Written by Sylvia Ansley – Photos provided by Pitch Perfect PR
Dinosaur Jr. has maintained an unmistakable and uncompromising sound. Even with their newest release, There Near, 41 years since their self-titled debut album, that nostalgic, cozy, self-proclaimed “Ear-Bleeding Country” sound is instantly recognizable.
Earlier this month, the trio rocked the Bellwether in Downtown Los Angeles. It takes a lot for me to venture into DTLA for a concert, but the venue surprised me by satisfying two of my three incessantly picky requirements: 1. Big GA Section, 2. Air-conditioning. Find me a venue with those two elements as well as an old, ornate style of architecture, and we can talk (I love you Belasco). Filing under the blue neon lights at the perfect moment, we arrived just in time to tuck into the crowd as the band took the stage.
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t all that nervous. The members of Dinosaur Jr. live and breathe their art in a way that emphasizes raw, in-person talent over things like online appearances and public image. Their musical ambition seems to begin and end with the music. It’s almost as if they became famous by sheer accident, and whether the band actually cares about their fame is up for debate. Throughout their history, Dinosaur Jr. is consistently a formidable foe for the unprepared interviewer. Giving perfunctory answers to softball questions, there’s almost an art form to the nonchalant gymnastics that the trio performs. With so many interviews available on YouTube, and the band’s apparent disdain for letting anything other than lyrics leave their mouths, you have to wonder why, 40 years later, they keep agreeing to interview. Surrounded by his cocoon of massive Marshall amps, it was evident that Mascis only cared about his guitar and whatever otherworldly sound was being emitted from it. With wild, flowing locs, Barlow screamed his Subhumans cover seemingly without a care in the world other than his own enjoyment. Their dedication to doing things their way is inspiring.
The trio walked out onto the stage and took their respective places. Lou Barlow (bass and vocals) was situated on stage left, out in front for the whole crowd to see. Throughout the show, he would call out, make jokes, and interact with the crowd. His charisma and affinity for performance sharply contrasted with the body language of J Mascis (lead vocals and guitar). Situated stage right, Mascis was enveloped in his own personal cave of amplifiers, as if he was trying to drown out both the sight and sound of the crowd with his own music. By no means was this negative, just a master musician playing how he does best. Murph (drums) sat smiling in the middle, seemingly ambivalent about the fact that he was on stage. It’s no secret that the band has struggled with internal chemistry in the past, but tonight they played in perfect harmony. Seeing such divided personalities on stage, one wonders how the live performance will mesh together. Once the music started, all of those worries began to slide away.
One of the core aspects of the band’s indifference to how they are received is how unbelievably loud their concerts are. In the band’s formative years, they were famously banned from all the venues surrounding their hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts. As Mascis launched into the first of many solos, fans dove into their pockets and purses for earplugs, scrambling to the bar if they had forgotten theirs. But everyone was along for the ride and enjoyed the wall-of-sound energy that Dinosaur Jr. is synonymous with. The show moved through a healthy mix of old and new music from the band. All of my favorites made their way onto the setlist, like “No Friends,” “Blowing It,” and “Freak Scene,” to name a few. The entire band was dialed; it was without a doubt one of the best live performances I’ve seen all year. While the whole band played together as a unit and deserves praise as a whole, I would be remiss not to mention just how incredible it was to watch Mascis soar through riff after riff. Mascis approaches a Hendrix-level of mastery over the electric guitar and can be consistently found in the top 100 slots of the best guitar players of all time across multiple rankings. When playing live, the notes sound so fluid that without knowing better, you’d think every solo was improvised. But Mascis, however nonchalant he may act, calculated and carefully placed every step of this sonic dance. Calm and collected, he changed his guitars almost every song, as if he was in his living room jamming instead of performing for a crowd. During “Little Fury Things,” one of their biggest early hits, I found myself staring at Mascis playing the guitar, watching it with my own two eyes, and still wondering how the hell he was doing that. By this point in the concert, the nodding and head-banging had stopped, and everyone just stood still in shock, stupefied by the breathtaking talent.
A rabbit falls away from me, I guess I'll crawl/ A rabbit always smashes me, again I'll crawl
Tried to think what's over me, it makes me crawl / Then she runs away from me, faster than I crawl.
Abstract lyrics tell a story about longing, exhaustion, and isolation. Dinosaur Jr.’s lyrics often feature similar themes. Relatively simple phrases seem to morph and reshape into whatever fits your life best. Some people hear their own derailed relationships; others are reminded of nostalgic teenage summer days. Dinosaur Jr.’s lyrics are about whatever they mean to you. Just don’t ask Mascis what they mean in an interview and expect a straight answer.
The concert closed with an encore featuring “Start Choppin” off Where You Been and their cover of “Just Like Heaven” off of You’re Living All Over Me. Not only has Robert Smith called this cover one of his personal favorites, but he’s also even admitted to it influencing how he plays the song live. These two songs were perfect closers. People danced, cried, and hugged their friends. Outside on the curb, my plus one and I debriefed under the blue glow. We are big fans of the band, so our opinions are undoubtedly biased. But together we agreed, Dinosaur Jr. at the Bellwether was a true 10/10.
