It’s definitely a sign of growing old when you feel relieved about a stage time. A Taylor Swift club night means that the curfew tonight is a sweet, sweet 10pm, so US Alt rock heroes Dinosaur Jr. hit the stage at 8 tonight! Woo! However, what is not the sign of growing old is the excitement of receiving a two pint cup. Me and our faithful Ed struggle through the sold out crowd tonight (clutching onto our massive bevs with care) to place ourselves front right of the stage, ready to be torn a new one by J, Lou and Murph.
And you know what, it is fucking hit central in here tonight. Having seen the setlists for the rest of the band’s UK run this week, I knew we were in for a treat. I’m pretty sure we hear from about eight of the band’s 12 strong album discography, focusing of course on the slacker rock wonderment of last years ‘Sweep It Into Space’. It’s great to hear the laid back groove and bubble gum chorus of ‘I Ain’t’ in a live setting, while ‘Garden’ – which sees bassist Lou and guitarist J swap instruments – sounds as gloriously twee as it does on record, just with an extra bit of fuzz, which we love.
I’d been told that Dino shows can be pretty loud, with J’s amp count getting close to double figures from what I can see. Though I didn’t think it was as earth quaking as first thought, I did take my plugs out during one of J’s ripping solos and fucking hell was it loud. So, there’s a lesson to be had there. The fact that my ears ring after the show, having worn plugs, shows just how loud we’re talking.
To be honest, it’s more the heft of the songs that grab me tonight, there’s just so many fucking hits being belted out. ’Start Choppin‘’ gets the whole crowd bopping, ‘Out There’ ascends into a sea of head banging, while first album rager ‘Mountain Man’ sees a pit in full swing. It’s one of many too! The shows this week were actually rescheduled from last year, so you really do get a sense of excitement within the crowd tonight, which is reciprocated by the band as Lou joyfully exclaims “Manchester, we’ve missed you!”.
One thing I notice about the crowd tonight is the diversity of age. I was expecting it to be packed with sweaty old dudes (which is mostly is), but there’s loads of kids in tonight, which is great to see. A teenage girl stands next to me head banging in unison with her Dad, as two lads in front of me who look barely in their teens stand with wide grins, neck jamming away. It’s a beautiful sight and proof of the longevity and legacy this band has, their brilliance inspiring new generations. Although, despite that, there’s still a few old boys being annoying. One guy keeps calling the band “fucking twats” when they don’t play his request that he’s bumbling out in the encore, then proceeds to use my shoulder as leverage to pogo as they close on their legendary cover of The Cure’s ‘Just like Heaven’. But hey, it is a Friday night at the Ritz after all!
But yeah, the show rips. Nearly 40 years into it and Dinosaur Jr. still play with the same conviction they did in the 80s. Maybe even more. Lou’s wonderful mop of hair doesn’t stand still for a second, while Murph smacks every tub with purpose and J head bangs with the most knowing of looks. These dudes have got it down and the fact the whole set works like a greatest hits despite spanning nearly four decades of releases is a testament to the skill and craft these three have put in. A start to end solid set from one of the fucking best.
(Photo Credit: Cara-Totman)
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