Dinosaur Jr. @ First Avenue
As soon as I saw Dinosaur Jr.’s stage set up, I knew we were in for a massive show. Bringing more gear than usual with them to Minneapolis’ First Avenue (considerably more than they did at their Triple Rock shows in 2007), the Amherst trio had towers of amps stacked up all over the stage, including one that was pointed directly towards front man J Mascis, in case his monitors weren’t providing him enough of his own guitar sound. And not having enough sound has never really been a problem for the group, and it certainly wasn’t on this evening as the band tore through a fiery 90 minute set that spanned the band’s entire career.
With Lou Barlow back on bass after an extended absence, and two excellent full-lengths released with the reunited original line-up, the band is back to being a well-oiled wall of sound. They certainly didn’t waste any time getting things going either, cranking up the fuzzed-out, guitar driven melancholy of “Thumb” while the screen was still rising above the stage. It was a stellar start that the band built on with a blistering version of “Kracked,” that showcased Mascis’ nonchalant but still brilliant guitar artistry that would be on display all evening. Mascis has the ability to blow through entire musical movements over the course of just one guitar solo, with his sound going from the blazing fast, balls to the wall style of the late ’80s through to the crunchy, heavier riffs of the ’90s within one taut solo, all while looking like he’d rather be somewhere else. Lou Barlow was energized and enthused all evening long, and took over lead vocals on “Imagination Blind,” from the band’s excellent new record Farm. It’s great to see the band working so well together again, and that rekindled camaraderie has really infused their music with an added potency.
Things slowed down just a bit with “Get Me,” but picked right up again with a searing version of “Pieces” that again showed how talented of a guitar player Mascis is. He makes it look so effortless, which is really what the great ones do, regardless of what their talent is. The show hit a bit of a lull with “Plans” and “Crumble” which, while still being stellar songs, just lacked a bit of the bite of the earlier numbers. But “Feel The Pain” injected the show with some life, with Mascis slowing down his indelible guitar riff quite a bit and drawing out his lyrics, in a sense teasing the crowd with the familiarity of the song, before the band tore into the sped up bridge and finished the song forcefully. Murph was steady as a rock behind the kit all night, anchoring the songs along with Barlow, allowing Mascis the freedom to explore his sound on every solo. “Over It” and “Out There” were a fantastic one-two punch, with Mascis tuning his guitar before each song to his own idiosyncratic standards. “Little Furry Things” was a maudlin blast of nostalgia, which was followed shortly thereafter by another one, a scorching rendition of “Freak Scene” that closed out the main set strongly.
Mascis’ strongest (and lengthiest) solo of the night was reserved for “I Don’t Wanna Go There,” which kicked off the encore. It was a sprawling version that really found Mascis earnestly expanding his sound, blending styles and techniques seamlessly over the course of his lengthy solo. The night closed with an impassioned rendition of “The Wagon” that was tight and explosive, and ended the set on a huge high. Mascis even changed guitars mid song, apparently unhappy with the sound he was getting, and continued on smoothly as only a veteran of the stage can. These reunions that are becoming so commonplace in music these days can cause any music fan to feel jaded, thinking that these older musicians are just trying to cash in on their past glory while they still can. But it’s good to see that Dinosaur Jr. are not going that route (it’s tough to even think of them as part of the reunion craze, especially since Mascis and Murph never really went away in the first place). Instead the band continues to release relevant, excellent records, in addition to delivering spirited, devastating live shows that not only proves that they still got it, but that they never really lost it in the first place.
[review by Erik Thompson, photos by Adam Bubolz]
Setlist:
Thumb
Kracked
Imagination Blind
Get Me
Pieces
Plans
Crumble
Feel The Pain
Over It
Out There
Little Furry Things
Back To Your Heart
Repulsion
Freak Scene
I Don’t Wanna Go There (encore)
The Wagon (encore)