Yo La Tengo with Bush Tetras at Bowery Ballroom - Hanukkah 2021 night 8
photo by Ellen Qbertplaya

Yo La Tengo wrapped up Hanukkah 2021 w/ Bush Tetras, Eleventh Dream Day, more (pics, setlist)

Yo La Tengo wrapped up their 2021 Hanukkah residency at Bowery Ballroom on Sunday night with a few surprises, a few old friends and few traditions. Pictures from the whole night by Ellen Qbertplaya (who shot every night apart from the first two) are in this post.

Coming in from Chicago for the show were fellow indie rock lifers Eleventh Dream Day, who released the excellent Since Grazed earlier this year. In addition to their opening set, the band — which these days includes James Elkington on guitar in addition to longtime members Janet Beveridge Bean, Mark Greenberg, and Doug McCombs — also joined Yo La Tengo for their set in various permutations, making for a serious force onstage.

YLT’s set started with a cover of The Beatles’ “From Me to You,” sung as “From Me to Jews,” and from there included “Today is the Day,” “The Crying of Lot G,” “When It’s Dark,” “Autumn Sweater,” “Deeper Into Movies,” “Our Way to Fail,” and more, as well as more covers (The Fugs, Goffin/King, Velvet Underground).

For the encore, Yo La Tengo covered of The Only Ones’ “The Whole of the Law” before bringing out Bush TetrasCynthia Sley and Pat Place for a tribute to drummer Dee Pop who died in October. They played Bush Tetras’ “Dum Dum” and “Too Many Creeps,” and also covered The Velvet Underground’s “Run Run Run.” The night and the Hanukkah run ended, as it usually does, with Ira Kaplan bringing out his mom, Marilyn Kaplan, who sang lead on covers of Cat Stevens’ “Here Comes My Baby” and Anita Bryant’s “My Little Corner of the World.” Check out the full setlist via Jesse Jarnow’s Frank & Earthy blog, as well as a few fan-shot videos, below.

Joe Pera was the Night 8 comedian and he noted that there was also an LCD Soundsystem show in Brooklyn that was happening at the same time as this show, and that maybe it would be fun to have the very different audiences switch places. He also jokingly asked the crowd not to post photos or video of him saying this, as he didn’t want Brooklyn Vegan to get him in trouble with James Murphy.

The Night 8 mix CD was made by Patty Schemel, and proceeds from the evening benefitted Letters To Santa & One Simple Wish.

Meanwhile, Matador Records has made a playlist with every night’s YLT setlist, and you can listen to that below.

Check out recaps and photos of all eight Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows here.

You can get Yo La Tengo albums on vinyl in the BV shop.

SETLIST: Yo La Tengo @ Bowery Ballroom 12/5/2021 (Hanukkah Night 8)
From Me To You (The Beatles, sung as “From Me to Jews”)
Today Is The Day (slow version) (with Janet Beveridge Bean/drums, Mark Greenberg/keyboards, James Elkington/guitar, Doug McCombs/bass)
Stockholm Sydrome (with Rick Rizzo/guitar, JBB, MG, DM)
The Crying of Lot G (with JE, DM, JBB, MG)
Avalon or Someone Similar (with RR, JBB, MG, DM)
Season of the Shark (with JE, JBB)
Two Trains (with JE, JBB, DM)
When It’s Dark (with JE, JBB, DM, MG)
Goin’ Back (Carole King & Gerry Goffin) (with JE, RR, JBB, MG)
Group Grope (The Fugs) (with JE, RR, JBB, MG, DM)
Some Kinda Fatigue (with RR, JB)
Autumn Sweater
Deeper Into Movies (with JB)
Sister Ray (with MG, RR, JB, DM)
Our Way To Fall

*(encore)*
The Whole of the Law (The Only Ones)
Dum Dum (Bush Tetras) (with Cynthia Sley and Pat Place)
Run Run Run (Velvet Underground (with CS & PP)
Too Many Creeps (Bush Tetras) (with CS & PP)
Here Comes My Baby (Cat Stevens) (with Marilyn Kaplan/vocals & Mark Luecke/whistling)
My Little Corner of the World (Bob Hilliard, Lee Pockriss) (with MK)

setlist via Frank & Earthy