Lou Barlow and Dinosaur Jr. Tour Diary - 10/17/09 - Atlanta, GA

A little hung over today. I deemed Louisville the night to drink, and so it was. Tomorrow, I’ll be going back to L.A. for four days off and my body is already on the plane home. I’m tired, can’t even see straight.

Wake to a seemingly-empty bus, like everyone is already up and out. We’re parked in back of the Variety Playhouse. This will be the third time I’ve played here in the last three years. It’s Halloween parade day here in Little Five Points, a funky enclave tucked in an Atlanta neighborhood. The street is closed off and food stands are heating up. I find Tom, Raul and Tim (Dino guitar tech) wandering around and we go looking for food.

I like Atlanta. It sounds lame to say it has “soul,” but it does, so I said it. I like the people (even the nasty ones) and the architecture (even the corporate behemoths that loom over downtown like giant promotional ballpoint pens). At Atlanta shows, people dance and heckle expertly. This should be a good day. It’s saturday. Dinosaur have a 6:30 in-store performance at Criminal Records. If i grew up in Atlanta, CR would’ve been the most important place on earth.

A Dinosaur Jr. in-store is a rare occurrence. Today is an acoustic performance, which is downright unprecedented. I don’t think anyone considered that replicating my Dinosaur playing style on an acoustic guitar would be ineffectual, but I’m getting better at fending for myself, so i inform J that I’ll be playing my bass at low volume through an amp. In St. Louis, Murph bought some kind of a box to sit on and play with his hands. Tim brings one of J’s amps and an array of pedals. This will be one of those “unplugged” affairs, IE: not acoustic at all, and, in fact, totally plugged. Only Murph and his hippy box will be unelectric. I can’t imagine how it’s going to work, and, of course, we haven’t discussed it.

The store is packed by the time 6 rolls around. I push my way to the stage, plug in my bass and noodle while Noel (Dino sound engineer) gets levels. Tim plugs in J’s pedals and we are treated to the requisite squall of feedback that happens any time anyone plugs J’s guitar in. I will be needing earplugs. The amp is pointed up into J’s face. He likes to make sure he hears himself.

Murph’s box sounds pretty good, like a denim lap amplified. The songs have a jazzy, Jimmy Buffet feel that cracks me up. When J and I sing together, it feels great: quiet, smoky. I’m so drowzy and relaxed I hallucinate an ocean breeze.

I am truly surprised by how well it goes, but that’s Dino; we always seem to pull through at the last minute. Afterwards I meet some little kids (seven year olds) who came with their parents.

the missingmen opening set at the Variety goes well too. People actually move to the music and shout encouragement: “Good job, Lou!” I feel like I’m in little league again, an awkward eight-year-old determinedly rounding third with his tongue hanging out.

Tom, Raul and I jam in between songs. Everything seems to sound clear and warm. Who knows if it actually does. Noel (who is our sound engineer too) says it was all right, so I’ll go out on a limb and say it was the best set of the tour so far. The Dino set feels particularly good too. Excellent way to end the first leg of the tour.