Stallion Alert at the Movies: Nirvana - Live at Reading (2009)

Holy crap.

The awesomeness that is this 78-minute DVD of Nirvana at their arguable apex can hardly be contained.

I knew that I would enjoy watching this concert. And even though I'd seen a lot of the footage in the bootleg versions that have been on the internet forever, nothing could have prepared me for how fucking sweet this looks and sounds. The picture is incredible. The sound is dialed in. And the show itself is about as good as Nirvana was ever gonna get when they knew they were being filmed by a camera crew.

I saw Nirvana on September 10, 1992 at the Portland Meadows. This show was filmed on August 30, 1992. I think they did the MTV Video Awards in between the two gigs. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that this was the same Nirvana that I saw, more or less. Which makes me endlessly happy. It's the same band that hadn't yet released the follow-up to Nevermind, but were already playing "Dumb," "Tourette's," and "All Apologies" with early lyrics that would eventually change. I swear they played "Rape Me" when I saw them, but that's not on this DVD.

What is on this DVD is 25 songs worth of Nirvana when they were the biggest band on the planet. Kurt is slightly frazzled, but for the most part, he seems into it. Dave and Krist leave no doubt that they are into it. Watching the two of them is just as fun as watching Kurt wail away and yelp.

And their setlist is stellar. The usual suspects are there, but they also pull out some deep cuts. "D-7," "Been a Son," "Spank Thru," and the completely oddball "The Money Will Roll Right In" are all treats. And the version of "Territorial Pissings" that closes out the show – complete with instrument destruction – is worth the price of admission alone.

I really can't say enough about how well done this is. I liked it so much I even bought the double LP so I could have the soundtrack.

If you like Nirvana, you need this.

"Spank Thru"