8 Most unforgettable Reading Festival moments, ever
[Photos by: Nirvana/YouTube, Dillinger Escape Plan/Instagram, My Chemical Romance/YouTube, Them Crooked Vultures/YouTube]
After Brexit, death, taxes and Reading Festival occurring on the bank holiday weekend at the end of August are the only certainties in the U.K. these days.
Starting in 1989, the festival can accommodate up to 90,000 people. It’s the summertime staple that marks the end of the outdoor live music season for many fans. This year, Kasabian, Eminem and Muse headline. Two British indie-rock juggernauts sandwiching an iconic American hip-hop artist. Reading Festival is musical diversity in its prime.
So many riveting, shocking and historical things have occurred at the site of Richfield Avenue over the last 28 years, but we’ve managed to narrow them down to these eight most unforgettable happenings ever at Reading Festival:
Nirvana’s last appearance in the U.K.
Nirvana’s last-ever U.K. appearance was at Reading Festival in 1992, closing as the final act on the Sunday night. Wearing a blond wig and a hospital gown, Kurt Cobain entered the stage in a wheelchair (pushed by rock journalist Everett True) — a dig at press reports that he was too ill to perform. He even fully collapsed before the band opened with “Breed,” accompanied by Dancing Tony, an off-the-wall addition who was a constant presence at most of the grungers’ U.K. shows.
Daphne And Celeste’s cringe-worthy performance
Whoever booked Daphne And Celeste in 2000 probably didn’t anticipate the tangible animosity the pair would be subjected to as they walked on wearing their “Who the f**k is Eminem?” and “I Love Brian” T-shirts—the former a ploy for Celeste to meet Eminem, the latter never explained. The decidedly manufactured pop duo were physically targeted by hundreds upon hundreds of bottles—some undoubtedly filled with urine—from an irate audience as they tried to perform their hit single “Ooh Stick You.” The footage is still just as painful to watch today as it was back then.
Dillinger Escape Plan’s shitty performance
Perhaps the grossest-documented on-stage antic of all time was at Reading Festival in 2002 when Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato took a shit into a plastic bag and hurled it at a group of punters. “You’re going to see a lot of shit on this stage today,” the singer told the crowd. “You might as well see some more.” The trauma was real.
The Kill Bill band
When Kill Bill: Volume 1 was released in 2003, a one-hit-wonder was born. All-female Japanese rock trio the 5. 6. 7. 8’s were a hot item following the two-part Tarantino masterpiece, and were subsequently snapped up for a slot in 2004 when their novelty value was at its peak.
My Chemical Romance target the Daily Mail
My Chemical Romance read British right-wing media outlet the Daily Mail the riot act in 2008 after a journalist wrote an article referring to the band as a “cult,” stating that the quintet promoted self-harm and suicide in their lyrics. Furiously, antagonized vocalist Gerard Way tore the Daily Mail a new asshole by calling out the derogatory smear coverage, telling the audience that nothing is worth hurting themselves over and enticing them to bellow “Fuck the Daily Mail!,.” which most participated in, accompanied with both middle fingers waving high in the air.
Rage Against The Machine vs. George W. Bush
Rage Against The Machine returned to the festival as a headliner in 2008, having played the main stage years earlier, and took the stage with black bags over their faces and wearing orange jumpsuits—a stark visual representation of the detainees of Guantanamo Bay. This was intended as a fierce political statement aimed at then-President George W. Bush, highlighting the cruelty and inhumanity of the facility that his administration had established.
The QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Led Zeppelin supergroup
The excitement of a secret band at a festival is indescribable. In 2009, newly formed supergroup Them Crooked Vultures—consisting of Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)—had just played an unannounced set at Leeds Festival (Reading’s northern twin) the day before, so punters were chomping at the bit for a double-tap. Sure enough, the trio hit the NME/Radio 1 stage and performed over half of their self-titled debut, ending with Homme shouting out tributes to family and friends also playing that day—the Bronx, Spinnerette, Eagles Of Death Metal, the Prodigy and Arctic Monkeys.
The Guns N’ Roses debacle of 2010
Back in 2010, it was a huge risk to bill Guns ’N’ Roses—or “Axl and Friends” as the band were sarcastically described within many circles—as a headliner on any night, at any venue, anywhere on the planet. But the promoters decided to roll the dice. And what a clusterfuck it was. Axl and his merry men arrived onstage over an hour-and-a-half late and had their set cut short due to the rigid curfew, which Rose went ballistic about during and following the night, requesting an apology from the organizers who pulled the plug. To the best of public knowledge, there has been no apology to date, and GNR have yet to return.
The sold-out Reading Festival takes place Aug. 25-27, but you can follow all festival updates and news on their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
