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Yo La Tengo played Maxwell's, probably for the last time (pics)

photos by PSquared Photography

Yo La Tengo @ Maxwell’s, 6/15/2013
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“This band does not exist without this club,” singer-guitarist Ira Kaplan announced during Yo La Tengo’s final appearance at the sainted Hoboken, New Jersey locale Maxwell’s last Saturday. (The venue is set to close on July 31.) Kaplan’s concision was emblematic of the night, during which the trio were tasked with wrapping up a 33-year-long relationship with the room in two 45-minute sets. That they did so with a good deal of real sentiment and a minimum of nostalgia was further testament to the strength of Yo La Tengo’s connection to the place — this was just another excellent gig at home.

Among other milestones, the uptown Hoboken bar/restaurant/venue was where eventual husband and wife Kaplan and singer-drummer Georgia Hubley first met at a Feelies show in 1980, where Kaplan soon worked as soundguy and Hubley as a DJ, where they hung out more nights than not and made a slow progression from playing covers at back-room parties to the first Yo La Tengo show in 1984, to, eventually, some 72 guest-studded menorah-lit Hanukkah performances between 2001 and 2012. – [SPIN]

What started as an opening slot (as their all-covers alter-egos Condo Fucks) for Scottish group The Pastels turned into a headlining set for Yo La Tengo when the latter’s visas didn’t come through in time. It was also fortuitous in some ways, as it gave the Hoboken indie legends one last show at their equally legendary hometown rock club that is closing its doors for good at the end of July. The band, as YLT, performed an acoustic set and then came back for an electric set as Condo Fucks, doing covers of The Who, The Kinks, Slade, The Rolling Stones, Fugs and more. Setlist is below. Was Saturday’s show the last time Yo La Tengo will play Maxwell’s?

We’ve got six weeks left of Maxwell’s, including upcoming (and sold-out) shows with The Feelies, Titus Andronicus, The Felice Brothers, Ted Leo, and Lee Ranaldo, plus not sold-out shows with Screaming Females (7/21, tix), Reigning Sound (6/30, tix), The Muffs (7/25, tix) and more.

More pictures from the YLT show below…

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SETLIST: Yo La Tengo/Condo Fucks @ Maxwell’s 6/15/2013 (via)
Set 1 (Yo La Tengo, acoustic):
“Big Day Coming”
“The Point Of It”
“Three Blocks From Groove Street”
“Mr. Tough”
“Swing For Life”
“Speeding Motorcycle” (Daniel Johnston cover)
“I’ll Be Around”
“Tom Courtenay” (Georgia Hubley on vocals)
“Ohm”

Set 2 (The Condo Fucks, electric):
“Outrage” (Booker T & The MGs)
“The Last Time” (Rolling Stones)
“Last Time Around” (The Del-Vetts)
“Frenzy” (The Fugs)
“Mystery Action” (The Rezillos)
“What’cha Gonna Do About It” (Small Faces)
“Right Side of My Mind” (Angry Samoans)
“I Want You To Be My Boy” (The Exciters)
“I’m Your Man” (Richard Hell)
“Accident” (Electric Eels)
“With A Girl Like You” (The Troggs)
“Tiger In Your Tank” (Muddy Waters)
“Dog Meat” (Flamin’ Groovies)
“Get Down” (Half Life)
“Come On Up” (Young Rascals)
“Gudbuy T’Jane (Slade)

Encore:
“This Is Where I Belong” (The Kinks)