The This Stupid World tour is a 2023 concert tour by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo in support of their studio album This Stupid World. The tour has received positive reviews from critics and has taken the band across the world, playing mostly domestic dates, but also several Asian and European gigs, particularly on the festival circuit. The five-song EP The Bunker Sessions was recorded live on this tour and released on November 8, 2023.
Announcement and structure Yo La Tengo announced a tour of the United States and Europe from February to May 2023 to promote This Stupid World in January 2023. In April, the band announced a second leg of dates, followed by a third in June 2023.
The tour included many songs from the album, alongside older Yo La Tengo songs and the band's signature mix of cover versions. Set lists changed every night and shows were broken up between quieter initial sets and louder rock sets, with an intermission in between. The tour did not feature opening acts, but the final Los Angeles date included a surprise appearance by Mike Belitsky and Travis Good of The Sadies, a Chicago performance featured Wilco for four covers, Alan Sparhawk joined on keyboards at a Minneapolis gig, and Glenn Mercer guested to perform Tom Verlaine songs in Jersey City. At the March 13, 2023 show, the band cross-dressed to protest Tennessee Senate Bill 3. On February 8, 2024, the Sun Ra Arkestra joined the band to play a cover of "New Speedway Boogie". They played an additional promotional performance for a Live On KEXP set at Seattle radio station KEXP.
In August 2023, the band announced that dates for the following month would be rescheduled so drummer and vocalist Georgia Hubley could have knee surgery.
Reception Several performances have been positively reviewed by critics. Paige Walter of WXPN called the two sets performed at Union Transfer in Philadelphia "breathtaking", leaving the crowd "breathless" due to the first set list and noting that the second set was different enough to sound like a new band had come onstage. In Variety, William Earl reviewed the band's Brooklyn Steel performance, noting that "their improvisational spark seems to burn brighter with each tour" and praising each performer's musicianship. Piet Levy of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called the band's Milwaukee show "one-of-a-kind" for the diverse sounds that the band manages onstage and for Kaplan surprising the audience by passing around his guitar for them to play, and in the Shepherd Express, Blaine Schultz noted that "there was no shortage of deep cuts and nods to influences", calling attention to the band's deep roster of covers. At Racket, Keith Harris gave an extensive review of the Minneapolis performance, noting that the band had retained their vitality for decades and that "each show now takes on the air of a special event". The Pittsburgh performance was critiqued by Scott Tady for The Beaver County Times, calling it "a bob and sway and let the music wash over your experience" that had perfect sound. In The Detroit News, Samin Hassan called the Majestic Theatre performance "timeless" and "an intimate experience".
Tour dates
+ List of 2023 concertsDateCityCountryVenueSeattleUnited StatesNeptune TheatreBellinghamNeptune TheatrePortlandWonder BallroomSan FranciscoThe FillmoreLos AngelesTeragram BallroomCarrboroCat's CradleAshevilleThe Orange PeelNashvilleThe Basement EastCharlottesvilleJefferson TheaterPhiladelphiaUnion TransferNew York CityBrooklyn SteelWashington, D.C.9:30 ClubPittsburghMr SmallsClevelandBeachland BallroomChicagoMetro ChicagoMilwaukeeTurner Hall BallroomMinneapolisMainroomDublinIreland3OlympiaManchesterEnglandNew Century HallBristolSWXLondonLondon PalladiumBrusselsBelgiumAncienne BelgiqueAmsterdamNetherlandsParadisoRotterdamLantarenVensterHamburgGermanyUebel & GefaehrlichCopenhagenDenmarkBremen TeaterCologneGermanyGloria TheatrePragueCzech RepublicMeetFactoryBerlinGermanyHuxley's Neue WeltParisFranceLa CigaleBarcelonaSpainSala ApoloMurciaWarm Up FestivalMadridWarner Music the Music Station Príncipe PíoBilbaoSantana 27Jersey CityUnited StatesWhite Eagle HallWashington, D.C.The AtlantisPortlandState TheatreSouth DeerfieldTree House Brewing CompanyMontrealCanadaCorona TheatreTorontoPhoenix Concert TheatreBostonUnited StatesParadise Rock ClubHomerCenter for the ArtsDetroitMajestic TheatreKalamazooBell's Beer GardenChicagoMetroKnoxvilleBijou TheatreBirminghamSaturnAtlantaVariety PlayhouseYuzawaJapanFuji Rock FestivalGothenburgSwedenWay Out West FestivalOsloNorwayOya FestivalParedes de CouraPortugalParedes de Coura FestivalSaint-MaloFranceLa Route du RockCharlestonUnited StatesMusic FarmSt. AugustineThe Backyard StageNew OrleansTipitina'sHoustonThe Heights TheaterAustinMohawkDallasLonghornWichitaWaveOmahaThe Waiting RoomFort CollinsWashington'sBoulderBoulder TheaterSanta FeMeow WolfTucsonRialtoPhoenixCrescent BallroomLos AngelesBellwetherSolana BeachBelly Up
The band were also added to the line-up of All Points East 2024, in August of that year.
The Bunker Sessions
The Bunker Sessions is a 2023 extended play recorded on this tour.
Writing for Uproxx, Grant Sharples included this among the best indie music of the week, writing that it "reifies Yo La Tengo’s live performances for the at-home listener" and "feels like a gift".
"Sinatra Drive Breakdown" – 8:55 "Aselestine" – 3:42 "Fallout" – 4:25 "Apology Letter" – 5:39 "Stockholm Syndrome" – 2:53
References
External links