Happy Hannukah from Yo La Tengo!

Every year, Yo La Tengo play the eight nights of Hannukah at Maxwell's in Hoboken.
Every night, they have a different guest act.

Sunday night was Redd Kross, and roving PowerPop reporter Deeptoej was there!

His Report:

Um, it was a pretty good time, if you're into like, joy and bliss and stuff.

Redd Kross opened the show. Robert and Steve were dressed more or less as they did at Southpaw. Jeff was wearing a Hannah Montana t-shirt. They did a slightly shorter version of the Southpaw set, with a few surprise additions. First off, in the spirit of the Hanukkah celebrations, they did 2 songs by Jewish musicians "of the female persuasion": Anna Waronker's "I Wish You Well" (sorry Mary, but it's true) and "You Love It" by Peaches(!?!) Then they played "Look on Up at the Bottom," which I was extra happy to hear. Georgia from Yo La Tengo was up front bopping along in front of me and Marc for the whole set. (They dedicated a couple of songs to her.) It was great because the place was packed with people who weren't necessarily Redd Kross fans, and they got a great reception.

Following YLT Hanukkah tradition, next up was a comedian named Heather Lawless, who was pretty funny, sort of rambling and slightly disturbing.

Yo La Tengo's set was really good, I enjoyed them more than the last time I saw them. I think Georgia is my favorite drummer in indie rock, along with the New Pornographers guy. (New Porns are rumored to be opening tonight, by the way. Probably true, because they're in New York this week.)

THEN, the encore set. They invited all of Redd Kross back on stage (Roy played a second little drum kit in front of Georgia, Robert was on guitar with Ira, James on bass, and Jeff and Steve were swapping lead vocals up front.) They played:

September Gurls
Bus Stop
Who Loves the Sun?
Calling Dr. Love (Roy sang the first verse, then Robert most of the rest).

I swear I'm not making this up. Probably the most fun 15 minutes of music in my entire life.

Then Redd Kross left the stage, and Ira's mother came up to sing "My Little Corner of the World," which was a nice capper.

After the set, Steve was hanging around by the bar, and Marc {Bendian, of The Dawn of Mechanized Farming} said, "Let's go talk to your boy" and before I knew it, I was babbling like an idiot at Steve McDonald, who was totally cool and nice, oh my God!!! I told him that I was talking to a friend {That would be me. --NYM}at Southpaw about That Dog and Anna Waronker and that my friend had said "Anna Waronker wrote the best kiss-off song of all time, called 'I Wish You Well'", and Steve was all like "oh wow, that's so freaky," but with like, total wide-eyed sincerity. Then he asked me what my name was (I think I answered correctly), and he was like "Great to me you, I'm Steve," and I was like "I KNOW!" Then I told him how I got busted for public urination in Trenton the last time I saw Redd Kross and Yo La Tengo play together, in 1991, and he was still cool, but I could tell I was losing him a little, so I split before I got worse.

Marc said I wasn't embarrassing, and I think he would have told me the truth. (By the way, Marc is a big Yo La Tengo fan, and was not a Redd Kross fan, and he thought RK stole the show.)

I shall do my level best not to strangle Deeptoej for hearing Redd Kross play "I Wish You Well" and "September Gurls" while I did not. He's a wonderful person, but..... man. As Kevin Kline says: "DISAPPOINTED!" But so cool to get a report.

At Yo La Tengo's site, they have pics and complete recaps of all the evenings in question.