Dinosaur Jr. Plays Bug in Philly

Article and photos by Paul Tsikitas.


This past week, Philly was treated to Dinosaur Jr. playing through their seminal 1988 album Bug, in it's entirety. Touring a 23-year old album with Henry Rollins in tow may seem to some like either something out of a slacker's cream dream or something that just doesn't make any sense. However, Dinosaur Jr.--having been re-energized since re-uniting their original line-up back in 2005--has unleashed two of their best albums, 2007's Beyond and 2009's Farm. Having listened to those two albums extensively, it makes more sense that Bug is being resurrected for a full tour.


Before Rollins could sink his hooks into Dinosaur Jr., punk rock supergroup Off! got to unleash a furious set. Seeing members of Black Flag and Philly's own Burning Brides slay through 10 or so songs was the perfect starter. Then Henry Rollins took over, and the Electric Factory crowd was going nuts. In fact, when J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph strolled out shortly after, there were still people chanting for Rollins. Rollins interviewed the band asking questions like a giddy school girl. He even proclaimed to be the biggest Dinosaur Jr. fan out there. It was kind of obvious that, as usual, Rollins was right. There was one wistful moment when Lou Barlow recollected having written some negative things about J and Murph and it was a touching moment, if not ruined by that guy screaming "ROLLINS" every 27 seconds. The band left the stage and the real moment of truth came.

Before launching into Bug, Dino J kicked off with "The Lung" and "The Wagon", keeping in pace with the album's intensity. Nothing slowed down from there. "Freak Scene" is a show stopper. The guys, who resemble dinosaurs themselves, had a relentless energy. "Let It Ride" was my personal favorite highlight. J's guitar was in full tilt. Album closer "Don't" usually screamed by Lou Barlow was pawned of to a local fan. It was an intense ride. They came back for a two song encore highlighted by their biggest hit "Feel the Pain." The night was a blur of sound and pure rock ferocity. A perfect rendition of an intense album.

Other than the few overly intense Henry Rollins fans, this was purely a night of celebrating Dinosaur Jr. They may not have the star power of, say, Soundgarden, their grungy counterparts (who are also touring this year), but they have a relevance and sound that is equally as powerful. Even after seeing Dinosaur Jr. a handful of times, my excitement never lagged. This was a night of pure punk rock fury that I will never forget.