On December 13th, friend Simon and I went to Portland to catch Dinosaur Jr.’s west coast tour featuring an interview by Henry Rollins, a Scratch Acid reunion and a set by Pierced Arrows. It was an awesome day– Simon and I walked around various PDX neighborhoods, went to Powell’s, took a stroll in the park, and had dinner at sushi joint in Old Town. For the entirety of the show, Simon and I closely guarded our front stage real estate, even through the crazy Scratch Acid set. I thought I was going to die. I protected myself by fiercely grabbing the stage and pushing away, lest my lower body be crushed to death by throngs of people in the frenzied pit. Yow grabbed my head and hair a couple of times, using it for balance as he leaned into the crowd. GROSS. Afterwards, Dino Jr. took the stage, playing a few hits before launching into their 1988 classic “Bug” in its entirety. The best thing about the show was being able to watch Henry Rollins squatting stage left throughout the Dino set, tears running down his face during a couple more poignant tunes. Rollins has been a fan since the beginning of J’s career. It was an amazing, unforgettable show; I felt like I was 16 again… exactly a half a lifetime ago.
