more awesome? They look healthier and happier, too, in the 93 show with Pat Smear. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" alone from that performances makes anything on this Reading show seem like stuff you'd hear from a local garage band ... in their garage. The DVD is good to see Krist having a great time, I always get a kick out of that. He knew how to enjoy each show just to be up there playing songs he liked. Check out the burst of enthusiasm when he turns on the distortion on his bass during the "D7" cover. If it weren't for Krist always jumping around, and the interpretive dancer here, Nirvana would've been a boring band to watch most of the time, since Kurt only moves around when he's not singing, and even then he often looks self-consciously zombie-like in his movements, except when he's throwing himself around lost in the music.



5/5 Great Performance !!!
  by Scott Gadke (Tulare, Ca.)
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 !!!

5/5 Nirvana Live At Reading - Worth The Wait!
  by Chauncey Gardner (Los Angeles)
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.