By the Rule of Erik, I have technically seen Cloud Nothings. That is, I caught the last 3 songs of their set. More importantly, I've seen drummer Jason Gerycz. Holy shit! What a force to be reckoned with. What he did with his minimal kit was mind blowing. It has continued my week of seeing awesome drummers (Whig's Julian Dorio, Helms Alee's Hozoji Margullis and Melvins' Dale Crover). His drumming as well as the ridiculous heat inside the Neighborhood Theater (my first gig here - bad first impression), led me to the bar where only water could save me. And even that wasn't enough.
Tonight's show is sold out and it's still 85 degrees at 8.30pm when I go inside and the one giant roof fan is not reaching everyone in the venue. By the time Dinosaur Jr came onstage at 9.15, I had lost 10 lbs in sweat and, sadly, was wishing this was all over already. However once I heard The Wagon, 5 songs in, I was settled in, even though I was really uncomfortable. I am a big fan of 90's Dinosaur Jr, so Feel The Pain and Start Choppin' were great songs to hear. And I had til near the end to hear the ripping version of Freak Scene (in my 25 songs of all time). Dinosaur Jr left the stage after about 80 minutes, probably suffering from the same heat the crowd was. They were coaxed back on to play Get Me and then took requests from the audience before Mascis told the crowd Murph wanted to play Just Like Heaven. A great closer, such a unique take on a Cure song that finishes in right in the middle of a chorus.
Overall a great show from Dinosaur Jr, on par with last year's opening set for Primus. And despite the heat (from which there was no real relief even after leaving the venue), the Neighborhood Theater is a good set up. The slanting floor in front of the stage made viewing possible from anywhere, I saw people in seats upstairs and then there was a risen flat standing area next to the stage. I was in front of the mixing desk and was grateful for earplugs tonight, though they came out for the favorite songs.
The Crap Facts:
This is my 411th concert.
Neighborhood Theater is the 116th venue I've seen a concert.
This is my 51st concert in Charlotte.
This is my 57th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 219th concert in the USA.
Cloud Nothings are the 487th band I've seen.
Cloud Nothings are the 400th time I've seen a band in the US.
Cloud Nothings are the 400th time I've seen a band in the US.
This is my 6th Dinosaur Jr concert.
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