The first time I saw DINOSAUR JR play, it was several years ago when they first reunited. It was like witnessing a miracle. No one expected them to reunite, especially in light of the tension between J MASCIS and LOU BARLOW during their initial late ‘80s run. Playing a venue that holds no more than 300 people in Northampton, MA (spitting distance from their home base in Amherst, where they initially started in the early ‘80s), they played all the old classics fans wanted to hear, at a volume loud enough to compete with jet engines (or with LED ZEPPELIN and THE WHO in the ‘70s, for that matter).
Several years later, it was a different scenario, but just as satisfying. Having released their surprisingly stellar new album Beyond (their first with this lineup since 1988’s Bug) back in May, they now had more songs to choose from. Consequently, we didn’t get as many old ones as I would’ve liked, but with new material as strong as “This is What I Came to Do” and Barlow’s “Back to Your Heart”, this wasn’t as big of a loss as it could’ve been. In fact, I was looking forward to hearing the Beyond material played live and it didn’t disappoint. Of course, the set wasn’t devoid of the late ‘80s material that inspired the band to get back together in the first place. For instance, they opened with “Gargoyle” (from their excellent and severely underrated debut album), played “In a Jar” early in the set, and later hit upon such career peaks as “Freak Scene” and their iconic cover of THE CURE’s “Just Like Heaven”. Another thing that was different this time around, however, was the inclusion of material from the ‘90s. During this time, they were signed to Warner Brothers and J held on to the Dinosaur Jr name and along with drummer MURPH and a series of bassists, made several fine records (particularly 1991’s excellent Green Mind). “Feel the Pain,” from 1994’s Without a Sound and the closest thing they ever had to a hit, felt like a natural addition to the set, especially since it was played much rawer and a bit faster than the recorded version. “Chunks,” a cover of a song by LAST RIGHTS (a short-lived early ‘80s Boston hardcore band that would eventually go on to become SLAPSHOT), closed out the evening in a raucous fashion. Ideally, I would’ve liked to hear a few more songs off of their first album as well as Bug, and I was surprised that they didn’t play “Almost Ready” or “It’s Me” from Beyond, but what they did play was stellar, so I can’t complain too much.
Openers DR. DOG warmed the crowd up nicely for the headliners, though their brand of BEATLES (particularly Abbey Road)-inspired psych-pop is extremely different stylistically from Dinosaur Jr. Nevertheless, they do have one thing in common with the headliners in that they’re both bands affiliated more or less with the indie-rock tag, but who owe a considerable amount to classic rock artists as well. Thus, on that level, the pairing made sense.
It should also be mentioned that in an unusual move, this show was promoted by Camel cigarettes. Thus, we were able to get free tickets, as were many other members of the audience. Therefore, while it was officially “sold out,” I suspect that the turnout would’ve been considerably smaller had it not been for the free tickets, especially given that THE NATIONAL and PETER, BJORN AND JOHN were also playing in different venues on the same night. Regardless, this meant that a full-to-capacity crowd was treated to a physically draining, inspiring volume assault. While I’m pleasantly surprised that Dinosaur Jr have been able to hold it together long enough to make an album, given their history, I eagerly await their next album and tour.
The flyer above was created by Brian Ewing and is used with permission.
