This week, Dinosaur Jr. has been giving everyone in NYC the best (and possibly only) public Hanukkah gift: a full week’s worth of performances at the Bowery Ballroom, celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary. They’ve been doing it with aplomb, too, in full Swiftian Squad Mode, bringing out some of indie rock’s most legendary figures: Kim Gordon, Jeff Tweedy, Henry Rollins, Lee Ranaldo (of Sonic Youth), and Kurt Vile, who seems to have received a warm welcome from all of these other heavyweights.
The most recent — and perhaps most awesome — guest star was Kevin Shields, founding member of My Bloody Valentine and figurehead of what’s come to be known as shoegaze, which all the kids love these days. While Shields shared the stage with the Dino Jr. folks, they performed a few of MBV’s strongest cuts, as well as Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer.”
Brooklyn Vegan reports that Sharon Van Etten and comedian Eugene Mirman also showed up, proving that the Bowery Ballroom is still the coolest place to be, at least some nights of the week. And seeing as Tuesday’s show was only the sixth of seven, it’s safe to bet that tonight’s is probably going to be even more stacked.