If The Pixies are generally considered to be the masters of the “loud-quiet-loud” format within the scope of a single song, then Yo La Tengo can likely be considered the same in terms of their approach to a single show. The longtime pride of Hoboken-guitarist Ira Kaplan, drummer Georgia Hubley, and bassist James McNew-rolled through Dallas on February 5th, 2016 and presented a mesmerizing evening of tunes broken up into two sets, the first being acoustic and the second consisting of a ferociously amped-up electric performance that repeatedly pummeled the capacity crowd with volume and intensity. As it always is with this group, it proved to be a magical night that pushed all the right musical buttons.
A little after 8:00 pm, the trio took their respective places at the front of a heavily spotlighted stage and launched into a hushed cover of The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love,” a surprisingly resonant centerpiece of their latest album, Stuff Like That There. This brief and charmingly played number silenced the crowd, turning the standing room confines of The Granada Theater into a reverent church-like atmosphere of awe and respect. Few dared to speak and those that did were shushed harshly and quickly by those fans with little tolerance for Friday evening shenanigans. And, with that, Yo La Tengo spent the bulk of the next hour in self-proclaimed “quiet mode”, running through much of that appropriately themed recent album-highlights included the jangly “Rickety” and the haunting “Awhileaway”- “before ending with a spectacularly drawn out version of the band’s reconfigured classic “Deeper Into Movies”.
As Kaplan ended that track by writhing around on his knees, gently shredding and wrangling notes from his guitar, he was gamely offering a preview of the cacophony to come. After a 30-minute or so break, the trio reemerged and commenced the “loud” portion of the show with vigor and aplomb. As subdued as the first hour was, the next couple of songs blasted the lull back outside onto the windy Greenville Ave. streets and jarred those inside abruptly awake from what had previously been their peaceful night of music.
Hubley anchored the songs with sharp and precise drumming that locked in perfectly with McNew’s bass. Freed from the acoustic settings, Hubley resumed a seated position behind an expanded kit while McNew traded out the upright for an electric bass. Kaplan, when not banging out soulful piano chords, chirping away at the organ and loop machines, or fanatically bopping along with a pair of maracas, was wrenching every possible sound from his guitar. He locked into a trance while rhythmically strumming, fell to his knees and shredded away, and wielded the instrument literally like an ax as waves of feedback and distortion brought songs to violently prolonged endings.
Those new to the band’s dynamic probably felt quite stunned at the transformation, and the scatterings of some folks here and there backed up this hunch. Longtime fans though, gleefully ate it all up, whooping along and howling praise before, during, and after each song. Kaplan’s ho-hum demeanor and deadpan banter with the crowd served as a charming contrast to the serious aplomb with which he attacked his music. A couple of droll lines here and there mixed in with a funny anecdote about competing against club music during a ‘90s visit to Dallas summed up the between song interaction.
After 30-plus years in the game, Yo La Tengo are all business. They know how to put on a show and are true masters of their craft. While it would have been nice to hear “Autumn Sweater” or “Stockholm Syndrome”, the band consistently challenges its’ audiences by weaving together the old with the new, the subdued with the thunder, and the pretty with the ugly. By not looking back and resting on laurels, the band continues to grow and amaze. They’re truly an act to behold.
