The well documented glut of seminal musicians (and Axl Rose) moving through Van-City this weekend ended for me Sunday evening at the illustrious Commodore Ballroom. While others were getting their fill of thrones and crowns, which I’m sure all paled in comparison to the truly regal Prince, I was getting my ear drums ruined by one of the most incredible bands to come out of the late ’80s/early ’90s, Dinosaur Jr.
Reforming with their original lineup several years ago (after past melodrama and bad blood was pushed under the bridge), the noisiest and rawest power pop trio ever have been releasing new material and touring the world like never before. This latest set of shows has the band not only playing Bug, the album released in the aftermath of guitarist J Mascis and bassist Lou Barlow’s falling out, but also the love-him-or-hate-him super fan/founding father of hardcore Henry Rollins interviewing them before each set. Given the contentious history of the group, it seemed a bit like providing a flickering match with 100,000 pounds of dynamite, so I forced myself upon an open review pass to catch a glimpse of their amazingness (and maybe a little bit of inner conflict).
The Rollins interview was about as expected. The over-enthusiast with the buzz cut peppered the three with ultimate fan boy kind of questions for about 20mins, touching on everything from song writing to touring to Bug. Reactions from Dinosaur Jr.’s members were also expected. Murph, the drummer, was quiet and happy. J Mascis was quiet and morose. Barlow was extremely affable and talkative, almost to a fault (he corrected himself to mention he was originally kicked out of the band; Mascis, the reason for Barlow’s departure, said nothing from that point of the interview onwards). All in all, a pretty neat excercise that probably did nothing to educate the fans there, but was still such a change in normal show protocol that it warrants praise.
After a short break, the band came onto stage and blasted into a set that included not only the entirety of Bug, but also a bonus serving of many of their best songs, all played with none of the grandiose flair that was rife throughout the other big shows this weekend. They opened with Thumb, off the Barlow-less album Green Mind, one of the most awesome and depressing songs in their catalogue (There never really is a good time/There’s always nothing much to say/Pretty good, not doing that fine/Getting up most everyday), the tune’s multiple melodic shreds and driving rhythm section setting the tone for the rest of the show. As they moved through their warm up and into the devastatingly good material on Bug, Dinosaur Jr.’s brilliance was on full display. Mascis is the penultimate shredder. He stands there during songs, blasting loud guitar noises into your face until those sweet moments when he drops into these beautiful little riffs that shelter from his sonic storm. His guitar is held up by the tight intensity of Barlow and Murph, the former especially ferocious playing his bass more like a 6-string. The best part about this band live however, is that they elevate songs past the points captured on their records. At their prettiest with ones like Pond Song, the way more prominent bass and drums add a huge background for the gorgeous guitar work; at their noisiest with album closer Don’t, all three instruments are freed from the shackles of lo-fi recording so as to damage your hearing more thoroughly. After tearing through Bug, they were even so nice to cap off with an encore of what was basically half a best-of album. Ending with a song off of their very first album, Forget The Swan, the thought that they were a band that had been around longer than I had crossed my mind. It just made for more chills on an evening of goosebumps-by-solo/melody/noise, and it would have been the best show of the weekend if not for a shiny-pants’d midget guitar freak. So thanks Dinosaur Jr., for the rad time. And also for not getting in a fight with each other.
Review by: Andrew Tape | Photos by: Scott Ternan | Photo Editing: Michael Caswell
SCENE IN THE DARK EXCLUSIVE SHOW CONTENT
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