Yo La Tengo Performs Socially-Distanced Show At MASS MoCA

Yo La Tengo returned to performing live in public on Friday night by playing the first of two limited-capacity shows at the Courtyard D outdoor concert venue at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. The socially-distanced concert was held in accordance with Massachusetts’ COVID-19 Phase 3 guidelines.

Guitarist Ira Kaplan (on acoustic guitar for portions of the main set), drummer Georgia Hubley and bassist James McNew opted against playing songs from their recently issued, improvised album We Have Amnesia Sometimes. The show began with “Big Day Coming” off 1993’s Painful.

The rest of the main set was made up of a few covers with originals drawn from throughout the band’s lengthy career, including “The Pain of Pain” (Ride the Tiger), “Stockholm Syndrome” and “Moby Octopad” (I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One), “From Black to Blue” (And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out), “Little Eyes” (Summer Sun), “I Feel Like Going Home” (I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass), “Periodically Double Or Triple” and “Nothing To Hide” (Popular Songs), “Ohm” (Fade), “For You Too” and “Forever” (There’s a Riot Going On).

Covers performed on Friday included the rarely played “Wanted Man” by Bob Dylan, “If I Was Your Child” by Wilco, “Sorrow” by The McCoys and “Smile a Little Smile for Me” by The Flying Machine, as well as “For Shame of Doing Wrong” by Richard & Linda Thompson. Kaplan switched to electric guitar for the encore that began with a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “I Heard Her Call My Name” and concluded with The Holy Modal Rounders’ “Griselda.”

Yo La Tengo will perform at MASS MoCA again tonight. The show is sold-out. View video clips and photos of Yo La Tengo at MASS MoCA Friday night below:

Setlist