Yo La Tengo live

@Pinefox: Nice reply. I could not stop laughing (I am dead serious). But how about: Who are you mainhattan characters? They are only, like you say and with energy supply people. They seem, in the music bang so much, versed to be (you know mouse also Falco Jacob, swing me, amadeus, OH - . I would like to know well-being their world opinion in the morning. It neckt Karikaturbonfire it I). If you go into such a way on writing, it, type of merry, is you is, like film star of years 20. Therefore they like, everything are good you in the love music of the forum I. Now it makes sense. Thanks to Babelfish. So you like Lloyd Cole? Mmm. Me too. But could it be that you have taken the title of his last album too literal? Don't get weird on me pinefox.

@Phil: No. My English is crap and was even worse in that post above. And you are exaggerating. Pinefox cracked a joke. I do not think that this is enough to start a war. And I guess our ethnicity is the same (I am Indo-European). But thanks anyway.

My first experience to MBV, as I've gone on about elsewhere (time and again!) on this board, was pure shock and stunned trance at how wonderful it was, hearing "Soon" for the very first time. That had about as much to do with rationality as throwing myself off a cliff because I might bounce.

I have no problem with you arguing your case and all, but junk your attempts at artistic psychoanalysis. If you can't accept the fact I disagree, that's your problem and not mine.

On the other hand when I read your last post I am flabbergasted by your sensitivity.

I accept that and I do not want to go any deeper (only a little bit). I just wanted to understand why our judgements differ. Especially as we start from practically the same point. When I saw MBV ten years ago they were my favourite group. Loveless was the most hypnotic album of the 90s. A song like When you sleep is absolutely stunning and still today. The concert left me totally cold. No interaction between the band and the public whatsoever. Except some stage-divers. When I went to see YLT the first time I did not expect a lot. And Ira talked to us and reacted when people asked for songs. And he was playing guitar like a devil (sorry another stereotype). Totally involved into his music. He was on a trip and he took us with him. I left the concert as a convert to YLT. When comparing those two bands to drugs I would say MBV is about taking LSD, a lonely but very strong experience. But YLT is about sharing a joint. It is a social thing and it is a soft and quite feeble high which lasts.

So maybe we have different preferences concerning those substances.

For another thing, this 'really getting into it, man = emotion; concentrating on playing = technical, unemotional' vision -- I absolutely refuse this limiting, ridiculous stereotype. Some of the most calculated bullshit I've ever encountered at shows has been from the most active people on-stage, some of the freest, most evocative and emotional playing from the most calm and controlled performers. Roy Montgomery in particular, with two extended improvisatory pieces at Terrastock 2, showed that much, all while sitting down, but he had that crowd -- and a large one it was -- on as much of a trip as Ira did for yours. *And* Mr. Montgomery was engaging in a bit of audience banter too if that makes you happy.

I am not trying to set up an opposing set of rules to yours, Alex, but I am trying to demonstrate that your own vision is not automatically the mirror image of mine. Is this so hard to understand?

(But I still maintain, however, that your English is not crap. Es ist ganz besser als mein Deutsch...)

On the subject of YLT live- I remember Alec Empire interview in NME where he talked about seeing YLT live and how they were scared to go on because the stage was covered in water and so they might get fried! Onstage!

And alec then called them a bunch of assholes- he would love to be there himself, he'd relish that kind of situation- and he proceeded to tell the the kids to stop buying all of this indie garbage.

http://www.yolatengo.com/schedule.html

'Fun' reading above.

I suppose I'm only really familiar with "And the nothing...", "I Can Hear the Heart...", "Summer Sun", and "Painful", since those are the only ones I own. Oh, and their first album, which I've listened to 1/2 a time.

But I only recognized about 5 of the songs they played, total. I assume the rest were covers, obscure b-sides...who knows. When things couldn't get any worse, they ended with their "Nuclear War" cover, which lasted about 15 minutes and wasn't very impressive. Then, when they finished, a fall-over-drunk woman yelled out, "HAY!!1 Play it...aGEE-YEN!"

And they did. They played another 15 minute long version of Nuclear War, which was just as disappointing as the first. Then, they were done.

Plus, it looked like Ira and Georgia were in the middle of a messy divorce the whole show.

I've loved them both times I've seen them, and like all the LPs, though And Nothing... doesn't get much play.

But other than that, they've never been bad. And I told Ira Kaplan he was a Rock God at Maxwells one time, and he was doubled over laughing with (or at) me. I was pretty drunk at the time.

http://www.yolatengo.com/ylt/hanukkah2005diary.html

I was at the Sun Ra Arkestra show Wednesday, which was fine (esp the jammy version of "Little Honda") except I found the comedians only mildly amusing.

Their pieces with new-music horn players (Arkestra, Sabir Mateen, etc.) are the most disappointing collaborations since Dim Stars.

YLT were almost the Who circa 1968. Now they're the Who circa 1989. A huge and tragic waste.

"Tragic waste" is a ridiculous overstatement even if you don't like the horn stuff. Having the same approach to your shows in 1992 and 2005 would be ossification.

The double 7" is spectacular. Nuclear War 12, not so much.

I have to agree though, some of the best shows I've ever seen were Yo La Tengo shows. When they're on, they're on.

Yea, but there are other approaches they could have taken (and could still take?) without "ossification'.

xpost

(also, you literally couldn't see the band whether you were standing or not. I had no qualms about standing cuz I arrived after 9, and any everyone-sits protocol was out the window by then.)

In addition to the octopi-sex score, I like the funk stuff for "Shrimp Stories."

fun performance, but i'm with Morbs, really not a rock show at all. here's an interesting essay on Painlevé and a video example:

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/25/painleve.html
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8604649289441675492

also, i noticed Love Life of the Octopus was originally scored by Pierre Henry. pretty bold of them to redo that one.

opening up the whole thing with Neil's new anti-trump screed — better than the original!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL0DUlADG4U

Bonnie Prince Billy opened night #4, also joined by Matt Berninger of The National and Lenny Kaye.

This particular part of the encore must have been wild:

Trustfall (P!NK) (with Bonnie Prince Billy on vocals)

I was there! I think the vibe was "what song is this?" but Oldham was performing it passionately.

Not sure what it says that both my friend (who likes the National) and I (who definitely doesn't) both thought that when Berninger appeared onstage, it felt like the energy was sucked out of the room...

in a million years i wouldn't have figured norah jones as a likely guest for one of these shows, but she did the full encore last night and it was pretty damn great. they basically served as her backing band for half a dozen songs including a version of georgia's "tears are in your eyes" that melted me, a couple of her own, and the best version of "i'll be your baby tonight" i've heard in a long time.

ngl ylt's hannukah shows are the event I'd most love to attend that I know I never will

wish they'd tape them and release them

otm on both counts, i would love to make it to one of these nights some day, but so doubtful

https://jessejarnow.com/2025/12/yo-la-tengo-hanukkah-2025-night-8-setlist/

My wife and I were at the 8th night closer . I didn’t love opener Florry ( Philly alt-country w/ dashes of Gram Parsons, Greatful Dead, Meat Puppets but with female singers) or the comedian, but Yo La Tengo was wonderful. They first did a number of songs with horns including a version of New Orleans’ Al Carnival Johnson song changed to “It’s Chanukah Time” and a number of their own songs. To pay tribute to late Michael Hurley they brought on fiddlers Peter Stampfel and Stephanie Coleman, then the Yo La trio got noisy by themselves. Susanna Hoffs joined them for encores and Ira’s 95 years old Mom joined them to close out with the fiddles on Griselda and My Little Corner of the World. Ira did a long heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make it happen, read out fave Beatles songs of participants, and condemned the Trump admin .

Their set was great

insanely jealous of everyone who got to see scrawl!!

I saw Scrawl this summer at Union Pool, same day Oasis played their first NYC-area reunion show which led them to reminisce about opening for them: "They were such DICKS! But they were sooo good, you couldn't hate them....but still they were such DICKS!" Enormous fun, they also said they hadn't played NYC in 20 years, so I'm glad the next one was a lot sooner!

did they play 'your mother wants to know'?