Nirvana | Live at Reading Festival (1992)

For the 50,000 fans lucky enough to catch Nirvana at Reading in ‘92, the trio’s performance was a revelation. For drummer Dave Grohl, it was a relief. As Grohl would reveal years later, the group was strained at that point, due in part to Kurt Cobain’s recent stints in rehab, and they’d only rehearsed once -- the night before the gig. Kurt and co. hardly sounded rusty as they barreled through 90 minutes of gnarly punk-rock goodness, drawing heavily from their first two albums, Bleach and Nevermind. There were even some moments of levity, as Cobain arrived onstage in a wheelchair and later goaded the crowd into chanting, “Courtney, we love you!” Bootlegs of the show circulated for years before the official release of Live at Reading in 2009. More than just a brilliant live album, it’s a snapshot of the last truly important rock band at the peak of its powers. It’s that rare cultural document that happens to sound great in your car.

00:00:46 - The Rose jam [Bette Midler cover]

00:01:33 - Breed

00:04:43 - Drain You

00:08:38 - Aneurysm

00:13:13 - School

00:16:26 - Sliver

00:18:38 - In Bloom

00:23:13 - Come As You Are

00:26:49 - Lithium

00:32:00 - About A Girl

00:34:53 - Tourette's (Live Premiere, Introduced as " The Eagle Has Landed")

00:37:01 - Polly

00:39:50 - Lounge Act

00:42:45 - More Than A Feeling jam [Boston cover, with vocals]

00:43:29 - Smells Like Teen Spirit

00:48:46 - On A Plain

00:51:48 - Negative Creep

00:54:40 - Been A Son

00:57:21 - All Apologies

01:01:31 - Blew

01:06:56 - Dumb

01:09:30 - Stay Away

01:13:12 - Spank Thru

01:16:18 - Love Buzz [Shocking Blue cover]

01:20:21 - Smoke On The Water jam [Deep Purple cover]

01:21:25 - The Money Will Roll Right In [Fang cover]

01:23:28 - D-7 [Wipers cover]

01:27:13 - Territorial Pissings

01:32:18 - The Star-Spangled Banner jam [Francis Scott Key cover]

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