Some 17 years ago on a wet, windy day a muddy field in Reading played host to one of the most historic gigs in recent times. Nirvana, who at the time were still adjusting from the big step into the world of multi platinum albums, amidst rumours of blow outs and overdoses take the stage. Cobain wheeled on in full hospital gown to deafening applause and jumped straight into Breed.
The year before this performance Nirvana played 6th on the bill on the first night, fast-forward a year and they're headlining the prestigious Sunday slot, despite the huge success and mainstream attention their set was anything but tame, songs such as Lithium and sounded gritty and raw and despite the addition of the Nevermind hits 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and 'Come As You Are' this was by no means a crowd pleasing set.
The rumours that had been going on before the show seemed to only spurn on a performance that had such ferocious intensity from start to finish, there was no money spent on the huge stageshows and pyrotechnics that headliners have often invested in (in fact the only real addition on stage was the random dancer who popped up from time to time and went nuts, Nirvana's version of Bez or something) but none of that was needed for what would turn out to be one of the defining moments of a generation.
No comments:
Post a Comment