Yo La Tengo brought just a touch of normality to our pandemic times with two socially distanced shows at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA on Friday and Saturday nights. Mind you it was still a little surreal, playing above the museum's courtyard from an elevated loading bay. "Live from the set of Space:1999," the band joked on Instagram.
Each night had an audience of only 100 or so with Yo La Tengo playing mostly acoustic. As they tend to do, Ira, Georgia and James peppered their sets with covers: Friday night included Bob Dylan's "Wanted Man," Wilco's "If Ever I Was a Child," Richard & Linda Thompson's "For Shame of Doing Wrong," and The Velvet Underground's "I Heard Her Call My Name" in addition to YLT songs like "Ohm," "Stockholm Syndrome," "I Feel Like Going Home" and more.
Saturday's set included The Byrds' "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better," The Troggs' "A Girl Like You," Times New Viking's "Move to California," and more in addition to their own "Our Way to Fail," "Autumn Sweater," "Deeper Into Movies," and more.
Check out setlists for both MASS MoCA shows, plus Instagram pics and video, and full song video of "Our Way to Fail" from Saturday, below.
Yo La Tengo recently released an album's worth of ambient drones recorded during lockdown in their rehearsal space and also appear on Matmos' upcoming album.
Yo La Tengo @ Mass MoCA 8/7/2020 (via) Big Day Coming From Black to Blue Wanted Man (Bob Dylan) Forever Periodically Double Or Triple If I Ever Was a Child (Wilco) For Shame of Doing Wrong (Richard & Linda Thompson) For You Too The Pain of Pain Sorrow (The McCoys) I Feel Like Going Home Nothing To Hide Double Dare Smile a Little Smile for Me (The Flying Machine) Little Eyes Stockholm Syndrome Moby Octopad Ohm
Encore: I Heard Her Call My Name (The Velvet Underground) Griselda (The Holy Modal Rounders)
