Even if you think you’re prepared for the volume at a Dinosaur Jr. show, you are absolutely not.
With my fancy earplugs at the ready, I strolled into The Fillmore on Wednesday night confident I was ready for the aural assault. But once I saw the amount of amps on stage, I knew I’d indeed be driving home from the show with my head seemingly stuffed with cotton.
I was right, but it was worth the (likely minimal) damage.
The evening kicked off with the special guests on this tour, Easy Action. A different kind of loud than Dinosaur Jr., these hardcore punk veterans out of Detroit delivered an aggressive set that this Minnesota audience seemed unsure about.
Lead vocalist John Brannon’s performance was as intense and, yes, ear-shattering. While I’m a fan of heavy metal and enjoy the screaming that often accompanies it, I was not feeling this foursome’s music. Thankfully, the band kept things brief.
Snail Mail served as a palate cleanser after the raw energy of Easy Action. The crowd appeared to thoroughly revel in the Baltimore-based group’s soothing, indie-rock sound, with many moving and singing along.
Lead vocalist Lindsey Jordan’s stage banter kept the mood as light as the music. She joked about being nervous after learning right before walking out that ukulele-playing entertainer and musician Tiny Tim’s final resting place is in Minneapolis (at Lakewood Cemetery).
At the end of the group’s 12-song set, she quipped, “Thank you for coming early to see us, even if it was an accident,” then flashed an extended thumbs up.
Dinosaur Jr. kicked things off with “Severed Lips,” which starts off innocent and dreamy before frontman J Mascis hits the fuzz pedal and rearranges your guts. There was a moment when I wondered if the Fillmore’s chandeliers would stay securely fastened to the ceiling.
The crowd was an eclectic mix of fans who had definitely seen these guys back in the 1980s, right after they formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, standing alongside kids who had probably discovered them last year on TikTok.
On stage, Mascis is fascinating to watch because he barely moves during songs, instead appearing as if he’d rather be anywhere else. But then he hits a guitar solo, and you don’t care how he delivers it. He’s insanely talented, but it all feels so effortless.
Rocking out in socked feet, his voluminously curly hair bouncing, bassist Lou Barlow cut right through Mascis’s wall of sound. Behind the kit, drummer Murph (née Emmett Patrick Murphy) displayed a focused intensity. He makes what he does look easy, though we all know it isn’t.
In a surprise announcement midway through the playlist, musician Kurt Vile, who’s in town to perform Thursday at St. Paul’s Palace Theatre, was welcomed on stage to play guitar on a song.
Dinosaur Jr. pulled out tracks from the far reaches of their catalog, and the newer stuff stood up to classics. I don’t know if it was the power of the band’s music or if the space couldn’t handle it, but I felt the vocals were massively drowned out throughout the set. After waiting years to see these guys, it was disappointing not to hear Mascis’ voice as clearly as I would have liked to.
Nevertheless, the between-song banter was minimal but charming. It was mostly Barlow who addressed us while Mascis tuned (and tuned and tuned) his guitars.
“Thank you so much, everyone. This next song is the last song of our set,” he said, which brought a mass of boos from the crowd. “Last song of our set,” he repeated, emphasizing each word as he mimed air quotes, which got everyone laughing. “We learned this song in, like, 1985. We’re from the 1980s, y’all.” The band then broke into “Gargoyle,” from its debut album Dinosaur.
For the encore, the threesome played their crunchy, screeching version of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” and the night closed with a cover of The Stooges’ “T.V. Eye” with Easy Action’s John Brannon on vocals.
Walking out afterward, ears—as expected—fuzzy despite my ‘plugs, I was happy to have finally seen a band I’ve loved since the ‘90s. I just wish the vocals had popped more. I guess I’ll just have to see them again someday.
