For our January/February tour dates, we’ve decided to take the advice of Blood, Sweat & Tears to “ride a painted pony/let the spinning wheel spin.” And just in case that’s not self-explanatory, read on.
We’re going to split our performance into two sets. At the beginning of the night, we’ll bring a Wheel of . . . Fortune? Fate? What ARE those carnival things called? . . . on stage, and spin it. Whatever comes up, that’s what the first 45 minutes will be. Here are the possibilities:
1. Condo Fucks:
50 million Fuckbook fans can’t be wrong!
2. Dump:
Why should Nijmegen and Claremont get all the fun? Is this the night Dump plays your town? Only the wheel knows.
3. The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo:
You ask a question; we answer the question, and maybe follow up with a song.
4. The Name Game:
Have you ever noticed how many Yo La Tengo songs include someone’s name? More than 45 minutes’ worth, that’s for sure, so who knows which ones we’ll do on any given night.
5. Sitcom Theater:
The lucky audience in attendance the night the wheel lands on this space will get to see band and crew act out a classic sitcom.
6. Songs Starting With S:
The only thing more common than a Yo La Tengo song with a name is a Yo La Tengo song starting with S (only one song fits both categories). So many, in fact, that we cannot promise that all of them are on the table, as it were. But we do promise that there will be songs rarely, if ever, heard live.
7. The Sounds of Science part 1
8. The Sounds of Science part 2
All of the lovely sounds we created, but none of that pesky science. We’re leaving the movies at home, and dividing the 90-minute program in half.
And thanks to Stephen Hunking, you can even practice spinning the wheel in the comfort of your own home!
Click the wheel to spin it.
Then we’ll take a short break and figure out what to play in the second set. The wonderful William Tyler will be opening all the shows. And don’t forget, tickets are available for all shows at face value. (Information on the Schedule page.)