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Dump & Kurt Vile opened Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows

Ira

It’s got to be kind of hard to find someone to open for you on Christmas. Maybe that’s what led to Dump, the other project of Yo La Tengo’s James McNew, opening for Yo La Tengo at Maxwell’s on Sunday, December 25th (Hanukkah, night 6). Maybe Dump’s recent show at Spike Hill was scheduled as a warm-up.

Yo La Tengo is keeping a diary. Their friend Kelly Reichardt writes:

Dump is on the stage. I know, I know, this reporter is asking herself the same question. How in the world did Yo La Tengo get Dump to play their Christmas night show? I guess everybody in this business has connections. In any case, it’s our good fortune and listening from my perch I forget all about my duties and just let myself get lost in the music (not in any kind of freaky arm-waving way, but just in a quiet-inside way). I’m in my zone. Enjoying myself along with everyone else in the room. It’s somewhere in the middle of the Prince cover tune, “Another Lonely Christmas” that the older, more disgruntled looking red-shirt-wearing door guy makes a beeline over to me. He’s shouting something I can’t make out, but I can clearly read his lips as he keeps repeating YOU SURE LOOK GOOD TONIGHT KELLY! I finally lean closer and take out the earplugs and it turns out what he is actually yelling in my face is YOU CAN’T STAND ON THAT STOOL!

Comedian Kurt Braunhohler, who will return to the Hoboken venue to open for Ted Leo, also opened the Christmas show. Tara Key and Rachel Blumberg were the other special guests that night. Full setlist HERE.

Last night, night 7, Kurt Vile & the Violators and Leo Allen opened. Dave Schramm played guitar with Yo La Tengo, and Peter Stampfel also joined the band. Full setlist HERE.

Tonight, 12/27, is the final night of Hanukkah 2011. Who do you think the openers will be? I bet James McNew (not to mention the rest of Yo La Tengo) would be excited if it were the Feelies.

Browse the Yo La Tengo tag for more.