This Stupid World tour

2023 concert tour by Yo La Tengo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.[1]

Location
  • Europe
  • Japan
  • North America
Associated albumThis Stupid World
Start dateFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
End dateSeptember 30, 2023 (2023-09-30)
Quick facts Location, Associated album ...
This Stupid World tour
Promotional tour by Yo La Tengo
Georgia Hubley at a microphone and Ira Kaplan with a guitar
Yo La Tengo at the Teragram Ballroom on February 26, 2023
Location
  • Europe
  • Japan
  • North America
Associated albumThis Stupid World
Start dateFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
End dateSeptember 30, 2023 (2023-09-30)
Legs3
No. of shows78
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
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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.[2] In April, the band announced a second leg of dates,[3] followed by a third in June 2023.[4]

The tour included many songs from the album, alongside older Yo La Tengo songs and the band's signature mix of cover versions.[5] Set lists changed every night and shows were broken up between quieter initial sets and louder rock sets,[6] with an intermission in between.[7] 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,[8] a Chicago performance featured Wilco for four covers,[9] Alan Sparhawk joined on keyboards at a Minneapolis gig,[6] and Glenn Mercer guested to perform Tom Verlaine songs in Jersey City.[10] At the March 13, 2023 show, the band cross-dressed to protest Tennessee Senate Bill 3.[11] On February 8, 2024, the Sun Ra Arkestra joined the band to play a cover of "New Speedway Boogie".[12] They played an additional promotional performance for a Live On KEXP set at Seattle radio station KEXP.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16] 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,[7] 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.[17] 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".[6] 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.[18] In The Detroit News, Samin Hassan called the Majestic Theatre performance "timeless" and "an intimate experience".[19]

Tour dates

A brick building with a marquee listing upcoming performers
The tour to promote This Stupid World kicked off at Seattle's Neptune Theatre
Ira Kaplan bent over a series of guitar pedals
Ira Kaplan onstage at a Los Angeles show
More information Date, City ...
List of 2023 concerts[2][3]
Date City Country Venue
February 15, 2023 Seattle United States Neptune Theatre
February 16, 2023
February 17, 2023 Bellingham Neptune Theatre
February 19, 2023 Portland Wonder Ballroom
February 20, 2023
February 22, 2023 San Francisco The Fillmore
February 24, 2023
February 25, 2023 Los Angeles Teragram Ballroom
February 26, 2023
February 27, 2023
March 9, 2023 Carrboro Cat's Cradle
March 10, 2023
March 11, 2023 Asheville The Orange Peel
March 13, 2023 Nashville The Basement East
March 14, 2023
March 16, 2023 Charlottesville Jefferson Theater
March 17, 2023 Philadelphia Union Transfer
March 18, 2023[20] New York City Brooklyn Steel
March 19, 2023 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
March 21, 2023 Pittsburgh Mr Smalls
March 22, 2023 Cleveland Beachland Ballroom
March 24, 2023 Chicago Metro Chicago
March 25, 2023 Milwaukee Turner Hall Ballroom
March 26, 2023[6] Minneapolis Mainroom
April 10, 2023 Dublin Ireland 3Olympia
April 12, 2023 Manchester England New Century Hall
April 13, 2023 Bristol SWX
April 14, 2023 London London Palladium
April 16, 2023 Brussels Belgium Ancienne Belgique
April 18, 2023 Amsterdam Netherlands Paradiso
April 19, 2023 Rotterdam LantarenVenster
April 20, 2023 Hamburg Germany Uebel & Gefaehrlich
April 21, 2023 Copenhagen Denmark Bremen Teater
April 23, 2023 Cologne Germany Gloria Theatre
April 24, 2023 Prague Czech Republic MeetFactory
April 25, 2023 Berlin Germany Huxley's Neue Welt
April 26, 2023 Paris France La Cigale
April 29, 2023 Barcelona Spain Sala Apolo
April 30, 2023 Murcia Warm Up Festival
May 2, 2023 Madrid Warner Music the Music Station Príncipe Pío
May 3, 2023 Bilbao Santana 27
June 9, 2023 Jersey City United States White Eagle Hall
June 10, 2023 Washington, D.C. The Atlantis
June 13, 2023 Portland State Theatre
June 14, 2023 South Deerfield Tree House Brewing Company
June 15, 2023 Montreal Canada Corona Theatre
June 16, 2023 Toronto Phoenix Concert Theatre
June 18, 2023 Boston United States Paradise Rock Club
June 19, 2023
June 21, 2023 Homer Center for the Arts
June 22, 2023 Detroit Majestic Theatre
June 23, 2023 Kalamazoo Bell's Beer Garden
June 24, 2023 Chicago Metro
June 26, 2023 Knoxville Bijou Theatre
June 27, 2023 Birmingham Saturn
June 28, 2023 Atlanta Variety Playhouse
July 28, 2023 Yuzawa Japan Fuji Rock Festival
August 11, 2023 Gothenburg Sweden Way Out West Festival
August 12, 2023 Oslo Norway Oya Festival
August 16, 2023 Paredes de Coura Portugal Paredes de Coura Festival
August 18, 2023 Saint-Malo France La Route du Rock
September 8, 2023 Charleston United States Music Farm
September 9, 2023 St. Augustine The Backyard Stage
September 11, 2023 New Orleans Tipitina's
September 12, 2023
September 14, 2023 Houston The Heights Theater
September 15, 2023 Austin Mohawk
September 16, 2023
September 17, 2023 Dallas Longhorn
September 19, 2023 Wichita Wave
September 20, 2023 Omaha The Waiting Room
September 22, 2023 Fort Collins Washington's
September 23, 2023 Boulder Boulder Theater
September 25, 2023 Santa Fe Meow Wolf
September 27, 2023 Tucson Rialto
September 28, 2023 Phoenix Crescent Ballroom
September 29, 2023 Los Angeles Bellwether
September 30, 2023 Solana Beach Belly Up
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The band were also added to the line-up of All Points East 2024, in August of that year.[21]

The Bunker Sessions

Quick facts The Bunker Sessions, Released ...
The Bunker Sessions
Live album EP by
ReleasedNovember 8, 2023 (2023-11-08)
Recorded2023
StudioBunker Studio, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, US[22]
GenreIndie rock[22]
Length25:34
Yo La Tengo chronology
This Stupid World
(2023)
The Bunker Sessions
(2023)
Close

The Bunker Sessions is a 2023 extended play recorded on this tour.[23]

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".[22]

  1. "Sinatra Drive Breakdown" – 8:55
  2. "Aselestine" – 3:42
  3. "Fallout" – 4:25
  4. "Apology Letter" – 5:39
  5. "Stockholm Syndrome" – 2:53

References

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