Best 2011 Show Yet

Sweater: Ryu, Tank: Thrift, Skirt: ???, Tights: American Apparel, Boots: Thrift, Bag: gift

Last night I saw Yo La Tengo at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill.  The above pictures are what I wore to the concert.  (Well--I changed into a pair of Toms for the show in a bid at ultimate concert feet comfort, a bid which ultimately failed.  But this is mostly what I wore.)  The bag is new--it's Mexican, and it was a gift from my quasi in-laws.  It's my new favorite thing, I love the colors, I love the tassels and how lightweight it is.


I find it absolutely amazing that after 20 years of near-constant touring and so many albums, Yo La Tengo can put on a show that's more vibrant, more energetic, more filled with crazy distorted noise and sheer rocking-ness than 95% of the bands out there.  Currently, they're touring with a game show wheel with different options for how they can organize their set, such as "Songs that start with S," "Songs from the Sounds of Science," etc.  They bring an audience member up on stage to spin the wheel, and organize their first set around that selection.  I loved the unpredictability, and the band members seemed excited about it too.  We got "Songs that start with S," which resulted in them playing quite a few songs that they never ever play live.


And that was just the first set.  They played three sets with breaks in between, resulting in over two and a half hours of music--just from Yo La Tengo, not counting the opener.  My feet were killing me by the end of the night, but it was so worth it.  Definitely the best show of 2011 so far, but 12 months from now it could still easily take the top slot for the whole year. 


They played the song below, and it was lovely and special.