Staff Editor on October 22nd, 2017

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As usual, Dinosaur Jr.’s concert Saturday night at the Fonda Theatre was not the faint of heart. But it was for the true of heart.

The trio — J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph — are two-thirds of the way through an October tour playing songs that fans selected in a poll. So, with Mascis operating in front of his tower of Marshalls, Barlow backed by a Tetris-like tower of amps and Murph behind his simple kit, they played a mix of new and old. There were catalog gems like “Little Fury Things” (1987) and “Freak Scene” (1988), songs from Dinosaur Jr.’s 11th album “Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not” (2016) and their most familiar hits such as “Feel the Pain” and “Start Choppin.” The core trio was joined by an additional drummer and guitarist for a few songs, spawning a healthy mosh pit in the middle of the Fonda. For the encore, the band covered the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and the Stooges’ “T.V. Eye.”

Detroit’s Easy Action opened, buffeting the early arrivals with heavy riffs, thunderous drums and frontman John Brannon’s gutteral screams. The pace was relentless.

Dinosaur Jr. setlist: Thumb, Goin Down, Lost All Day, Left/Right, Watch the Corners, Out There, Feel the Pain, Little Fury Things, The Wagon, Start Choppin, Knocked Around, Crumble, Get Me, Freak Scene, Gargoyle. Encore: Just Like Heaven (The Cure), T.V. Eye (The Stooges)

Photos by Samuel C. Ware