Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Yo La Tengo @ Maxwell's - Dec 05, 2007

Hanukkah

Excuse me but I didn't know what Hanukkah meant. It took me to go out with an Israeli guy to remember about the Hanukkah miracle and the candles themselves. I know I read it before in the Bible once, but my memory is getting worst and worst with time. Oh Well. In any case, Yo La Tengo played a stellar show for the fourth day of Hanukkah, one that I'm never gonna forget.


Out of all the Yo La Tengo catalog I only know, from beginning to end, the latest I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, which is not a bad introduction to the band at all. From that album they played the excellent Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind, The Weakest Part and Beanbag Chair. This was the third time I see them live, and as before, I left the venue thinking I need to get some more YLT albums... for my own sake! They are the kind of band that deserves it.


These Hanukkah shows are very special. Yo La Tengo play almost different sets every night, have different underground praised opening bands, and on top of that play a handful of covers with even more special guests. That's a lot of specials right there. I remember Ira making one third of my night singing a rocky Heroin by the Velvet Underground, Georgia the second third by singing a beautiful song I don't know and the final third with Alex Chilton, of Big Star, singing Femme Fatale for the band. I am amazed at how little I know about classic music sometimes... for instance I thought that Femme Fatale was original by Duran Duran and so it surprised me seeing that Yo La Tengo was covering it. How fool I am. Wikipedia is enlightening me by letin me know it is original by the Velvet Underground, which makes now a lot of sense.

I'll keep learning. [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫♪

Were you at the show? How did you like it?


Yo La Tengo links: Hanukkah 2007 Diary, Stream I am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, Official Website, Wikipedia, MySpace, at Matador Records