Yo La Tengo Host Built to Spill and Honor Rob Reiner for Hanukkah Night Two
Yo La Tengo’s annual Hanukkah celebration continued last night, Dec. 15, as the indie icons presented the second performance in their eight-show residency at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. In keeping with the tradition that’s been a beloved light on their live calendar since 2001, the trio delivered a set of fan-favorites and deep cuts without any repeats from night one, mining their expansive four-decade discography in the company of a surprise opening band, comedian and full-set special guest.
Monday’s show opened with a set from longtime alt-rock trailblazers Built To Spill, YLT’s summer 2025 tour co-headliners, who performed 2001’s “Strange” and 1994’s “Distopian Dream Girl” with their regular cover of Heartless Bastards’ “The Mountain” and a live debut of R.E.M.’s “Laughing.” Stand-up comic, actor and writer Alex Edelman served as the evening’s comedy guest.
Yo La Tengo were joined by Built to Spill drummer Teresa Esguerra for their headline set, who added a heavy-hitting downstep on a second kit to the set-opening B-side “Nutricia,” first featured on their 1994 EP From A Motel 6. Other highlights included “Stockholm Syndrome,” “Beanbag Chair,” Painful rarity “I Was the Fool Beside You for Too Long,” an acoustic treatment of “Detouring America With Horns” and “Nowhere Near.” Built to Spill frontman and sole continuous member Doug Martsch signed on for five tracks at the end of the frame, contributing guitar to “Last Days of Disco,” “Barnaby, Hardly Working,” “Nothing To Hide” and “Ohm,” then taking lead vocals for a set-closing cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” in the style of Roky Erickson.
After honoring Ace Frehley with a re-imagining of “New York Groove” on Sunday, Yo La Tengo set off their encore with an unexpected tribute to Rob Reiner by taking a page from the Spinal Tap songbook; “Give Me Some Money,” the pre-Tap Beatles parody by The Thamesmen, was penned by the late director and his This Is Spinal Tap co-writers Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. The band continued their custom of celebrating Jewish songwriters with covers of the Velvet Underground’s “She’s My Best Friend” and Bob Dylan’s “Jokerman,” featuring Martsch and Esguerra.
Yo La Tengo will return to the Bowery Ballroom tonight, then continue with their Hanukkah residency through a finale on Dec. 21. For more information on the band, visit yolatengo.com.
Read the complete setlist via Jesse Jarnow here.
yo la tengo at bowery ballroom, hanukkah night 2.
opening act: built to spill
comedian: alex edelman
mix CDR by gail o’hara
post show DJ: joe belock (the people’s champ)
benefitting neighbors together— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 7:31 PM
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