Hoboken’s Yo La Tengo are a reliably great live band. Their shows often feel like special occasions and their success as a live act is assured due to their feeding off a very appreciative fan-base. I have seen them several times, the previous show being a Q&A/request show that allowed some insight into the band’s personalities. This exclusive Melbourne Festival show is named ‘An Evening With Yo La Tengo’ and set within the formal, seated Hamer Hall, though it lacks a little of the warm interaction and spontaneity that you come to expect from this trio.
Tonight’s conceit is a set of two halves over a three-hour period. It’s a great idea for a band who offer such range to divide their sets into a gentle, quiet show and a louder, electric second half, and yet the contrast isn’t as great as you’d expect. There’s a huge chunk of new album, Fade, on offer tonight. The weight of it is a surprise from a band with such a hefty catalogue and there’s an early lull with a three-song run of slow, sleepy Fade songs. On the plus side, Ohm is such a great song and translates so well live that you can forgive them playing it twice.
There are a couple of odd choices from the band’s back catalogue (Mr Tough is no-one’s favourite Yo La Tengo song, surely?), but the set is made memorable by a handful of classic tracks that get serviced in grand style: a dreamy Little Eyes, Painful gem Sudden Organ and the absolutely essential Sugarcube.
Loved: Despite my expectations not quite being met, a band of this calibre are always a breath of fresh air.
Hated: The disruptive waves of latecomers and early leavers. And whoever was slow-clapping long after everyone had finished applauding.
Drank: A half-time red wine.
