Twenty-five years did not seem to have fazed Yo La Tengo on Thursday night, as they played for a sold-out crowd at the 9:30 club.
Opening for them was Endless Boogie. Endless Boogie have only been around for eight years, but their sound is straight from the ‘80s.
The lead singer, complete with hair down to his waist and guttural, indistinguishable lyrics, set the stage for the rest of their set. All of their songs focused more on their playing than their lyrics. Their songs often turned into more of a jam session for the band than anything else. After learning he had only 10 minutes left in the set, the lead singer joked that it was enough for half a song. The show was certainly an interesting start, but the opener did not reach the standards of the headliner.
Yo La Tengo, comprised of Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew, are a band that have outlasted anyone’s predictions, especially considering the marriage of Kaplan and Hubley. Yet 25 years later, they are still selling out shows.
From the first song, the opening track “Here to Fall,” off their new album “Popular Songs,” the band engaged the crowd. While many of their songs were much slower paced, such as “More Stars Than There Are in Heaven” and “When It’s Dark,” they also played songs like “Watch Out For Me Ronnie.”
Their music ranged from songs from the albums “Popular Songs” and “I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One” to “I Am Not Ashamed of You” and “I Will Beat Your Ass,” as well as a few others. They satisfied new fans with “Periodically Double or Triple” and “Nothing to Hide” and old fans with “Sugarcube” and “Autumn Sweater.”
For “On My Way,” which guitarist and vocalist Kaplan said “was quickly becoming his favorite part of the show,” Hubley came and played guitar with Ira while James serenaded the two. He followed this bit of romance with a song that he said would have an “‘American Beauty,’ ‘Workingman’s Dead’ kind of vibe to it.”
As far as the music itself, the mics were turned down for most of the show, placing the focus on the sounds from the instruments and the synthesizer instead of the words. For one of their last songs, “Pass the Hatchet, I think I’m Goodkind,” Kaplan had what many called a freakout, during which he became so absorbed in the music and finding the sound that he started waving his guitar around, pulsing it through the air, playing with his wrists and finally throwing it to the ground before picking up a new guitar. The whole scene was captivating to watch, and the audience soon became almost as transfixed by the song as he was. It was truly a testament to his skill and passion for music.
Due to the crowd’s insistence, Yo La Tengo played two encores. The first included two tipsy girls dancing on stage to “One PM Again” (their request), a Black Flag cover and “Sugarcube,” another request. After much cheering and encouragement from the audience, the band came out and played a second encore. Kaplan kicked it off on drums with a Half Japanese cover and continued on to “Detouring America With Horns.” For their grand finale someone suggested “By the Time it Gets Dark,” to which Kaplan replied, “Someone just suggested a song that I thought about for a moment, but there’s another song I want to do more,” ending the set with “Farmer’s Daughter” by the Beach Boys.
The show was an amazing tribute to the range of Yo La Tengo. Playing songs from six of their 12 albums, Kaplan made an effort to talk to the crowd constantly, starting conversations while he played. Their show illustrates the connection they have as a band that’s been together for two-and-a-half decades and the talent they possess to remain a popular band for so long.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
