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The one time I saw Dinosaur Jr. in concert was in the middle of a winter snowstorm in upstate NY, 1993. I had listened to them religiously for a couple years by then - I remember having to listen to "Sideways" before each test just to have some routine to deal with the stress - but being from the sticks I never had a chance to see them before then. Being 1993, there was moshing. Oh God, was there moshing. However, this was before the golfing-in-NYC video for "Feel the Pain," so while the crowd was, let's say, spirited, it was still enjoyable. And, of course, this was the Mike Johnson era.

Following in the footsteps of Burma, the Pixies, and seemingly every other band I listened to in college, the "original lineup" of Dinosaur Jr. - bringing back Lou and keeping Murph - has reunited for a few tourdates, combined with a rather disappointing re-release of the first three albums (with next to nothing added on, these are only of use to those dumb enough not to own these records already). This reunion tour debuted on, of all places, my TV set, or more specifically on the current crappy incarnation of The Late Late Show starring that Scottish guy who used to be the boss on The Drew Carrey Show.

Announced as the TV debut - although the Mike Johnson lineup appeared on Letterman once post golfing-in-NYC video - and described as "grunge rock pioneers" (eeek!), J, Lou and Murph performed a very energetic and thrashy version of "The Lung," starting off with a full minute and a half of guitar crunchery before J finally turns to the mic and timidly squeeks out "Nowhere to collapse the lung, breathes the doubt in everyone." J looked and sounded the same as ever: same stance, same sound, same hair (just a few dozen shades grayer). The real test of this reunion is Lou, and if the TV gig is an indication, he is totally into it. They played off each other great, and Lou totally looked like a kid again overdramatizing the last few licks.

If you missed it or just want to see it again, you can download the video from www.freesofree.net.

Dinosaur Jr at Amazon & Insound