Live at Reading

Background

Nirvana's 1992 Reading Festival appearance was their second at the event and their first after the success of Nevermind had made them, in Pitchfork's description, the "biggest" rock band in the world. It was also their final concert in the United Kingdom. Their first Reading set had occurred on August 23, 1991, during a two-week European tour with Sonic Youth. Cobain discussed these rumors in the 1993 biography Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, calling them examples of "classic, typical English journalism.

Sensationalism. Drummer Dave Grohl recalled in a 2018 Kerrang! interview that many backstage friends were surprised the band was actually going to play, given the rumors. Cobain programmed the day's bill, which included the Melvins, the Screaming Trees, Pavement, Bjorn Again, Beastie Boys, L7, Teenage Fanclub, Mudhoney, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and intentionally excluded what he called "lame-ass limey bands. The festival sold out, and it was reported that the concurrent Donington Park festival lost 10,000 attendees as a result. Grohl estimated an audience of 50,000; Loudersound reported 60,000.

The performance

Mocking rumors of his poor health, Cobain was pushed onstage in a wheelchair wearing a hospital gown and wig by English music journalist Everett True. Bassist Krist Novoselic shook his hand and told the audience that "with the support of his friends and family, he's gonna make it." Cobain sang a line from Amanda McBroom's "The Rose," collapsed, then stood, put on his guitar, and the band began. The set included most of Nevermind, songs from Bleach, "Spank Thru," "Aneurysm," "Been a Son," "Sliver," covers of the Wipers' "D-7" and Fang's "The Money Will Roll Right In," and unreleased songs "tourette's," "All Apologies," and "Dumb." Cobain dedicated "All Apologies" to his 12-day-old daughter and wife, encouraging the crowd to chant "Courtney, we love you!" Pavement guitarist Scott Kannberg later recalled being impressed by the new material.

Previously-released songs

On January 29, 1993, the performance of "Lithium" was broadcast on ABC's In Concert TV series. On September 5, 1993, "Lithium," "In Bloom," and "All Apologies" aired on the UK show The Beat. In November 1994, "Lithium" appeared on the home video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!. On December 22, 1994, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Sliver," and "About a Girl" aired on The Beat. In October 1996, "Tourette's" appeared on the compilation From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. Amateur footage of Cobain's wheelchair entrance and instrument destruction also appears on Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!.

Reception

Metacritic gives Live at Reading a score of 93 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim," and ranks it 18th on its list of best-reviewed albums and first among alternative albums. Stuart Berman of Pitchfork called it "an indispensable document of a legendary band at their most invincible." Joe Gross of Spin described the set as "sloppy indie rock as stadium-filling psychedelic punk." Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised it as "Nirvana's purest blast of rock & roll" and "one of the greatest live rock & roll albums ever." Cobain himself gave the performance "an eight on a scale of ten." The CD debuted at number 37 on the Billboard 200; the DVD debuted at number 1 on the Top Music Video Chart and remained in the top 40 for 25 weeks. As of 2016, the album had sold 148,000 copies in the United States.