2003-10-06 - 1:34

Genius plus love

This is the first year that I have wimped out on a few concerts; but things are still rather rocking. This weekend was a double bill of Yo La Tengo, as they played Zaphod's on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

For Saturday, I had quite a sizable contingent of friends in the audience; but Laurie was the only one to stay at the front with me all night and the only one to also have a ticket for Sunday. Clearly, she is the girl for me.

The concerts were stellar, of course. The two sets had some overlap; but overall, they differed significantly. Saturday's set had much more guitar freakery. Unlike the Montreal concert this past spring, I had a close enough position on the floor to see Ira's playing when he dropped to his knees and went nuts; and it was amazing to watch. I got a laugh out of seeing the band's roadie clear the stage to ensure that he wouldn't be in the way of Ira swinging his guitar by its neck.

Ira's playing was certainly up to par tonight, as well, though. On one frantic stretch, he broke a string wailing away, proceeded to tune his other strings while continuing the barrage of noise, then swapped guitars without missing a step.

Of course, the guitar craziness is only one aspect of the show; and it's a joy to watch the three members of the band interacting, swapping instruments, and taking turns on vocals.

I'm not sure that I can say which concert I preferred. I really liked the aggressive, challenging opening to Saturday's show; and I think that the crowd was more enthusiastic. Tonight, though, the band was given more time to play. I also really enjoyed tonight's two encores: firstly, a harcore set (covers of Circle Jerks, Misfits, Ramones, and one song that I didn't recognize); and then a very quiet all-request affair (including "Sugarcube" and "Fog Over Frisco"). Tonight's rendition of "Nuclear War" was also superior, assisted by two members of the opening act, Aislers Set (although keyboard difficulties reduced Alicia's contributions).

I could ramble on even more; but I'll try to catch up on my concert recaps on my other site and have a real review soon (well . . . soonish).

Speaking of which, I should have an easier time coming up with a description of these concerts, since I snagged the setlist tonight. Booya!

Okay, I should make an effort to write entries that aren't only concert wrap-ups. I'm sure that there are other things going on . . . I'll get back to you when I figure out what they are.

J.