Live Concert Series Pt 13
I Got It, I Got It
Falling down for Yo La Tengo
Standing on a concrete floor challenges people like me who find standing erect, in place, for multiple hours too demanding for an already squawking lower back. This was before yoga helped me re-establish something like core strength. So toward the end of Yo La Tengo’s show at The Orange Peel in Asheville, I slid down to that concrete floor itself, leaning against the far back wall.
The music still sounded fine, and my back cried Mary or some other familiar tune. This was way back in time, almost thirty years ago, and I had driven to the venue with my pal Owen who, in his usual core-be-damned manner, fled me for the midst of the crowd pressing up as close as possible to the stage. I had rather quietly gotten stoned, and since he was driving and got paranoid when smoking anyway, Owen considered my plight and smiled back at me as he lost himself in some other flow.
When listening to Yo La Tengo, it helps if you’ve taken something to quiet down your inner child — something that allows you to drift on, wherever they decide to take you. These were the days when they had just released my still favorite YLT album,
Painful.
I don’t remember exactly at which point in the show they played my favorite cut…
