Dinosaur Jr. and Snail Mail Get Primal at Royal Oak Music Theatre

Jul 26

Written By Mikel Pfeiffer/Digital Racket

Last Saturday night Dinosaur Jr. and Snail Mail proved you can mix things up and still please everyone. I've seen more co-headlining tours this year and I think it makes a lot of sense to give concert fans more for their money. The co-headlining tour of Dinosaur Jr. and Snail Mail is interesting because it combines Dinosaur Jr.,an indie rock legend with Snail Mail, a fairly new indie rock band that has put out a couple of stellar albums. Their music has a few similarities in that they both rely on more of a stripped back, basic approach to their stage sets. Snail Mail was a more comforting, sublime set that included my favorite track, "Pristine" along with a good mix of their other material. Dinosaur Jr. was more sonic and unsettling with a blend of their best songs from the beautifully, creepy opener, "Severed Lips' to their 90's jams like "Start Choppin". J. Mascis' guitar work is incredible in studio but live is where he really let's it all out in loud, glorious bursts that send shivers up spines. The show started earlier than expected so I missed local greats, Easy Action, but I was able to witness John Brannon's still fierce growl along with Dinosaur Jr. for the final song of the night, a cover of Iggy Pop's "TV Eye."

Dinosaur Jr.