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Yo La Tengo Hanukkah Night 7: Fred Armisen, Michael Shannon & more (pics, setlist, video)

Michael Shannon w/ Yo La Tengo at Hanukkah Night 7 (photo: @blorbach)
Michael Shannon w/ Yo La Tengo at Hanukkah Night 7 (photo: @blorbach)

Monday (12/18) was the penultimate night of Yo La Tengo‘s Hanukkah Run at Bowery Ballroom. Great experimental duo 75 Dollar Bill and comedian Josh Gondelman were the evening’s openers listed on the poster at the door, but there were more surprises to come. Fred Armisen sat in with Ira, Georgia and James for their whole set, and they welcomed Stephen Hunking of late-’80s/early-’90s NY indie rock band Hypnolovewhere on stage to cover that band’s “Wonderful Again.” Rick Brown and Che Chen of 75 Dollar Bill joined YLT for three songs, and the main set finished with a roaring cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” with Antietam’s Tara Key on guitar.

The encore, which was all covers (as usual), featured maybe the night’s coolest surprise as two-time Academy Award nominee and noted indie rock fan Micheal Shannon (currently being malevolently creepy in Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water) joined Yo La Tengo for a cover of Suicide’s “Ghost Rider.” If you’ve seen any of his work, you know Shannon’s intensity makes for a good Alan Vega. Video of that is below. That was his only song, but Yo La Tengo also covered Van Halen’s “‘Bout Love” (the “Minutemen arrangement”), The Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renee,” and finished with Holy Modal Rounders’ “Griselda.” Setlist (via Jesse Jarnow) is below.

There were more surprises. In addition to Josh Gondelman, Chris Gethard also did a set. 75 Dollar Bill, meanwhile, played with an expanded lineup as well. Georgia made the night’s mix CD and proceeds from the whole evening benefited the New York Immigration Coalition. Check out more instagram pics and videos below.

You can check out pics and setlists from the previous six nights of Yo La Tengo Hanukkah HERE. It all wraps up tonight (12/19) and the show is sold out. Any guesses on who the surprise musicians and comedians might be?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc3bZUxFksA/?taken-at=3002301

75 Dollar Bill

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc3bhx_gTrX/?taken-at=3002301

Josh G

Chris G

YLT set

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc3pt02AS15/?taken-at=3002301

Encore

SETLIST: Yo La Tengo Hanukkah Night 7 @ Bowery Ballroom 12/18/2017
Here To Fall
Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House
Flying Lesson (Hot Chicken #1)
Satellite
Let’s Compromise (Information) (with Rick Brown on drums/vocals & Che Chen on guitar of $75 Bill)
The Ballad of Red Buckets (with RB & CC)
Barnaby, Hardly Working (with RB & CC)
Nowhere Near
Wonderful Again (Hypnolovewheel) (with Stephen Hunking of the XL Kings on guitar/vocals)
Autumn Sweater
The Story of Jazz >
Nothing To Hide
Heroin (Velvet Underground) (Roky Erickson arrangement) (with Tara Key of Antietam on guitar)

*(encore)*
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love (Van Halen) (Minutemen arrangement)
Walk Away Renee (The Left Banke)
Ghost Rider (Suicide) (with Michael Shannon on vocals)
Griselda (Antonia/Peter Stampfel)