Yo La Tengo
Date: October 1, 2006 We Tore the Playhouse Down When Yo La Tengo toured after the release of 2003's Summer Sun, a pair of shows at Zaphod's marked their return to Ottawa after a nine-year break. Fortunately, local fans did not have to wait as long for their next look at the band, as the group stopped at Babylon in support of their follow-up album, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. Once again, the band was excellent, with the varied new album proving to be a solid foundation for the show. The curious but welcome choice for opening act on this tour was Why? I last saw Yoni Wolf performing under the name Why? on the same stage four years ago. Since then, he has expanded Why? into a band, filling out his not quite rap vocals with a not quite indie rock foil. With a set that started only fifteen minutes after the doors were scheduled to open, people were still filling into the club when Why? started; but the band was able to capture the attention of those who arrived on time. Their short set concentrated on Elephant Eyelash and included some new songs. While Why? has inched closer to writing conventional songs, the resulting creations contain enough strange hooks, overlapping vocals, and abrupt endings to make for an unexpected but compelling experience. Yoni remains the focal point, with his half-spoken lyrics demanding attention; but the incredibly fierce drumming of his brother Josiah definitely turned some heads, while Doug McDiarmid filled out the sound with guitar and keyboards. I think that most of the Yo La Tengo audience was new to Why? but I suspect that they made some new fans on a floor that also included some obvious diehards. In fact, at the end of the set, a few voices in the crowd were very vocal in their desire for an encore but the tight schedule wouldn't allow it. The reason for the early start time and rigid schedule was a looming curfew for Babylon's regular mod night, which would clash with Yo La Tengo's tendency for epic concerts. The crew did a very good job of setting up quickly, especially given the massive array of effects pedals that Ira Kaplan uses for his guitar. It wasn't long before the New Jersey trio took the stage and launched into "Georgia vs. Yo La Tengo," the instrumental allowing them to stretch their legs before reaching farther into their back catalogue for "Double Dare." "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind" marked the first foray into the new album, which would prove to be the backbone of the night. Fortunately, that album is a triumph of diverse styles, making for an impressively varied set. While "Goodkind" offered an early chance for Ira to launch into a guitar freakout, "The Race is On Again" saw the band settle into a smooth midtempo groove. The bouncy pop of "Beanbag Chair" gave way to the high-pitched soul of "Mr. Tough." Georgia Hubley's tender vocals made "The Weakest Part" and "I Feel Like Going Home" feel like a delicate balancing act, before "I Should Have Known Better" seemed to fall over itself in a rush of sounds and "Watch Out For Me Ronnie" proved as raw as anything played on the night. After the perhaps overly comfortable mellowness of Summer Sun, Beat Your Ass is a welcome shot in the arm; and the live show is all the better for it. For the most part, the band stayed at a brisk pace, perhaps mindful of the coming curfew, although they took the time to get a few laughs from the crowd. James McNew joked about the upcoming mod night, claiming that the band was ready, having all parked their scooters outside. When someone responded to Ira's baseball talk with a cry of "Go Yankees," he was quick to call for security. When Georgia took a turn on guitar towards the end of the night, Ira explained everything that she needed to do on his large array of effects pedals to get things working. When she realized that she hadn't plugged the guitar cord in, he answered, "I take no responsibility for that one." Whether chatting with the crowd or simply plowing ahead with the music, the band seemed to enjoy their time on stage. One drawback on the night was that the sold-out club was overly chatty, to the detriment of several quieter songs. That said, the sparse beauty of "Don't Have to Be So Sad" was easily one of my favourite moments in the night, feeling as powerful as the stunning swirls of feedback-laced noise that punctuated the more rocking peaks of the set. "We're an American Band" and "Tom Courtenay" were other memorable inclusions from the band's earlier material, with the latter leading into the satisfyingly epic set closer, "The Story of Yo La Tango." Despite having already exceeded the 11:00 curfew, Yo La Tengo stretched their performance to the two-hour mark with a pair of encores that included "Nowhere Near" and covers of "Bad Politics" and "I Saw You Dancing." My three previous live experiences of Yo La Tengo all came on their 2003 tour. Those shows demonstrated that the band delivers something different each night. Seeing them play in support of another album, though, definitely offered a more unique experience; and I'm grateful that the band made it back to Ottawa so soon, playing another amazing concert. Yo La Tengo setlist 
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