Dinosaur Jr. – The Casbah, San Diego (CA) 6/21/09
Posted by Aaron Mayagoitia on 06.27.2009
The original Dinosaur Jr. is once again on tour after supporting their '07 Beyond album. Does the band still sync on stage or has all the good vibe found a few years back come to an end? Read along and find out for yourself if the mighty Dino still predates with its unrelenting sonic attack.
Pictures and video inside!
“You’re fucked” were the words of the bouncer once he knew that I had no earplugs with me. His kind words weren’t because of the constant flying of airplanes above the venue (the San Diego International Airport landing strip is a few blocks away from the venue), but because of the impending overload of decibels the afternoon’s band was going to unleash upon its fans. The band’s name was Dinosaur Jr. and they had the place sold out for the afternoon.
The venue was small but I didn’t care because smaller venues mean you can check out a band in a more intimate setting and get to actually listen to their music. Also, you can check out the band’s gear up close if you’re one of those obsessive fans who needs to know exactly how the guitar player’s pedal board is configured, for example. As soon as you entered the place, the bands’ gear was already set up.
The supporting band was called Earthless and I think I can sum it up in just one word: boring. Although they were all good players, all they did was play just one long (more than 30 minutes) and repetitive jam with constant fake endings that had the people almost falling asleep. Unless you’re a fan of endless psychedelic blues-based instrumental wanking, stay away from this band. As soon as they finished, their gear was taken away and the big guns were uncovered.
Anticipation ensued. And after a brief break, the heroes of the occasion took the stage and got ready to blaze through a set of 15 songs (including encore) oozing with distortion, bursting with riffs, and transpiring raw energy in a way unique to the chemistry that is the combination of the musical talents and personalities of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph. The afternoon could’ve been called many things, but calling it magic would seem like the only adequate way.
Because of where I was standing (almost at the edge of the stage) I could see the setlist.
The first thing I thought was that they were going to play a lot of their, at the time, unreleased new album called Farm. A couple of songs I expected to see them play weren’t there, and that would be the only gripe I would have, for the entire set was played flawlessly, all guns blazing.
“Been there All the Time” exploded through the speakers and I thought “this is it!” And it was. What was it? One of the best concerts of my whole life. There is just something about how J Mascis wrings the most melodic solos out of his Jazzmaster in such an oblivious manner, how Lou Barlow antagonizes J with the manic picking of his bass, and how Murph punishes his drums always focused and filling up all the empty spaces that sends a chill up my spine.
The main set was played rather quickly (or at least that’s how I felt it) and then the encore came. The songs “In a Jar” and “The Lung” were played after leaving it to the audience to choose.
Here’s “In a Jar”:
Then the gig ended and the place emptied quickly. Outside of the venue, the afternoon’s ironic moment came as soon as an unsuspecting J Mascis covered his ears when an airplane’s sonic boom bombarded the earth below. To think that the guitar player of one of the world’s loudest bands finds such a thing irritating is worthy of a heartily laugh, and the perfect conclusion to such an unforgettable celebration of music.
The 411: Dinosaur Jr. is a band that has to be seen live. The band's music reaches a completely different dimension once the unforgiving volume pushes all that crunchy melodic bliss into your body. The band is at the top of their game and this San Diego gig proves that anyone lucky enough to catch them live will have the bragging rights to a "I was there" moment. I know I have.
