Last night, a couple hundred people packed into the overheated 7th Street Entry to see a legend of alt-rock and presumably a legend in the making; two stunning guitar technicians that have an ear and feel for the craft that's not just enviable, but one that also provokes stunned jealousy.
To kick off what essentially felt like a double-headlining bill, Kurt Vile played a spirited yet oh-too-short 40 minute set that left the steadily sweatier crowd clamoring for more. His guitar-work was tantamount to wizardry, showing progressive work throughout the mix of new and old tunes, even though he still seemed down from having his pedals stolen at SXSW a couple weeks back. Backed by 2 other guitarists (no bass) and a drummer that preferred maracas & mallets to typical drumsticks, Vile proved that the mountainous buzz he's been receiving lately is well-deserved. His current single, "Jesus Fever" got an energetic kick in the teeth while the rousing cover of The Boss' "Downbound Train" was a raucous and appropriate closer. Maybe this was all he had planned, or maybe his set was cut short because of opener Fauna fluting a bit too long, but after 7 electrifying songs, I couldn't help but want just a little bit more...and I know I wasn't the only one.
J Mascis started his set coyly, yet with an implicit bang. Opting to open with Dinosaur Jr. favorite "Thumb" rather than a track off his excellent new solo album, Mascis was winking at us (and the inexplicably large amount of frat boys & woo girls in attendance), showing that his set would be anything but ordinary. After dipping into the new record for a bit, this point was proven HARD. Answering Vile's earlier cover with one of his own, Mascis decided to treat us to a rendition of Edie Brickell's "Circle of Friends." Yes. Edie Brickell. And you know what? It was damn enjoyable. The way Mascis worked his loops and mixed in bone-chilling fuzz with his reverb-heavy acoustic all evening, he could've covered almost anything and made it sound good. Vile joined Mascis onstage mid-set for a couple tracks that sounded a bit muddy, but were still exhilarating in a teacher-and-student sense. After a few more Dinosaur Jr. numbers, a handful of songs of the new disc and a quick three song encore that took 28 seconds to begin, Mascis left the stage as humbly as he first took it, leaving a crowd of believers pleasantly astonished.
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