YLT at Tonic

Filing a much-delayed post on the sly from the work desk... Caught Yo La Tengo last night at Tonic as part of the series of benefit concerts raising cash to help save the club from eviction. As with the last, and only other, time I saw 'em, YLT were exceptional. Most of the set was played with Ira on piano, Georgia on drums, James on bass and a guest on cello. Near the end, Ira switched to guitar for some explosive string-fuckery. Watching the show, all I could think about was how few bands there are that perform consistently at that level. Sweet bonus: An instrumental jazz-piano cover of The Move's "I Can Hear The Grass Grow."

Freak-folkers (and Vermont residents) Dredd Foole and Matt Valentine opened with some fine outsider picking, though the many of the yuppie-ish crowd didn't know what to make of it. Idiots.