LIVE REVIEW: Snail Mail, Dinosaur Jr. in Boston, MA (07.18.25)
There’s always a lot of music being played out and about in Boston but on this recent Friday night it was particularly busy at larger venues as The Lumineers were playing at Fenway Park and Pixies were playing at MGM Music Hall. Both shows likely pulled in people who would’ve otherwise been at Roadrunner, especially Pixies.
Snail Mail and Dinosaur Jr. are on an 18-date summer tour that started in Deerfield, near Dinosaur Jr.’s home in Western Mass. Boston was the third date on the tour which ends in Seattle in August. It’s a smart billing as Snail Mail pulls in the younger people and Dinosaur Jr. attracts a mostly older GenX/Boomer crowd. Maybe people brought their children. I did run into a friend there with his daughter to see Snail Mail en route to seeing Pixies. The floor got fairly full but the upper area only had one section open. It was still an enthusiastic crowd and a solid, fun show.
Snail Mail is the band that 26-year-old singer/songwriter Lindsey Jordan started a decade ago. Snail Mail has released two full-length studio albums, Lush (2018) and Valentine (2021). They played a handful of songs from each album and some additional singles. The Baltimore native has sweet, mumbly vocals that are quite comforting and endearing. The low-fi indie rock melodies are dreamy and murky. A small but enthusiastic crowd cheered on her laidback set. She sings about love in an exquisitely emotional manner. “Pristine” was mesmerizing and “Thinning” sounded trippy and cool. “Valentine” exploded with strong emotions and urgency. Jordan didn’t say much to the audience except that she was “happy to be here with Dino Jr.” and that she appreciated the crowd that got there early for the Snail Mail set. She ended the set by saying, “It’s been so long Boston. Thanks for letting us come back.” Snail Mail last appeared in Boston proper when they opened for Turnstile at Roadrunner in 2022.
If you didn’t wear earplugs for Dinosaur Jr. your ears were probably ringing for days after the show. It was a loud and quick hour-long set with the experimental guitar that Dino Jr. is known for. Fast, loud, tight. There was very little chit-chat in between songs. Not surprising since J Mascis and Lou Barlow are both introverts. Although there are some introverts who will open up when performing. Guess it depends on the introvert. J Mascis would introduce songs by saying: “Do you want to hear a song from [album title]?” An appreciative crowd – mostly white middle-aged men – remained rapt the entire time.
I’d seen bassist Lou Barlow’s band Sebadoh back in 2019 at The Sinclair but hadn’t seen Dinosaur Jr. (As far as I recall. Sometimes the 90s are a blur.) I’m more of a fan of Sebadoh and Barlow’s other band Folk Implosion than Dinosaur Jr. although happy to check them off my list of bands I’ve seen live.
Dinosaur Jr. played 16 songs from eight different albums, mostly from Dinosaur (1985)–”Severed Lips,” “Forget the Swan” and “Does It Float” – and You’re Living All Over Me– “In a Jar,” “Kracked,” “Little Fury Things,” and “Just Like Heaven.” Formed in Amherst, Mass. in 1984. They’ve released 12 studio albums. The band split up in 1997 and got back together in 2005. Mascis brought out Boston singer Thalia Zedek to sing chorus on “Grab It.” Toward the end of the set, the band performed the hit “Feel the Pain,” a great song with a great, cool hook and not exactly verbose lyrics. Mascis has that highly recognizable whine/mumble. Barlow sang lead on “Does It Float.” He introduced it by saying it’s “a song off our first record, one of the very first songs that J wrote. I’m going to sing it though.” The encore included their excellent rendition of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” featuring fuzzy psychedelic guitar and gentler, softer vocals.
Featured image by: John Hutchings
