Last Saturday night, after an intense (and dimly lit) opening set by The Black Heart Procession, J Mascis took the stage alone. With only an acoustic guitar and a small half-circle of monitors and amps – which seemed paltry compared to his customary wall of Marshall stacks – he performed songs off his new record, Several Shades of Why, as well as a few Dinosaur Jr. tunes. As he effortlessly bent the strings of his acoustic guitar during one solo after another, he also proceeded to show the crowd that he was a better at guitar than any of us could ever hope to be.

Photos – J Mascis and the Black Heart Procession – May 7, 2011