Last night we ventured out to the free <a href="http://www.slcgov.com/arts/twilight/" target="blank">Twilight Concert Series</a> for the first time. Even though some good acts played the series last year, we never got off our asses to see any of them. But a free show by <a href="http://www.yolatengo.com" target="blank">Yo La Tengo</a> provided the final motivational push to get us out of the house on a Thursday night. Honestly, we almost bailed even on this&mdash;only because it was 106 degrees at 6pm, which is not an encouraging temperature for an outdoor show. Luckily, the stage area at the Gallivan Center is pretty well sheltered by the surrounding tall buildings, so we did not fry.

When we got to the Gallivan Center, we made our way to the stage area and joined one of James' co-workers who had helpfully saved space for us with his family. After finding some food (Thai from one of the on-site vendors), we settled in for the opening band, <a href="http://www.thefieryfurnaces.com" target="blank">The Fiery Furnaces</a>. They had an interesting sound, but I got bored with it after just a few songs. Because I was over their sound so quickly, the set seemed to last forever. One of the songs featured some lines about Mormons and Joseph Smith, which sent a cheer up through the Salt Lake City crowd (go <a href="http://www.thefieryfurnaces.com/lyrics_bitter.htm" target="blank">here</a> and scroll down for lyrics to "Oh Sweet Woods").

Finally, after an interminable opening set and an even less terminable stage change, Yo La Tengo came on. I have seen YLT twice before, and I wasn't sure that outside would be a good place to experience them. Not to worry. There the speakers were plenty big, and the stage area is small and somewhat closed in there. Because my vocabulary/imagination for describing music is next to nil, I will say only this: they rocked. When Ira Kaplan breaks in to one of those nasty guitar solos, it makes me almost clap my hands with glee. I did bounce up and down a couple of times and say, "Yay! My favorite!" when I heard the opening drumbeats of "Autumn Sweater." 

Last night while we waited in line for food, I overheard a woman tell her friend, "Yo La Tengo is an acquired taste." I have to agree (sort of ). I first saw YLT at the Cotton Club in Atlanta with a couple of friends who were already fans (along with a couple of boyfriends who weren't). I was bored out of my mind and could not for the life of me figure out why my friends were so into this band. Fast forward a couple of years: A co-worker in Nashville brings some YLT cds to work, and we listen to them in the office. Next thing I know, I MUST own the album <em>I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One</em>. Because of what? You guessed it, the song "Autumn Sweater"&mdash; also, the album was recorded in Nashville, and the first song is called "Return to Hot Chicken." In Music City, Nashville in-jokes cannot be resisted. And it's a really good album. 

Soon, Yo La Tengo was scheduled to play a show at the Belcourt Theatre with <a href="http://www.lambchop.net/" target="blank">Lambchop</a>, a favorite band of both J. and me. We had to go. Good thing, too, because it was one of the best shows I've seen. Mellow at the beginning, loud and nasty at the end. Beautiful.

From these experiences I deduced that, at least in my case, Yo La Tengo is a band whose recordings you have to know and like before you can appreciate them live. A lot of their music is fairly low key without the sort of hooks that can draw you (me) in to unfamiliar music in a live setting. But once you know the songs, even just a bit, you come to the show with a little hook inside you just waiting to be activated. 

The place was packed last night, and we didn't get very close to the stage. True to form, we left before the final note had sounded&mdash;my tolerance for full body contact with drunk/high* hippie kids has reached an all-time low. James managed hold the camera up high enough to get a blurry picture, which kind of captures the mood, if not the band's appearance.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcia-s/859216470/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1320/859216470_5e57fa8521.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Yo La Tengo" /></a>
<p class="note">*Yes, there was just as much beer and doobage here in Zion as at just about any show I've ever been to. And the behavior it induced was just as charming.</p>