Home Jambase Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain: Watch Nirvana Perform At Reading Festival

Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain: Watch Nirvana Perform At Reading Festival

February 20, 2022

Today marks what would have been Kurt Cobain’s 55th birthday. Cobain died tragically on April 5, 1994.

Kurt formed Nirvana with bassist Krist Novoselic in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington. With a rotating cast of drummers, Nirvana established themselves in the Seattle music scene of the era and were on the vanguard of the grunge movement. The band recorded their debut album, Bleach, with drummer Chad Channing and released it on Seattle’s Sub Pop label in 1989.

After having to get out of their contract with Sub Pop, Nirvana signed with DGC Records and recruited a new drummer, Dave Grohl. Grohl’s first album with the band was the one that would propel them to superstardom, Nevermind, released on September 24, 1991. The year leading up to Nevermind’s release was an interesting one as Nirvana was presenting some of their most well-known songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and “Come As You Are” to audiences for the first time and, although irreverent as always, without the weight of Nevermind’s success on their shoulders.

A month before the landmark LP came out, Nirvana delivered a slot at the Reading Festival in the UK (they would headline the following year). The trio opened with a pair of songs off Bleach: “School” and “Floyd The Barber.” The band then got into Nevermind material with “Drain You,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are,” the latter the only single from Nevermind out at the time, and “Breed.”

Nirvana then welcomed Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines to sing the latter’s “Molly’s Lips.” A return to Bleach with “Love Buzz” (a Shocking Blue cover) and “Negative Creep” followed by Kurt teasing The Doors’ “The End.” Bleach’s “Blew” counted as the penultimate song of the set before Nirvana closed things down “Endless, Nameless,” Nevermind’s closer, which was a hidden track on some editions. To put an exclamation point on the festival set, Kurt flung himself into the drum kit.

In honor of Kurt Cobain, watch Nirvana’s set at Reading festival in 1991 below for this edition of Sunday Cinema:

Setlist

Nirvana at Little John’s Farm

Aug 23, 1991
Reading, ENG
10 Date European Tour

School
Floyd the Barber
Drain You
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Come as You Are
Breed
Sliver
Molly’s Lips
Love Buzz
Negative Creep
The End
Blew
Endless, Nameless

Setlist info via setlist.fm.

.article-summary-wrap {
margin-top:25px;
}

.panel-article .list-posts > li {
border-style: dotted;
}
.panel-article .list-posts > li:last-of-type {
border-bottom-width:0;
}
.panel-article .list-posts .excerpt {
margin: 3px 0 0;
}
.panel-article .list-posts .btn-sm {
margin-top: 10px;
padding: 3px 10px;
}

!function ($) {
$(function(){ // document ready
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Show Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/kurrt-cobain-nirvana-nevermind-live’,
nonInteraction : true
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
$(document).on(‘click’, ‘.article-summary-wrap a[data-guid=”6485864b1a9942a-3c52-4fb2-b242-ac5ff6df3455″]’, function(e){
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Click Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/kurrt-cobain-nirvana-nevermind-live’
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
});
});
}(window.jQuery);

Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain: Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ Live
!function ($) {
$(function(){ // document ready
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Show Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/kurt-cobain-nirvana-mtv-unplugged-rehearsals’,
nonInteraction : true
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
$(document).on(‘click’, ‘.article-summary-wrap a[data-guid=”7431453b0bcca74-810a-47b8-bf2b-46714cc6c84d”]’, function(e){
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Click Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/kurt-cobain-nirvana-mtv-unplugged-rehearsals’
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
});
});
}(window.jQuery);

Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain: Watch Nirvana’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ Rehearsals
!function ($) {
$(function(){ // document ready
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Show Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/kurt-cobain-nirvana-live-hollywood-rock-festival-1993’,
nonInteraction : true
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
$(document).on(‘click’, ‘.article-summary-wrap a[data-guid=”749030539ef6f58-876b-4d71-bda0-d02ab2ad7a9f”]’, function(e){
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Click Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/kurt-cobain-nirvana-live-hollywood-rock-festival-1993’
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
});
});
}(window.jQuery);

Remembering Kurt Cobain: Nirvana Performs At Rio’s Hollywood Rock Festival In 1993