All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Entertainment Weekly

Live at Reading presents the band at its post-Nevermind peak. Watching Kurt Cobain radiate so much life is bound to trigger some tears.

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100

All Music Guide

Hints of this could be heard on the live comp From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, but this is a complete document of Nirvana in full flight and one of the greatest live rock & roll albums ever.

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100

PopMatters

However delayed Live at Reading‘s official release is, thankfully fans can finally rejoice and celebrate its long-awaited arrival. Few live shows are able to communicate a band’s heart and soul the way Nirvana’s is brilliantly encapsulated here.

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Pitchfork

Live at Reading effectively grants you side-stage access to the band in their mosh-pit-stoking, drum-set-toppling, putting you as close to the action as the band's mysterious friend Tony, who's seen flailing onstage throughout the show like an epilpetic Bez.

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Filter

Songs like these are why Nirvana was king and this show proves why the band was peerless. Suddenly Nirvana is everything to me all over again. [[Holiday 2009, p. 92]

cokemachineglow

Live at Reading is a corrective to all that [i.e. journals, Guitar Hero], a reminder that nothing so trivial could ever sully music as irreducible as this.

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Paste Magazine

The official release of Nirvana’s headlining performance at the 1992 Reading Festival feels at once indescribable and quaint.

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Slant Magazine

Reading is a far cry from pop-chart fodder. And while the jarring howl of Cobain's Fender and his gravelly delivery may alienate the more nonchalant corners of their fanbase, these ferocious renditions will be a godsend to the dyed-in-the-wool Nirvana following.

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Spin

Nirvana's headlining gig at the 1992 Reading Festival looms infamously large because of (a) that amazingly creepy photo of Kurt getting wheeled onto the stage looking like Norman Bates' mother, and (b) the show was a mind-blower--sloppy indie rock as stadium-filling psychedelic punk.

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Austin Chronicle

New DVD/CD combo Live at Reading rides the wave of mutilation that was Nevermind, but its best moments dump Bleach, the busy shoot pausing to catch Cobain picking out debut detention "School."

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Billboard.com

This Reading appearance-released for the first time on the CD/DVD package "Live at Reading"-captured the trio's skill at turning simple power chords into some of the most memorable rock anthems of the '90s.

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The Phoenix

Nirvana launch into a 90-minute onslaught of fugly-beautiful grunge-guitar fury.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

It’s a monster of a concert film in any case, with a band at the height of its powers--and not yet totally sick of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.'

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Drowned In Sound

So it’s good, but given the large amount of quality Nirvana concert stuff out there, does Live At Reading really have much by way of USP? Probably, yeah, if only because it's the band's sole full electric gig commercially available.

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Uncut

This is a fierce live performance by a band who didn’t always manage to hold things together onstage. It catches Nirvana at maximum intensity, aware of, but not disabled by, the contradictions that tormented Cobain and would eventually tear him asunder.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.4 (out of 10) based on 36 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jose C. gave it a10:
A Perfect Capturing of a Moment in Time in which Nirvana Captivated the World with their music, and we Forever knew no peer to Cobain.

Frankie B. gave it a10:
Whenever something gets critical acclaim on this site im a little bit skeptical, but i have to say that metacritics rating is completely on the money. Nirvana in my opinion is the second best alternative rock band of the 90's (Helmet i consider the best overall 90's alt rock band, my criteria putting value on how much music they influenced, the bias of how well they speak to me as an individual, and the inevitable bias of "how popular they were". I understand Nirvana sold over ten times as much as Helmet but for some reason to me Helmet has a little more power). The ENERGY of this disc is FUCKIN AMAZING. Prior to hearing Live At Reading, it was AWHILE before i felt genuinely invigorated by a rock album. I was actually feeling depressed about the music industry in general until i heard this cd. When i heard the frenetic energy of this music, and Kurt Kobain's agonized, quirky delivery, I felt as rebellious and pissed off as i did when i was 15, and i mean that as the highest praise i can think of. I also recognize "School" as one of the most cathartic rock anthems ever made. All the material covered on this, which is mostly from Bleach and Nevermind and a handful of tracks from In Utero, are performed at the pinnacle of cathartic intensity.

Paul S. gave it a7:
I don't understand music critics. Why does nearly every single music album have a near perfect score? Nirvana isn't THAT good. Sure, it's an OK, but no where near the score it was given.

Luke G. gave it a10:
Amazing, that's all I can say.

Dakota G. gave it a10:
Any rock band who dreams of hitting it big must watch this concert from start to finish.

DJ 248 gave it a10:
At there peak Nirvana ruled the airwaves along with the arenas. I was lucky enough to see them live at the Michigan State Fair Grounds. They made a cement floored animal born sound like the Abbey road recording studio. Mean and Raw. Thanks for the memories.

Erik gave it a9:
Great concert with excellent audio! Must have for fans.

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