When I mentioned to friends that I was going to cover Dinosaur Jr. at The Fillmore Silver Spring, the reactions were all pretty similar. There was a unanimous “F YEAH!” There was also a widespread “make sure you bring hearing protection.” Both responses were valid.
The show was a three act bill at The Fillmore Silver Spring on July 20. The first band, Easy Action, played a short but powerful set with vocalist John Brannon prowling the stage like a caged animal. The second band was Lindsey Jordan’s project, Snail Mail. The band played a great set and Lindsey’s sense of humor was evident between songs. I also think they set a new record for guitar changes during a single set.
When it came time for Dinosaur Jr. to play, they walked on stage with no fanfare, just three guys ready to blow the doors off The Fillmore. Ear protection was a good idea.
The set began with a quick “Hello” from singer/guitarist J Mascis before launching into “Severed Lips” from their first album, back when they were just known as Dinosaur. J stood in front of a wall of six Marshall cabinets. Lou’s setup was a little bit smaller but a perfect balance to J’s wall of sound. Murph had his drum kit decked out with a drum head from the Where You Been album. It was the beginning of a set filled with Dino Jr. classics as well as some deep cuts that were great to hear!
While J isn’t known for his wild stage persona, bass player Lou Barlow seems to be completely at home on stage, smiling and rocking out in his staked out area. Drummer Murph falls somewhere in the middle, looking very happy to be bashing out the drums for the legendary band that he helped found in the mid-’80s.
J doesn’t interact all that much with the crowd. But if you look at his pedal board, I don’t blame him. There’s a lot to keep track of. So most of the crowd interaction was done by Lou. Being in DC, there’s always the temptation to make a political statement at some point during the show. But the band chose to stay focused on the music, and I think this was actually one of the highlights for me.
Dinosaur Jr. sounded just as good as ever. The mix at the Fillmore Silver Spring is always really good, and this show was no different. This really was a show that spanned the band’s entire career. They played songs from 1985’s Dinosaur all the way to 2021’s Sweep It Into Space. And it all works. The band’s sound has been pretty consistent throughout its existence, so that shouldn’t really surprise anyone.
I mentioned earlier that there was not a ton of crowd work by the band. But the music was doing the crowd work for them. Every song had people singing, bouncing, headbanging, and having fun. Favorites like “Little Fury Things,” “Feel The Pain,” and “Freak Scene” were paired with deeper cuts like “Grab It” and “Crumble.”
That mix is what makes shows like this so much fun. Everyone expects to hear the popular songs. But when bands toss in their favorites, as well, it makes you feel like the band still cares about pleasing the crowd.
After the main set ended, the band exited with a “Thank you” for a few minutes. J was the first to come back out for the encore. The first song was “Start Choppin.” The second encore song was their cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” one of the all-time greatest covers ever recorded. For the final song of the evening, The Stooges’ “TV Eye,” Easy Action’s John Brannon came out and tore through the song like a man possessed. It was probably the loudest way to end one of the loudest shows I’ve been to; and it was glorious.
One of the coolest things about Dinosaur Jr. is that, 40 years into their career, it’s still J, Lou, and Murph on stage, making all kinds of noise. They don’t need backing tracks or a second guitarist to fill out the sound. They just need a wall of amps and 12 square feet of effects pedals. You know, the way it used to be done!
Setlist
- Severed Lips
- In A Jar
- Back To Your Heart
- Been There All The Time
- I Ain’t
- Little Fury Things
- Grab It
- Crumble
- Pieces
- Out There
- Feel The Pain
- Mountain Man
- Freak Scene
- Gargoyle
Encore
- Start Choppin
- Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover)
- TV Eye w/John Brannon (The Stooges cover)
Here are some more photos of Dinosaur Jr. performing live at The Fillmore Silver Spring on July 20, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.
