Yo La Tengo Set 2013

Set list sites - to see or not to see, that is the question?

I'm off to see Yo La Tengo this week, and although I know several albums I can't claim to know their entire back catalogue. So I decided to check the set lists for recent gigs.

It's not something I normally do, and isn't always an option. Only bands of a certain level have a fanbase big enough to number amongst them the type of fan who not only notes down the set list (or grabs one from the stage at the end of the show) but also uploads it to one of the setlist-sharing sites. That's not a criticism, I've done it myself before. I guess Yo La Tengo are in that level, they're certainly one of those bands with a loyal and broad fan base.

Anyway I don't normally check the current tour setlist of bands I'm about to see but in cases like these I like to see what oldies they might be playing alongside the new album to see if I know the tracks.

Checking the last few European dates only, they have played a total of 55 different songs at the last 7 gigs! And that's not including the three or four differing covers played as the encore each night. And counting for the fact that 8 or 9 songs from the new album Fade always feature, that's a lot of extra variety.

This is good news for me, I'd rather watch a band playing a varied an unpredictable set than one rolling out the same old songs. (One time I saw them was the Freewheelin' tour when they played the first half according to audience requests.) The only downside of this approach is that your favourite song might be featured one night but not the night you go, but them's the breaks.

Here a spotify playlist of all 55 songs (and link), followed by a song list. If nothing else it gives a quick overview of popular songs (amongst the band themselves at least) from their oeuvre. [I had to use a fancy pretentious word like that in my first post]. The set lists are here, March 6th 2013 onwards for seven or so gigs.

Update: the playlist now contains 63 songs, up to and including the London show.



In order of shortest track length:
Yo La Tengo – Shadows
Yo La Tengo – Upside-Down
Yo La Tengo – Well You Better
Yo La Tengo – The Summer
Yo La Tengo – Center of Gravity
Yo La Tengo – If It’s True
Yo La Tengo – Nothing To Hide
Yo La Tengo – Evanescent Psychic Pez Drop
Yo La Tengo – Paddle Forward
Yo La Tengo – Stockholm Syndrome
Yo La Tengo – Watch Out For Me Ronnie
Yo La Tengo – Beanbag Chair
Yo La Tengo – Sometimes I Don’t Get You
Yo La Tengo – Avalon or Someone Very Similar
Yo La Tengo – Sugarcube
Yo La Tengo – Shaker
Yo La Tengo – Winter A-Go-Go
Yo La Tengo – Decora
Yo La Tengo – Did I Tell You
Yo La Tengo – Double Dare
Yo La Tengo – How to Make a Baby Elephant Float
Yo La Tengo – Tom Courtenay
Yo La Tengo – The Point Of It
Yo La Tengo – Periodically Double or Triple
Yo La Tengo – When It’s Dark
Yo La Tengo – The Ballad Of Red Buckets
Yo La Tengo – Mr. Tough
Yo La Tengo – Drug Test
Yo La Tengo – From a Motel 6
Yo La Tengo – Is That Enough
Yo La Tengo – Big Day Coming [Second Version]
Yo La Tengo – Pablo And Andrea
Yo La Tengo – Our Way To Fall
Yo La Tengo – Saturday
Yo La Tengo – Little Eyes
Yo La Tengo – Black Flowers
Yo La Tengo – Season of the Shark
Yo La Tengo – I’m On My Way
Yo La Tengo – Damage
Yo La Tengo – The Crying of Lot G
Yo La Tengo – Two Trains
Yo La Tengo – Sudden Organ
Yo La Tengo – I'll Be Around
Yo La Tengo – Cornelia and Jane
Yo La Tengo – Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House
Yo La Tengo – Stupid Things
Yo La Tengo – Swing For Life
Yo La Tengo – Autumn Sweater
Yo La Tengo – Deeper Into Movies
Yo La Tengo – False Alarm
Yo La Tengo – Today Is the Day
Yo La Tengo – Here To Fall
Yo La Tengo – Moby Octopad
Yo La Tengo – Nowhere Near
Yo La Tengo – Cherry Chapstick
Yo La Tengo – Before We Run
Yo La Tengo – Last Days of Disco
Yo La Tengo – Flying Lesson (Hot Chicken #1)
Yo La Tengo – Ohm
Yo La Tengo – I Heard You Looking
Yo La Tengo – Blue Line Swinger
Yo La Tengo – Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind
Yo La Tengo – The Story Of Yo La Tango