Yo La Tengo

Seeing YLT for the third time was a charm. Two sets gave listeners two different experiences. The first set was like listening to a stack of 45 rpms on a portable record player. A great mix of covers and originals that featured familiar gems and obscure b-sides that had me searching the WWW for clues as to "what was that song"? Example: the last song of the first set was "Take a Giant Step" by The Monkees. The second set was primarily original songs by YLT. Following the Eastern vibe that has permeated recent albums like "Fade", the set list included songs that were longer and included an underlying drone quality that definitely provoked a meditative state in me. Having Dave Schramm playing guitar with James, Georgia and Ira was a real gift. Their interaction provoked smiles amongst the four of them throughout the show and a positive vibration that made for a great concert.

Tucson-based Calexico brought an incredible amount of energy to the Pageant on Thursday, Jan. 31, playing a brisk, 16 song set that was tight, and highlighted the close collaboration of the seven musicians on stage. Calexico's sound reflects a diversity of influences: Tex-Mex, indie/folk, rock, alt-country,-- ultimately, this is Americana in the best sense of the word. Led with heart by lead singer Joey Burns, and drawing heavily on their near-perfect latest disc, "Algiers," these seven guys delivered the goods with passion. This music truly crosses boundaries and borders while still remaining intelligent yet accessible; it is obvious that straight-forward songwriting is something they take pride in. Musicianship was superb and were greatly showcased by the acoustic qualities of the venue, utilizing Spanish and electric guitar (Joey Burns), drums and percussion (John Convertino), pedal steel (St. Louis' own Paul Niehaus), vibes, accordion (Martin Wenk), upright bass (Volker Zander), and of course a trumpet section (Jacob Valenzuela). The only thing missing was "Crystal Frontier," which was played on the last mission of Space Shuttle Endeavor (Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords are big fans), and an encore was sadly missing. Ultimately, the greatest downside was that the set was only 90 minutes long. It was obviously a knowledgeable and appreciative crowd; it would be great if they come to town on their own so we can spend more time exploring their fantastic catalog.

How can one NOT enjoy a show at the historic Fillmore? Well, again, I love the space and all the shows I've seen there but being there for Yo La Tengo (YLT) with Camera Obscura (CO) as the opening act made my day (my year, as a matter of fact). YLT had an incredible perfomance yesterday. Ira Kaplan (guitars, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, vocals), and James McNew (bass, vocals) really gave the audience a great show. Kaplan totally gets into the music, almost as if he's in a hynoptic state. The way that Hubley and NcNew would switch off instruments and vocals for certain songs and how seamless it all was throughout the show really is a testament to how cohesive the band is. Even in the experimental (dischord) parts of the music, you still get a strong sense that they're into it. It's wonderful to see musicians that are truly artistic. The back drop and the lighting went well with the music and really set the tone. What can I say? That was an amazing show! If you haven't seen either band, please, please, please go see and support them!

For those who only know Yo La Tengo by their slower, softer songs, you've heard nothing until you've heard them perform live. With a base that reverberates through your entire body, a wild keyboard that channels the better side of 1970s glam/scifi rock, a guitar that makes you want to thrash about wildly, and a drum that somehow keeps the beat through all the madness, this show was one of the best I've ever seen. I also had the good fortune to be standing right at the stage during the entire show. The addition of the strings players for two songs and then for a jamming session toward the end of the show was also fantastic. For anyone who hasn't seen this band perform live before, please do yourself a favor and make sure to catch them the next time around.

i'm a huge fan. ylt makes some of the most beautiful tunes you'll ever hear, but last night's show felt like they were a different band. they played a lot from their latest album (which is quite good) but they also went overboard with the noise making, reverb and high pitched guitar and violin strings. they were not the yo la tengo i've loved and enjoyed for so many years. wish they had performed more of their mellow stuff.

First time to see YLT and was excited. However, it felt like YLT needed to sit in the audience once and listen to their own show. I don't mind experimental and edgy but random loud noise wore on me. I'm sad to say that I left before the encore, if there was one, which is something I've only done once before in 25 years of live music watching. I am sorry to say I was sorely disappointed - felt flat, random, loud, and soul-less, which is exactly the opposite of what I expected. Am still a fan of YLT, I just think I'll be limited to studio from here on out.

the sound was pretty bad in the wilbur. ylt had some technical difficulties. setlist wasn't very inspired. they had a group of local string players on a song or two, but unfortunately, they weren't mic'ed properly so it was a waste. i've seen ylt many times over the last 10+ years, and this was a relatively lackluster performance.

Maybe I just don't get them, though I like several of their songs. You can barely hear the vocals but the feedback and bass are over the top. I like loud jamming with the best of them but seeing them once was enough. I came to believe the show last night was representative of who the band is; am I wrong?

Fantastic venue, even more fantastic artists. Definitely a must-see!

Maybe I'm not as much of a Yo La Tengo fan as I thought. The first set nearly put me to sleep. The second set was more upbeat and what I was hoping for in a Yo La Tengo show, but by then, I was just ready for it to be over. The most interesting thing at the show was when a woman in front of us fainted and had some sort of medical emergency.

This was truly one of the greatest and most memorable Yo La Tengo Michigan performances.

The sound at the venue was terrible, and the band was out of tune nearly the whole time.

The musicians were amazing! The sound mix was poor-couldn't hear the vocals

Nothing like the albums I love. The first half of the concert was a series of dirges. The second half was raucous thrash guitar. None of the ballads or mid tempo lyrical songs from their 1996-2006 era were played. Very disappointed. I really like this band's studio work but I won't go to another concert.

I cannot believe I spent good money for that. I have not idea what their appeal is. They were unharmonious, I could not understand the ir words & they were out of tune. WHen the rock (2nd half) started, I left....NOISE!

Yo La Tengo rocked the place. That guy thrashes his guitar and hits you with these crazy waves of sound.

These guys are amazing! Well done as usual. Recommend.

We went to see Calexico and weren't disappointed. Not as impressed by Yo La Tengo.

Great double-bill; the remodeled Buckhead Theater (former Roxy) is tight!

My only complaint is that I wish Yo La Tengo had played for another 30 minutes, since it was just that good. When they played "I heard you looking" I thought the band was going to tear the house down. Please come back to Hotlanta!

Great concert-- I'm definitely adding Calexico to list of favorite bands live.

Calexico wasn't even at their best (I went to the show specifically intent on seeing them, since they only come east every 3-5 years or so) and they blew the "headliner" Yo La Tengo away. I'm not a big fan of Yo La Tengo, but I listened to several of their records before the show and thought they would translate well live. Nope. In this instance, they showed themselves to be a terrible, monotone/drone-y live act with little musical energy (though lots of wasted motion) with the exception of their drummer, who is very talented and interesting to watch.

I've seen them at least 15 times since 1994. My line after each show is 'they always deliver'. I don't think so this time. A 30 minute break between their two sets, one of which was an entire set of James' material aka Dump. I like that too but would have been more into it if the band had come right back out and played a full set of music, which was shortened seriously by an extended break.

Yo La Tengo are very talented. Their music is great and they are a superb live act. Great source of happiness and unpretentious talent. Viva Yo La Tengo!!!

The theater piece was not needed at all. If i wanted to watch spongebob I would watch nickelodeon. I payed for music not theater. The songs they played were descent but I was really let down from hearing the previous sets during this tour from online blogs. Not such a great concert....pretty sad.

old school electr-o-pura tom courtanay. nuclear war

They are just a very talented and experienced trio and it's obvious you are seeing something special when they start to play. It's more of an experience than a band simply playing their songs. Ira plays to the crowd, the wheel gets spun, and the entertainment begins. If you haven't seem YLT live...you need to.

I was disappointed in the band's indulgences in distortion and extended guitar confusions...mimicking the ear drum piercing sounds of a live Sonic Youth show. In addition the board mix exaggerated the bass levels drowning out the under-represented delicate single note guitar melodies. My friend and I left at 11pm when the band indulged in yet another experimental drone of repetitive bass and drum background to a distorted feedback guitar frenzy. I know the band is better than what I saw and there is no denying their talent, but please leave rehearsal to the studio and present thoughtful precisioned pieces to devoted fans at a $40/ticket live event.

I must say that I was underwhelmed by this concert and by this venue. While it is nice that the Fox Theater fosters a more casual vibe than say the Paramount, the sound quality was unforgivable. OK--so Yo La Tengo: can we say meh? I mean I love their music. I think that they've produced some great albums. But live at this show, there was no heart. Was this a ploy to appeal to the fixie-riding hipsters with an ironic stand-in-one-place show? Wait, they weren't at the show! They were somewhere else while their mid-thirties aunts and uncles (like me) watched this show. I digress. I am not going to dump on them totally because they have staying power and create some great studio stuff. But I see Yo La Tengo playing somewhere in an intimate setting where the sound doesn't melt into the creepy gargoyles on the side of the stage before it can reach the audience.

Unfortuately I didn't enjoy the show very much...it was spoiled by the theater's sound engineering. We sat in the loge where the vantage point is fabulous, but sound was not well balanced. The bassline was so loud that it vibrated so strongly through my body I felt sick after a while. I found it really hard to think about anything else. This made it very hard to enjoy the music at all. The performance was great, just could not enjoy it.

The Urinals were awesome! The accoustics were pretty decent at the Wonder Ballroom. No seating though except on the floor. Yo La Tengo got up there and spun the wheel, and the category was Weird Science or something, so they played this repetitive whale music for 1/2 hour (it would have been a cool intro if it would have been a lot shorter) I left around 11 because I was bored and my back was in spasms due to a running injury. My wife left earlier because she had an early Saturday AM class.Yo La Tengo is one of our favorite bands and we were disappointed. We saw them at the Aladdin a couple of years ago and they were awesome there.

Yo La Tengo never ceases to amaze me. Their shows are always different and excellent. Every time they visit Seattle, I will be sure to be there. It is worth every penny.

All notes were hit, and the sounds were amazing. Yo La Tengo knows how to put on a good show. I was a little disappointed in the playlist, the only reason they got 3 instead of 4 stars. The Urinals did an exceptional job as well. Almost to good for a punk band....

what can i say, they always put on a great show. the wheel dealt us a bit of a disappointing blow, but they made it work, with an extra long second set which more than made up for the sleepy, but still amazing first set

So Yo La Tengo does a two set show on their current tour, and the first set is determined by a spin of a wheel of musical fortune, complete with game show music. An audience member gets to spin, and one of the options is "The Name Game", YLT tunes with names in them. Great and grooving most all the time, with occasional utter freakouts by Ira, who also made an amazing guest appearance with the Corin Tucker Band. Second set included Cherry Chapstick and Nuclear War to end up, great sound, great ideas and execution. There's a reason why YLT has persisted so long. Corin Tucker Band was great as well, really sharp, lots of tricky stuff. In case you didn't know, Corin was part of Sleater Kinney. Their sound reminded me of how great the early 90s were up here. The precision and unexpected key changes reminded me of seeing the Supersuckers at the Weathered Wall or something. Great Show, and I would go see them again.

I was looking for some-kind of sleepy wanna listen to chill music and relax on a Friday night but got slapped in the face by the sounds of science. When you want "little eyes" and you get "guitar beaten by mallet" you just don't feel right. Second set was very cool, though.

I heard a lot of new stuff as well as old favorites. They did a good job of playing in their different styles and covering a lot of their discography. And they just played SO well.

Amazing!! This was my first time seeing Yo La Tango live and I wish I was going to every show on the tour!!

Very cute this show! The three are very complete artists.

As it their wont these days Yo La Tengo mixed it up pretty good. Ira was a whirling dervish right out of the box with Georgia and James keeping up nicely. They of course did several songs from their newest release "Popular Songs" and a few old nuggets. Even bringing out a group of orchestral string players to join them on-stage for 2 songs and then later on a burning rendition of "Little Honda". If you go, bring ear-plugs. The sound at the Wilbur Theater was a bit muddled making it difficult to hear any of the band member's voices on the louder numbers. But very will worth the price of admission. They are now off to see the world.

I love yo la tengo music...their music is not for everybody, they play music to get lost in time and place or they can play soft songs to make you feel at peace....they can play really loud and rock your heart out...they are the quintessential indie band..

Show was a snoozefest. I would not recommend seeing them live.

Yo La Tengo played a generous and rewarding show at the Paradise and you cannot beat this venue if you love music as you are practically on stage with them. They played two sets. opening with a mellow set featuring lots of new stuff. After a 20 minute break to get the rest of the equipment in place it was clear that the volume was going up. My personal highlight was "Ohm" which they played tremendously but it was all good - "Moby Octopad", "Stupid Things" etc.

YLT was amazing. they played to a packed house. During the first set, which was mostly its quieter songs, you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was transfixed. They sound even better in person than in recordings. The second set ended with a stunning version of the history of Yo La Tengo. Best concert I've seen in years.

Amazing setlist. All eleven musicians performed with such great cohesion. This was the first time I saw Yo La Tengo, but I can't imagine a time where they could sound better. Yo La Tengo's minimalism in their music allows one to imagine the spaces they create filling up with the listener's surrounding ambiance. "And Then Yo La Tengo Turned Itself Inside Out" was a perfect opportunity to hear how Yo La Tengo fill up their own spaces. None of the players overplayed, and even with the stretched out song lengths, everyone was still contributing to the song. In total the performance was somewhere between an hour and half, or an hour and 45 minutes. The fact that the set felt so short, is a testament to the expert craft Yo La Tengo has been honing for the past 33 years.

This was a great show. One of the best sets of Yo La Tengo I have seen.

I'm a huge fan of "electronic" Yo la, so while I was eager for the show I was also ready to be disappointed. They did NOT disappoint. The performance was excellent, the choice of material was great and Dave Schramm was an amazing addition. I particularly enjoyed hearing some of their louder songs reinterpreted for this show. Just sublime!!!

The music was beautiful and as usual their musicianship was amazing. The vocals were a bit too hidden at times, and the show was very short yet still had an intermission. They seemed tired and not entirely engaged, perhaps because of the Paris situation and losing Toussaint. The French song right after the break was incredibly moving. I felt they should have played longer.

With Dave Schramm back in the mix Yo La Tengo gives a better rounded version of what they do best. It was a great show that was bound to satisfy fans and also please newcomers to YLT. This is not about passion or hot pyrotechnics, although Dave Schramm provided technical proficiency on lead guitar. This is about tones and moods. All in all it was a nuanced show that was soul food for Yo La Tengo fans.

What a treat to see them play softly with perfect precision and dynamics. The lead guitarist they brought along was top notch.

YLT had been a long time favorite on the radio, so I was excited to get tickets to see them. Only afterwards did I notice "accoustic"in the title. I'm not sure that made the difference, though. The band has such a narrow range of color that the show lacked spark. I wanted to yell "just rip one off!" just to get them to vary their sound. Or tempo. Something! Even in the encore, the songs played were snooze-enducing. I don't think we were the only ones that felt that way, because about a quarter of the seats were empty during the encore. Ours would have been among them, have we not been in middle seats.

Very good concert based on new acoustic album of covers with Lead Guitar by Dave Schramm. Nick Lowe played solo for 50 minutes - mostly material from last few years. Encore performed together with showstopper/last song cover of Nick's Bay City Rollers song. Enjoyed both artists a lot.

For this tour, Yo La Tengo has reunited with Dave Schramm, who played guitar with them for the first couple/few years of the band's existence. He is a talented musician and brings a different vibe to the band. Ira took maybe one or two solos during the performance, which was very unusual. I love the mellow, intimate side of Yo La Tengo, but I missed the juxtaposition with the loud, noisy Yo La Tengo. I also missed Ira going nuts on the guitar. The Kings Theatre seats about 3,000 and I think this show's level of intimacy was somewhat lost in the back of the theatre.

We love YLT and they were great, as was Nick Lowe, though I'm not as much a fan of his. King's Theater is magnificent, but too big for an acoustic show from a band known for its feeling of intimacy. We were close to the stage but the acoustics were muddy. No complaints on the band, but have to say we enjoyed last year's electric shows at Town Hall more.

Music great, venue not so much. Uncomfortable. Bad view of guys head in front of me.

First time seeing Yo La Tengo and they were absolutely wonderful on both nights. The venue was not ideal and we had some trouble with the reserved seating the second night. I usually prefer general admission-type events, and being able to have a beverage during the show. The band could not have been any better and played a completely different show each night. Wish we had seen them at Maxwell's, but this was still a wonderful experience, easily in our lifetime top ten list.

What a great concert and great place to see them. Ira was a mad genius.

Absolutely an extraordinary night of music! Two of the best bands on the planet.

Yo La Tengo pretty good (some out-of-key moments) but the Feelies (who I hadn't seen live before) killed it as their opener. Would love to see a full-length Feelies show.

Yo La Tengo was okay. Feedback at the concert was a bit too much and maybe I'm getting old, but some of the solos just went on way too long.

i loved the show. it was my first attending of a YLT show, and not my last. this show was 30 years and one day since their first gig, it was a celebration of the the years gone by, and some of the people important during these years. the music felt like it was being loved, followed, served by the musicians, the love of, and enjoyment of, the music by james, georgia, and ira is visceral , setting up a great atmosphere for all of us to also enjoy where the music lead us all....... i love the way georgia hits the drums, great sound, james was all over the place, with all kinds of instruments, i was particularly impressed when he used the bass guitar as a rhythm guitar, i had never seen that before, and ira, i love the way he loves the music, gets inside of it and grooves.... wonderful show. such talent, and diversity..... the additional guests, friends, was a great plus also, it felt like we were all part of a personal music family community that night. Bravo

Awesome concert! Yo la tengo was amazing and the Jewish music festival had a great vibe

Great show at the Fonda, which is a small, intimate venue. They played two sets, the first one acoustic and the second, electric. Ira got really loud at some points, hammering on his keyboard with his knuckles and splitting our ears. For me, those were the only subpar moments. Great performances, great venue.

I had heard of Yo La Tengo for years and listened to them once in a while. When they played this May at the Fillmore in SF, it was my chance to see them live. It was great. There were two sets with a break in between and no opening act. The first set featured mostly slower tempo music with a beautiful, thoughtful sound. In the second set, they rocked out and sprinkled on feedback judiciously. It was a lovely evening to be alive, in San Francisco, and holding up a glass of Lagunitas to the sky.

Having seen Yo La Tengo some 20+ times, I'm a big fan obviously. I wouldn't say that it was their best performance ever, but I really enjoyed the show. It was my first time at the venue, though, and I was pleasantly surprised. Pretty good sound, crowded but not uncomfortable, and drink prices that were expensive but not quite outrageous. I'll be back.

Stunning the way they put the concert together. Fantastic presentation, real talented musicians. Surprising the way they choose to present them performance. My senses were tuned in the right direction. ;)

Ira Kaplan's guitar playing was exciting and inspired. The entire band was tight and sprited.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Is there a more consistently excellent band?