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Dinosaur Jr Watching the reunited trinity that is Dinosaur Jr, you have to wonder why J Mascis ever thought he should make music without Lou Barlow or Murph. After various falling-outs and alternate ventures throughout the ’90s, seeing the original lineup back together felt like being home again after years of wanderlust. The balance and energy created by the trio was obvious from the moment it opened with the rocking, guitar-driven “Out There” from 1993’s Where You Been: the first Dinosaur album to chart and one that caused Mascis to be hailed as a godfather of alterna-rock. Although Mascis appeared tired onstage, he shined nonetheless, alternately whining his vocals in a terse, awkward way, thrashing out his magical guitar noise and banging around his long, bleached hair. Barlow played his flower-airbrushed bass while looking genuinely happy, his vocals perfectly complementing Mascis’ as he sipped from a glass of red wine in between songs. Murph provided the perfect sense of stability between Mascis and Barlow, drumming as quickly and steadily as ever, even with the crazy time changes during the erratic, melodic “Feel The Pain.” Among these classics and other beloved gems such as “Freak Scene” and “Wagon,” the reunited trio also showed off a couple new songs, including one titled “This is All I …” Combining all the elements of a great Dinosaur song, it began with a jammy distorted guitar solo before Mascis’ vocals came in, supported by Barlow during the chorus. During the feedback-infused “Little Fury Things,” the crowd went wild and the three musicians each seemed spurred on as much for himself as for the greater whole of Dinosaur Jr, playing and sounding as vigorous as when the song first debuted in 1987. Even when there were technical difficulties, the band took the interruption as an opportunity for a short jam session. When all was back on track, the group dove right into the rockingly smooth, lolling “Yeah We Know” without missing a beat, causing the audience to clap its PBR cans together. Afterward, the stage went black save for a beam of light illuminating Mascis and his white-blonde hair. Murph took a break from his drum set while Barlow dropped his bass close to an amp, hanging his head forward with his hands clasped behind his back as if in reverence to Mascis, who rocked out in a thrashing guitar solo. It turns out Barlow was actually creating feedback as Mascis head-banged and wildly roiled out the blaring guitar noise he’s known for, relishing his moment in the spotlight. A glance around the crowd revealed an audience not just pleased with the reconvened musicians, but thoroughly enraptured by them. The mid-sized venue was packed with college-aged and middle-aged hipsters alike, all singing along and tossing their hair just the same, a testament to Dinosaur Jr’s everlasting appeal. If Mascis, Barlow and Murph can come back together with this much authority, they’ll not only survive the rigors of a new album (slated for April ’07) and the Thurston Moore-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in England this December, but also anything else the new year has to offer. —Jessica Parker |