Dinosaur Jr. Concert Review
By Olivia Friess
It’s November 18th, a Thursday night. I glance around the pit of Philadelphia’s Union Transfer as more and more people filter in, analyzing the crowd based off of their band t-shirts of choice: My Bloody Valentine, IDLES, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Pink Floyd, and a denim vest covered in a slew of classic rock patches. Nice. The pit floor begins to fill up with a sea of low-top Vans, vintage denim, and plenty of flannel. The crowd seemed to resemble a time capsule of the early 90s alternative scene–film cameras, camcorders, and all. I am pleasantly surprised to see so many young people in the crowd, with many appearing to be around high school or college age who later led an active mosh pit that wound up pushing me to the barricade a few songs in (shout out to them!).
A bit after 8 p.m. , the lights dim and opener Ryley Walker steps on stage accompanied by lead guitarist Bill MacKay, a drummer, and a bassist. Though previously unknown to me, I quickly became a fan of Walker’s indie-folk-inspired rock, accompanied by groovy basslines, fingerstyle guitar, and intricate, jazz-infused drums. During tuning breaks in between songs, Walker made “indie banter” (in his words) with the crowd to kill the awkwardness of adjusting his four-guitar rotation. “Good thing I don’t have my twelve-string with me,” he joked. What really drew me into Walker’s music was its eventual breakdown into loose, free-form post space rock with extended instrumental breaks and melodies that rose, fell, and droned. His performance of “Telluride Speed” off of his 2018 record, “Deafman Glance,” was surely my favorite of the night.
About an hour later, Walker and his bandmates wrapped up their set and left the stage. I turned around to see a full house behind me, buzzing with excitement as they awaited the arrival of the night’s headliners: alternative rock legends, Dinosaur Jr. The band’s entrance was so nonchalant that it took the crowd a minute to register that they were actually on the stage: no “indie banter”, no introduction, they just simply picked up their instruments and dove right into “Bulbs of Passion” off of their 1985 debut titled “Dinosaur.” Instantly, a (metaphorical) wall of sound ripped through the (literal) wall of Marshall amps on stage–there were nine behind guitarist and vocalist J Mascis alone. They really do live up to their reputation as one of the loudest live bands. The crowd matched the energy instantly, with a mosh pit opening up after just a few songs that persisted throughout nearly the entire show. The pit wound up pushing me up to the barricade, where I was able to stay for the duration of the show. It. Was. Incredible. I could feel my ear drums buzzing from the reverb and distortion as J Mascis, bassist and vocalist Lou Barlow (also known as Sebadoh founder and frontman), and powerhouse drummer Murph ripped through songs that covered their lengthy discography quite nicely. They dipped in and out of decades, playing songs like “The Lung” and “Little Fury Things” off of their 1987 record, “You’re Living All Over Me”, to “Start Choppin” off of 1993’s “Where You Been”, all the way up to “Garden” and “I Met the Stones” off of their 2021 release, “Sweep It Into Space.”
Frontman and guitar legend, J Mascis, accentuated each song with his signature complex solos, riffs, and improvisations on guitar. His nonchalant stature while pulling off these compositions that distinguish Dinosaur Jr. from the rest of the late-80s/90s alternative scene in comparison to Barlow’s jumping and headbanging on bass created quite the juxtaposition of energies on stage–tied together by the incredible force and stamina of Murph on drums.
After an energized, discography-spanning performance, the trio departed the stage quietly–well, they were quiet at least. J Mascis simply took off his guitar, with several of his pedals still activated, and set it to rest against his Marshall wall. Barlow followed suit and the venue filled with such an intense, buzzing feedback that I felt the floors shake. Their respective instruments remained in this ear-drum-rattling state until the crowd’s “One more song!” chants brought them back on stage for a three song encore. For the encore, they dove right into a performance of “I Ran Away” from their 2021 release, followed by “Little Fury Things” and–a crowd favorite–their cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” off of 1987’s “You’re Living All Over Me.”
After the intensity of Dino’s performance, I can now see why my dad referred to their show as a “Bucket List item.” It is definitely a show to experience, and an incredible, influential band to add to your playlists, record, CD, or cassette collection if they are not there already.
