This Stupid World tour

(Redirected from The Bunker Sessions)

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]

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
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Japan
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

Announcement and structure

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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] Setlists change every night and shows are broken up between quieter initial sets and louder rock sets,[6] with an intermission in between.[7] The tour has not featured 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, 2204, 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

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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 setlist 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]

Dates

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The tour to promote This Stupid World kicked off at Seattle's Neptune Theatre
 
Ira Kaplan onstage at a Los Angeles show
Tour dates to support This Stupid World[2][3]
Date City Country Venue
February 15, 2023 Seattle, Washington United States of America Neptune Theatre
February 16, 2023 Neptune Theatre
February 17, 2023 Bellingham, Washington Neptune Theatre
February 19, 2023 Portland, Oregon Wonder Ballroom
February 20, 2023 Wonder Ballroom
February 22, 2023 San Francisco, California The Fillmore
February 24, 2023
February 25, 2023 Los Angeles, California Teragram Ballroom
February 26, 2023
February 27, 2023
March 9, 2023 Carrboro, North Carolina Cat's Cradle
March 10, 2023
March 11, 2023 Asheville, North Carolina The Orange Peel
March 13, 2023 Nashville, Tennessee The Basement East
March 14, 2023
March 16, 2023 Charlottesville, Virginia Jefferson Theater
March 17, 2023 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Union Transfer
March 18, 2023[20] New York City, New York Brooklyn Steel
March 19, 2023 Washington, D. C. 9:30 Club
March 21, 2023 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mr Smalls
March 22, 2023 Cleveland, Ohio Beachland Ballroom
March 24, 2023 Chicago, Illinois Metro Chicago
March 25, 2023 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Turner Hall Ballroom
March 26, 2023[6] Minneapolis, Minnesota Mainroom
April 10, 2023 Dublin Ireland 3Olympia
April 12, 2023 Manchester, England United Kingdom New Century Hall
April 13, 2023 Bristol, England SWX
April 14, 2023 London, England London Palladium
April 16, 2023 Brussels Belgium Ancienne Belgique
April 18, 2023 Amsterdam The 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 Czechia 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, New Jersey United States White Eagle Hall
June 10, 2023 Washington, D. C. The Atlantis
June 13, 2023 Portland, Maine State Theatre
June 14, 2023 South Deerfield, Massachusetts Tree House Brewing Company
June 15, 2023 Montreal, Quebec Canada Corona Theatre
June 16, 2023 Toronto, Ontario Phoenix Concert Theatre
June 18, 2023 Boston, Massachusetts United States Paradise Rock Club
June 19, 2023
June 21, 2023 Homer, New York Center for the Arts
June 22, 2023 Detroit, Michigan Majestic Theatre
June 23, 2023 Kalamazoo, Michigan Bell's Beer Garden
June 24, 2023 Chicago, Illinois Metro
June 26, 2023 Knoxville, Tennessee Bijou Theatre
June 27, 2023 Birmingham, Alabama Saturn
June 28, 2023 Atlanta, Georgia Variety Playhouse
July 28, 2023 Niigata 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, South Carolina United States Music Farm
September 9, 2023 St. Augustine, Florida The Backyard Stage
September 11, 2023 New Orleans, Louisiana Tipitina‘s
September 12, 2023
September 14, 2023 Houston, Texas The Heights Theater
September 15, 2023 Austin, Texas Mohawk
September 16, 2023
September 17, 2023 Dallas, Texas Longhorn
September 19, 2023 Wichita, Kansas Wave
September 20, 2023 Omaha, Nebraska The Waiting Room
September 22, 2023 Fort Collins, Colorado Washington’s
September 23, 2023 Boulder, Colorado Boulder Theater
September 25, 2023 Santa Fe, New Mexico Meow Wolf
September 27, 2023 Tucson, Arizona Rialto
September 28, 2023 Phoenix, Arizona Crescent Ballroom
September 29, 2023 Los Angeles, California Bellwether
September 30, 2023 Solana Beach, California Belly Up

The band were also added to the line-up of All Points East 2024, in August of that year.[21]

The Bunker Sessions

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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
LanguageEnglish
Yo La Tengo chronology
This Stupid World
(2023)
The Bunker Sessions
(2023)

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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  1. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 8, 2023). "Yo La Tengo Share New EP The Bunker Sessions". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Hussey, Allison (November 2, 2022). "Yo La Tengo Announce Tour and New Album This Stupid World, Share New Song "Fallout"". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  3. ^ a b LaPierre, Megan (March 11, 2023). "Yo La Tengo Plot 2023 North American Tour". Exclaim!. ISSN 1207-6600. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  4. ^ Bernstein, Scott (June 13, 2023). "Yo La Tengo Extends 2023 North American Tour Into September". JamBase. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Bernstein, Scott (February 23, 2023). "San Francisco Treat: Watch Yo La Tengo Cover 'Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad' At The Fillmore". JamBase. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Harris, Keith (March 27, 2023). "Time Fades Away but Yo La Tengo Never Does". Racket. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Levy, Piet (March 26, 2023). "Yo La Tengo makes up for 10-year Milwaukee absence with one-of-a-kind concert at Turner Hall". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gannett. ISSN 1082-8850. OCLC 55506548. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Kahn, Andy (February 28, 2023). "Yo La Tengo Brings Out Members Of The Sadies In Los Angeles". JamBase. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (March 25, 2023). "Watch Wilco Join Yo La Tengo For Four Covers In Chicago". Stereogum. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Lustig, Jay (June 11, 2023). "Yo La Tengo, Glenn Mercer team up for Tom Verlaine tribute at White Eagle Hall". NJArts. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Pearis, Bill (March 14, 2023). "Yo La Tengo played Nashville in drag in protest of new Tennessee law". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "Watch: Sun Ra Arkestra Join Yo La Tengo for Grateful Dead's "New Speedway Boogie" in San Francisco". Relix. February 9, 2024. ISSN 0146-3489. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  13. ^ Bernstein, Scott (March 24, 2023). "Watch Yo La Tengo Showcase 'This Stupid World' Tracks Live At KEXP". JamBase. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  14. ^ Beatty, Parker (August 4, 2023). "Yo La Tengo Delays September Tour with Georgia Hurley Undergoing Surgery". News. mxdwn. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Walter, Paige (March 20, 2023). "Yo La Tengo performs two breathtaking sets at Union Transfer on St. Patrick's Day". WXPN. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  16. ^ Earl, William (March 20, 2023). "Yo La Tengo Bring 'This Stupid World' to Brooklyn With Loud-Soft Set: Concert Review". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 8101334503. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  17. ^ Schultz, Blaine (March 27, 2023). "Yo La Tengo's Not-So-Stupid Concert". The Shepherd Express. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Tady, Scott (April 4, 2023). "Scott Tady: Gatlin's a 'Gambler' with Kenny Rogers band gig in Beaver Falls". The Beaver County Times. OCLC 14348988. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  19. ^ Hassan, Samin (June 23, 2023). "Yo La Tengo gives a timeless performance at Detroit show". Music. The Detroit News. Digital First Media. ISSN 1055-2715. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  20. ^ McElroy, Steven; Barone, Joshua; Burke, Siobhan; Pareles, Jon; Seibert, Brian; Zoladz, Lindsay; Sulcas, Roslyn (February 22, 2023). "Live Performance in New York: Here's What to See This Spring". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  21. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (January 31, 2024). "Full support line-up revealed for The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie at All Points East 2024". News > Music News. NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Sharples, Grant (November 14, 2023). "All The Best New Indie Music From This Week". Indie Mixtape. Uproxx. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  23. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 8, 2023). "Yo La Tengo Share New EP The Bunker Sessions". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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