Since the cancellation of a joint tour with Mastodon due to “a critical situation in the Mastodon family” via an announcement on the band’s website, noise-rock titans Dinosaur Jr. thought it would be a good idea to make a go of it on the road themselves alone. Among dates that include stops throughout the midwest and a few cities in the northeast, DC fans were treated to an evening with J, Lou, and Murph on the main stage of the Black Cat.
Literally pioneers of the noise-rock genre itself, Dinosaur Jr.’s sound is made distinctive not by “noise,” but by J Mascis’ rich chord progressions and lead work on guitar, along with Lou Barlow’s melodic, full, and fuzzy bass guitar sounds. The overall tone of the trio is set by Murph’s hard hitting drums—and the sheer volume of the three together on stage. Dinosaur Jr. remains one of the loudest bands I’ve seen to date, and it’s nice to know that they’re carrying on the tradition without a hitch.
For Friday’s performance the band played through newer material and some classics, starting their set with the loud epic “Thumb,” then working their way through “Going Down,” “Lost All Day,” and a few more including their more commercial “Feel the Pain.” Things got really old school after that with “Little Fury Things,” a version of “The Wagon” featuring an additional drummer and guitar player for a fuller sound, then onto the beloved “Kracked” and the muddy “Sludgefeast.”
They ended the set with crowd favorites “Freak Scene” which still reminds me of Mike Vallely’s part in the 1989 Santa Cruz skate video Speed Freaks—perhaps most fans first glimpse of the band. The set closer was “Gargoyle,” a favorite from their 1989 self titled release. The encore included “Out There,” a classic off 1993’s Where You Been?, and concluding with their classic version of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
For their newest release, Dinosaur Jr. teamed up with Third Man Records for the “Blue Room Session” 7″. The record features live performances of “Goin Down,” and “Tiny” on the B-side. May 4th was the official release date.
