Dinosaur Jr. is “is still making excellent records for new listeners and older ones who made the band part of their lives” (Wall Street Journal). Today, they release Emptiness at The Sinclair, an album that captures the essence of why the band has been such a staple in live music for decades. Recorded live at The Sinclair in Boston, Dinosaur Jr. play many tracks off of Sweep It Into Space, released earlier this year on Jagjaguwar, plus favorite classics like “Just Like Heaven,” “Start Choppin” and “Freak Scene.”
Lou Barlow elaborates: “It was odd going back to Harvard Square for the Sinclair show, lots of closed shops, less car and foot traffic, my first time back in a big-city since it all went down. I had lived in Boston for about 10 years from the late 80’s-90’s and the bustling square was a common destination to look for records and meet with friends. The empty pandemic feel spooked me.
“Playing for a livestream is like pushing a rock up a hill trying to recreate the vibe of a real show. The isolation of the last year had made me nervous about performing again, especially in the context of Dinosaur Jr. where I typically rely on the energy of our crowd. Playing to an invisible audience and a real-time sparsely populated room of people doing their jobs (running lights, sound and staring at screens) was something different and, again, weird.
“Despite all my lockdown doubts once we started playing things clicked. My mind didn’t highjack me and it quickly began to feel like a real show. Having a few decent gigs on the Sinclair stage before, it began to feel familiar and, for lack of a better word, friendly. It will be much more of a relief to get back on tour but, this Sinclair show was a good band-aid, so to speak.“
Dinosaur Jr.’s North American tour continues next month. Additionally, dates from earlier this fall that were cancelled have since been rescheduled for fall of 2022. Tickets are on sale now and a full list of dates can be found below.
Dinosaur Jr. Tour Dates
Thu. Nov. 11 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 12 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl *
Sat. Nov. 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *
Mon. Nov. 15 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Tue. Nov. 16 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
Thu. Nov. 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
Fri. Nov. 19 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall *
Sat. Nov. 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
Fri. Nov. 26 – Northampton, MA @ Academy of Music *
Sat. Nov. 27 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues *
Thu. Feb. 3 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy’s and Harriets +
Fri. Feb. 4 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl #
Sat. Feb. 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
Mon. Feb. 7 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Music Hall
Tue. Feb. 8 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Thu. Feb. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at Market
Fri. Feb. 11 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Sat. Feb. 12 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Tue. Feb. 15 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Wed. Feb. 16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Thu. Feb. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Sat. Feb. 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
Sun. Feb. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
Tue. Feb. 22 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
Wed. Feb. 23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Fri. Feb. 25 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theatre
Sat. Feb. 26 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Sun. March 27 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Mon. March 28 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester
Wed. March 30 – Hull, UK @ Asylum
Thu. March 31 – Glasgow, UK @ QMU
Sat. April 2 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Sun. April 3 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Tue. April 5 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Wed. April 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle Hamburg
Thu. April 7 – Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria
Sat. April 9 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks
Sun. April 10 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Tue. April 12 – Munich, DE @ Muffathalle
Wed. April 13 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
Thu. June 2 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Sat. June 11 – Porto, PT @ NOS Primavera Sound Festival
Fri. Sept. 9 – Ithaca, NY @ State Theatre – RESCHEDULED
Sat. Sept 10 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall – RESCHEDULED
Sun. Sept. 11 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre – RESCHEDULED
Tues Sept. 13 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird – RESCHEDULED
Wed. Sept. 14 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn – RESCHEDULED
Sat Sept 17 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall – RESCHEDULED
Sun Sept 18 – Austin, TX @ Moody Theater @ ACL Live – RESCHEDULED
Tues Sept 20 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre – RESCHEDULED
Fri Sept 23 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant – RESCHEDULED
Sat Sept 24 – Kansas City, MO @ Truman – RESCHEDULED
Sun Sept 25 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room – RESCHEDULED
Mon, Sept 26 – Minneapolis MN @ First Avenue – RESCHEDULED
Wed, Sept 28 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre – RESCHEDULED
Sat, Oct 1 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora – RESCHEDULED
Sun, Oct 2 – Columbus, OH @ Athenaeum Theatre – RESCHEDULED
* = w/ Ryley Walker
+ = w/ Ryley Walker & Lemonheads
# = w/ Built to Spill