Yo La Tengo Plan Election-Time Variety Show Tour

Chris Rediske & James Gregory report:
Ah, the political season... birds singing, candidates carping, and musicians setting off on tours in a vain attempt to affect the outcome of upcoming elections. You can't blame 'em for trying, right? The latest band to throw down their musical gauntlets in the political arena are those fair-haired lads (and laddess) of Hoboken, Yo La Tengo. The trio have just announced the aptly (but not succinctly) titled "Tour of Swing States to Try and Help John Kerry Get Elected" on their official website. And while they don't have the star-power of, say, The Bruce or Pearl Jam, we'd sure rather listen to them blather about why Bush is a bad president than fucking Keb' Mo'. Actually, we'd really rather they just record a new album, but you can't win them all.

While they're not really calling it a "variety show," per se, that appears to be the agenda. The band elucidated on their plans for the tour in a post on their site: "The format of the show is still being worked on, and may actually be worked on until the moment it starts. But our plan/hope is to have guest musicians, singer and comedians at all the shows. If all works out, then there will be no opening act, but just a single performance during which people will come and go from the stage, playing on each others' songs, etc. In this relatively informal setting, we will offer our thoughts on the election (and trust our comedian friends to do so as well, only more entertainingly)." Prepare to get swung:

09-21 Philadelphia, PA - 1st Unitarian Church
09-22 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre
09-23 State College, PA - Dark Horse Tavern
09-24 Newport, KY - Southgate House
09-25 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
09-27 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
09-28 Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection...
09-29 Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin Terrace
09-30 Iowa City, IA - University of Iowa (Wheel Room)
10-01 Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop
10-02 Kansas City, MO - Grand Emporium
10-04 St Louis, MO - Washington University/Gargoyle Club
10-05 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
10-07 Knoxville, TN - Blue Cat's
10-08 Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
10-09 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
10-10 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle

Yo La Tengo: http://www.yolatengo.com