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Yo La Tengo's current "Freewheeling Tour" is billed as one where "anything can and will happen." Reports from earlier stops informed us to expect the unexpected in a setting that is more "mass hangout than veritable rock show," that we could ask questions and should look for the band to play songs based on those questions. Even so, we weren't sure what to expect. We weren't sure if we'd like the format or if it would detract from the music. And we love Yo La Tengo.
Turns out that by breaking the veneer and talking with the audience, YLT decided to come up with set lists prompted in equal parts by questions shouted from the audience and their own stream of consciousness. It ended up created an evening full of funny and interesting moments, but not always a great show.
For example, after playing a couple of songs, Ira invited any and all questions from the audience. "We're here to correct any misconceptions that came up over the last 23 years."
After a rocky start of song requests shouted fast and furious (that the band shrugged off as too easy), someone asked, "Who does your hair?" The band tried to come up with a hair-related song to play, but couldn't and looked for more questions. A call for the song "Tom Courtenay" prompted someone to ask about the band's favorite Tom Courtenay film. Just as they were winding up the answer and getting ready to play the song, bass player James McNew piped up with a story.
Apparently when that song was recorded (here in Seattle), James was forced to use a pretty crappy bass which left him in a terrible mood "bitching at you guys for that whole session." But then, James said, they all went to 13 Coins to eat afterwards and he apologized.
Live moments like that are great when they come about spontaneously, because they let fans learn more about a band that we think we already know really well. Although this tour was planned to create openings like that, when they were taken, it never felt forced.
Performing under this veneer also gave the band an out when they screwed up, like when Georgia completely train wrecked during "You Can Have it All." It's not often that a band comes to a crashing halt and the drummer says simply, "Oh Fuck. Sorry," laughs and then picks back up right where they stopped. But they did, and we took it, happily. It really was funny.
Judging by the line up of songs on their latest CD I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Kick Your Ass, YLT has become adept at mixing extremely different types of songs together. Wall-of-sound space rock can flow smoothly into their brand of dreamy silence-filled songs. For some reason though, YLT has decided that it's better to use conversation to bridge those sounds live. They do so to the music's detriment. After all, the style of the show, its construction, is what we're reviewing here, not so much its content. And we think that's a shame.
Musically, it wasn't always the smoothest or the easiest show to listen to all of the time. Some of our favorite songs have sounded better in the past. But that can be true for any band's live performance. The tour's shtick, on the other hand, did have something going for it. It was real. It was honest. It was bare. But we don't need to see it as a template for an entire tour again even if, as Ira said was the other reason for doing it this time.
"We're out of ideas."
We hope that isn't true.
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