February 20, 2007 11:14

Nirvana's greatest ever moment revealed

Fans celebrate on Kurt Cobain's 40th birthday

Photo Gallery: Nirvana
Photo: Pa Photos

Nirvana’s performance at the Reading Festival in 1992 has been named the band’s greatest moment by fans today (February 20).

On would have been Kurt Cobain’s 40th birthday, the poll conducted on NME.COM saw the headlining slot picking up most votes, while seminal moments including the band’s ’MTV Unplugged’ performance and controversial appearances on TV shows including 'The Word' and 'Top Of The Pops' also featured, along with classic songs including ’Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and ’Come As You Are’.

The fan survey also threw up some lesser known moments, like the band supporting Mudhoney at the London Astoria in 1989.

The fan-voted top moments are:

1. Reading Festival 1992
2. MTV Unplugged
3. ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
4. Singing the wrong words on 'Top Of The Pops'
5. ‘Nevermind’ knocking Michael Jackson off the top of the US charts
6. The band’s performance on 'The Word'
7. The ‘Nevermind’ album cover
8. ‘Come As You Are’
9. Starting a food fight and getting thrown out of the ‘Nevermind’ launch party
10. Pretending to be Madonna’s representatives and crank calling The Lemonheads
11. ‘Live! Tonight! Sold Out’ film
12. Playing in a Barney Rubble costume for Halloween 1993.
13. ‘Territorial Pissings’
14. ‘About A Girl’
15. Getting Dave Grohl to set fire to his hat while recording ‘In Utero’ and producer Steve Albini not being even slightly fazed
16. Getting The Jesus Lizard into the Top 40 by doing a split single with the cult band
17. Reading 1991
18. Iconic band T-shirts
19. ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ video
20. ‘You Know You’re Right’
21. ‘All Apologies’
22. Reviving LA punk pioneer Pat Smear’s career by getting him to join the band
23. The Headbanger’s Ball
24. Marino gig, Italy, 1994 – the band’s final show
25. Peel Sessions
26. ‘Breed’
27. ‘Negative Creep’
28. 1990 UK tour
29. ‘In Utero’
30. Encouraging Dave Grohl to write Foo Fighters songs
31. ‘Bleach’s white vinyl release on Sub Pop, 1989
32. ‘Pennyroyal Tea’
33. ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, David Bowie Cover
34. Kurt Cobain and Kris Novoselic “making out” on 'Saturday Night Live', 1992.
35. ‘Polly’
36. Rough Trade Records instore.
37. Supporting Mudhoney at the London Astoria, 1989
38. Supporting Sonic Youth
39. Rock In Rio, 1993
40. Designing the Jag-Stag guitar

For more about Nirvana’s Reading Festival appearance and what would have been Cobain’s 40th birthday, see this week’s issue of NME, on UK newsstands from February 21.

Have your say on Nirvana's greatest moments by going to NME.COM's Message Board now.