Dinosaur Jr are playing a rare show in their hometown of Amherst, MA to celebrate the opening of new venue The Drake on April 27. It's a small room, about 250 capacity, and they're holding a lottery for tickets -- you need to sign up by April 20. Apart from a pop-up appearance in 2017, this is Dinosaur Jr's first Amherst show since 1993.
The Drake is named for a legendary Amherst hotel dive bar that closed in the mid-'80s and is, according to the press release, the city's first "concert venue dedicated to regularly booking national touring acts." More:
Adopting the name The Drake from the legendary Amherst bar was no casual choice. The original Drake, which closed in 1985, is remembered with a glow of nostalgia that has elevated the storied local hangout to urban legend status. The notorious graffiti lamenting the closure, tagged on the Amherst Cinema wall the night the Drake closed for good, remains to this day and will be adapted into a neon sculpture in the venue’s entryway. No other local bar or hangout ever quite achieved the diverse culture of the original Drake. All were welcome and gathered as one, leaving race and class structure at the door. The new venue is founded on this same vision of diversity and inclusivity for both performers and audience.
The Drake's initial schedule includes performances by Vapors of Morphine, Regina Carter, Loudon Wainwright III, and more.
In other Dinosaur Jr news, they've also been added to the Newport Folk Festival lineup on July 22, and before that will play Winooski, VT's Waking Windows fest in May.
There is also the premiere of the Dinosaur Jr documentary, Freakscene, happening May 28 at The Opera House (tickets) where J Mascis will also perform a solo set.
Dinosaur Jr. released the great Sweep It Into Space last year, and you can order it on blue pink splatter vinyl HERE.
