Good news for graying record-store clerks, and for anyone who wants to see a long-absent band that casts a stegosaurus-sized shadow over today's indie-rock: The original lineup of Dinosaur Jr. has reunited for a full slate of U.S. dates.
In
the past few weeks, the band had stirred the long-dormant hopes of fans when it was announced that they would be playing a handful of shows in the U.K. and Japan (as well as reissuing their seminal first three albums, 1985's Dinosaur, '87's You're Living All Over Me and '88's Bug). Now all three Dinos — guitarist/singer J Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph — have put aside the differences from their contentious breakup.
"There's definitely some tension," Mascis said. "We haven't spent too much time together, but hopefully things won't be too bad. Lou and I have played together a few times over the years, so we're getting along a little better and we just thought we'd try out playing again."
Barlow left the band in 1989 after long-simmering tensions with Mascis, and Murph followed suit several years later. Mascis soldiered on under the Dino moniker, scoring a hit with "Feel the Pain" (off 1994's Without a Sound,) and even had a little band named Nirvana open a tour for them in 1991. Barlow gained indie notoriety first with his band Sebadoh and later with the Folk Implosion, who landed an unlikely top 40 hit with "Natural One" (from the soundtrack to the 1995 film "Kids"); Mascis has released a couple of solo discs in recent years. But neither really regained the level of acclaim they shared during Dino's halcyon days. So is the band hoping to pull a Pixies and rejuvenate their careers with an ultra-successful reunion tour? Not really.
"Those old records, they're like pictures — like going back and looking at a photo album," he said. "They remind me of a time and place. But these are just shows. We have no plans to make a new record. I'm just trying to make it through a show."
Dinosaur Jr. tour dates, according to their publicist:
- 7/7 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
- 7/8 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
- 7/9 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
- 7/10 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
- 7/11 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
- 7/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
- 7/14 - New York, NY @ Central Park SummerStage
- 7/15 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
- 7/19 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
- 7/20 - Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo
- 7/21 - Covington, KY @ The Madison Theater
- 7/22 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave/ Eagles Club
- 7/23 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Quest
- 7/24 - Chicago, IL @ Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
This report is from MTV News.
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