Like A Freewheeling Stone

Yo La Tengo Loosens Up And Quiets Down, And Maybe Athens Will, Too

originally published January 9, 2008

It makes sense that a band as venerable as Yo La Tengo would become bored with the dictatorial nature of the average rock-and-roll show. After a couple of decades of steady touring, hitting the same dingy indie-rock clubs tour after tour, and telling the audience what they're going to hear and how they're going to hear it, the tedium must have set in something fierce. Furthermore, any conscientious band would eventually feel sympathy for our increasingly weak-kneed society, and thus strive to play more genteel and sophisticated venues that might possess some form of comfortable seating. Even many of the bigger and marginally nicer clubs force folks to stand around like chumps, though. Thankfully, Yo La Tengo has courteously resolved both vexing matters with its tour as The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo. Not only will the fans largely decide what gets played, but a good chair is a crucial component to enjoying the proceedings.

Instead of a standard rock show, the Freewheeling tour features the band in more intimate settings, performing in a mostly acoustic fashion, with no set list, and copious amounts of discussion and conversation with its loyal fans. It's basically a big Q&A session with one of the most acclaimed and, frankly, likable bands of the last 20 or so years, and thus not something any Yo La Tengo fan should pass on. The New Jersey band's banter is at least as entertaining as Ira Kaplan's epileptically spasmodic guitar solos, and a performance that prioritizes that wit should not be ignored.

Yes, the typical Freewheeling Yo La Tengo show is a relief from rote-rock show monotony, and anything but typical. It's mildly surprising, though, that the band - Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew - would bring the show to Athens, and you could excuse YLT from wanting to avoid this town forever. The group's last two shows in Athens were perhaps the best examples of how a crowd full of inattentive, noisy assholes can completely ruin an excellent performance. Why anybody would stand around in a crowded and smelly room to pay attention to absolutely anything other than the band they've paid 10 to 20 bucks to see is a mystery, but it happens at big-time indie-rock shows in Athens far too often. Yo La Tengo, in particular, has dealt with Athens crowds at their worst.

Flagpole spoke with bassist James McNew about Athens crowds, and the Freewheeling tour and about life in general.

Flagpole

Why would you ever want to play Athens again, after how bad the crowds were at your last two shows in town?

James McNew

You can't hold a grudge against a town. I've always loved playing Athens. It does happen every once in a while in the cycle of touring, where a town maybe gets burned out. It's all a part of show business.

Flagpole

Have you had any similarly bad audiences at any of the Freewheeling shows thus far?

James McNew

No. The overall settings of the shows let people know what they're in for. Many of the venues now - not always intentionally - aren't clubs. A lot of them have been in theaters. It's nice, and makes the show go more smoothly. Seats make people be quiet.

Flagpole

How does a Freewheeling show differ from a more traditional Yo La Tengo concert?

James McNew

It's a unique presentation. We show up with little equipment, and about two minutes before we go on, we decide on the first song. That's it for planned material. We turn the floor over to the audience, hopefully they ask questions, and the answers might lead to more songs. It's a different show every night.

Flagpole

Are there any questions you're tired of answering?

James McNew

The Mets question [regarding the baseball team's historic collapse during the last month of the season] is the Freewheeling tour's "Freebird." I expect it every night. I just think it's cruel.

Flagpole

What do you think has been the best question from an audience member thus far?

James McNew

It's hard to quantify. Weird, unexpected shit happens. At its best, it's conversational, and for some reason you can't remember, you wind up playing "1969" by the Stooges, and the next day you wake up and think, "Were we playing '1969' by the Stooges?"

Flagpole

Anybody ever asked any awful or offensive questions?

James McNew

No, but that would be awesome, if I started yelling, and had the guy brought up onstage, and fisticuffs ensued, and I physically threw him off of it.

Flagpole

Have you ever played a show where you just don't want to deal with the audience, where you're just like, "Screw it, I'm not putting any extra effort into this?"

James McNew

No. We want to play as long as we can. Even when things aren't going well, we work as a group, help each other out, and stay positive. We're a good support network for each other. And then there are nights where you're in Australia, and are so sick you can barely walk, and when you go to sing into the microphone, you sound like a frog because you're just so sick; not the best nights, but, in time, you can look back and laugh.

Flagpole

These shows are built around requests, something you're known for. How many songs are you guys actually capable of playing just right on the spot like that?

James McNew

Kind of a lot. I've never counted, but we're pretty good with the song library, both ours and covers. It seems like we can make a lot of them work, and if it's not working, we can fake it, and make it seem like it works.

Flagpole

Any plans to go back to normal shows soon?

James McNew

I don't prefer one over the other. They're so different. I really am happy about the way our band works, it's very satisfying and challenging… our Hanukkah shows were kind of like regular shows. They were loud as hell, in a rock club. They felt great, like we were unleashed. We might play some regular shows in the spring.

Flagpole

Will there be more Freewheeling tours in the future?

James McNew

I think it's something we'll hang on to. Maybe not in 2008.

Garrett Martin

WHO: The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo, Kurt Wagner WHERE: Melting Point WHEN: Monday, January 14; 8:30 p.m. HOW MUCH: $20