Yo La Tengo pulls out the stops at Roseland with a light show, strings and more

Yo La Tengo at Roseland Ballroom

By John Ruscher

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

We were very sad to hear that Yo La Tengo's traditional string of Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's isn't happening this winter, but, on the positive side, we were very excited to catch the band's blowout show at Roseland Ballroom last night. The gig was the band's last in the NYC area for the year, and they didn't hold back.

Atlanta "flower-punks" Black Lips were ripping through the catchy, hurricane-bemoaning "Katrina" when we entered the room, and they continued bringing melodies and energy to spare. The quartet has a special knack for songs that get better and better when played sloppier and noisier. "Hippie Hippie Hoorah" and the infectious "Bad Kids" were a couple highlights.

After the stage had been thoroughly prepared, "The Daily Show" correspondent John Oliver came out to give a short, sometimes funny monologue before introducing Yo La Tengo. The band picked up their instruments and immediately busted into "From A Motel 6" from 1993's Painful. Gary Panter and Joshua White's light show provided an amazing backdrop for the wonderful multitude of sounds that followed. The band brought out a string section for a couple of songs from their new album, Popular Songs, and frequent instrument switching kept the night's dynamics fresh.

Ira Kaplan delivered his usual awe-inspiring guitar freakouts, James McNew took the reins for a great version of "Stockholm Syndrome," and Georgia Hubley's voice sparkled brightly on "Tom Courtenay." "Blue Line Swinger" built into a frenzied, ecstatic jam to close out the main set.

After a few minutes of cheering, the band returned to the stage and Kaplan remarked that he didn't think he had a guitar left that was still in tune or had all six strings. He stepped over to the organ instead and kicked off "Autumn Sweater." A Condo Fucks (YLT's cover band alter ego) tune followed and the night concluded with a delicate and beautiful version of "The Whole of the Law."

The show felt short, but that's because we could keep watching Yo La Tengo for hours and hours without getting tired or bored. We were happy for the time we did get to spend with them, though, and hopefully they'll make up for their end-of-the-year absence with many treats for NYC audiences in 2010.

A video of YLT's Matador label-mates Times New Viking impersonating Georgia, Ira and James: