The influential alternative trio, Dinosaur Jr., pushed the boundaries of volume possibilities to the delight of an all-ages crowd while leading a three-band charge at Meijer Gardens on Sunday. The review, photos.
Unusual Meijer Gardens Salvo: Dinosaur Jr. on stage Sunday night. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERY
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
What? Huh? (Gestures to ears.) Sorry, could you repeat that?
Sunday evening’s triple feature of Dinosaur Jr., Snail Mail and Easy Action at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park was loud, sweaty and impossible to ignore.
It was the kind of rock performance seldom encountered at the venue that has, over the years, earned a reputation as a place where artists can — at times — be obscured by a chatty audience more intent on sipping wine and catching up with friends than giving the performers their full attention and due.
That was not an option Sunday when Dinosaur Jr. — featuring the original lineup of J. Mascis (lead vocals, guitar), Lou Barlow (bass) and Murph (drums) — blasted onto the stage with their trademark feedback and distortion.
With all systems cranked to 11, the Massachusetts-born band ripped through 17 songs in the span of roughly 90 minutes, highlighted by popular tracks such as “Start Choppin,'” “Out There,” “Feel the Pain” and an encore that included a cover of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
‘Valentine’: Snail Mail unleashed that and more on Sunday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Though heavily represented by the Gen-Xers who cut their teeth on the trio’s brand of alterna-grunge-noise in the ’80s and ’90s, the audience also included plenty of younger fans who likely were drawn in by Snail Mail, the project of the badass young singer-songwriter Lindsey Erin Jordan.
Clocking in just under an hour, Jordan and crew charmed with a sweet/sour collection of a dozen-plus songs, including the standout, “Valentine,” the lead track from the 2021 album of the same name.
A well-received quip about the extreme heat and corn sweat-empowered humidity resonated and summarized the vibe: “I don’t know if I’ve been this hot before. I’m kind of an indoor person.”
Detroit band Easy Action, who are opening for the whole of the Dinosaur Jr./Snail Mail cross-country tour, kicked off the evening with a brief-but-energetic set of (you guessed it) LOUD punk.
The band’s singer John Brannon (also of Negative Approach) joined Dinosaur Jr. for the show closer/final encore cover of the Stooges “T.V. Eye” for a moment of home state pride.
UP NEXT AT MEIJER GARDENS: The Australian Pink Floyd Show is 6:45 p.m. Thursday (July 31). Tickets are $68 to $70, available here. Meijer Gardens’ Tuesday Evening Music Club series this week features 6-pak, starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday (July 29).
PHOTO GALLERY: Dinosaur Jr., Snail Mail, Easy Action at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Anthony Norkus
