Yo La Tengo opened their annual Hanukkah run at New York’s Bowery Ballroom last night. A beloved tradition dating back to the early 2000s, and held at Hoboken, NJ’s famed Maxwell’s until 2012, the celebration has been hosted at Bowery Ballroom since 2017.

As is tradition, each night of the run features a surprise opening act, guest comedian and special mix CD. Last night, Sun Ra Arkestra—the only musical act to join Yo La Tengo every year of their Hanukkah run—was the surprise opener and Jon Glaser, another Hanukkah regular, served as the guest comedian. Daniel Clowes made the night’s mix CD, and the festivities benefited Housing Justice For All.

Yo La Tengo commenced their set with the politically charged Neil Young song “Big Crime,” from this year’s album of the same name, and then launched into another apropos cover, KISS’ “Back in the New York Groove,” which, as always, they reworked to include the lyrics “Back With the New York Jews.”

A few songs later, the group brought out the Sun Ra Arkestra horns, including 101-year-old band leader Marshall Allen, for a take on Sun Ra’s “We Travel the Spaceways” that segued into “Let’s Be Still.” The horn section remained on stage for the rest of the set, which included “Don’t Have To Be So Sad,” Sun Ra’s “Dreaming,” “My Heart’s Reflection,” Jad Fair’s “Clumsy Grandmother Serves Delicious Desert By Mistake,” “This Stupid World,” Rex Garvin’s “Emulsified,” the boogie version of “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven” and, finally, Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War.”

The New Jersey-bred trio have a history of using their encores to celebrate prominent Jewish songwriters and last night was no exception. They kicked things off with Richard Hell’s “The Kid With the Replaceable Head” and then turned into Blue Oyster Cult’s “This Ain’t the Summer of Love” and the Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich/Phil Spector composition “Be My Baby” to bring things to a close.

Yo La Tengo’s Hanukkah run will continue this evening. Click here and here for recent profiles on Allen and his work.

Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via Jesse Jarnow’s Frank & Earthy

Sunday, December 14, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

whole set from “We Travel the Spaceways” onwards with Sun Ra Arkestra horns

Big Crime (Neil Young)
Back in the New York Groove (KISS) (as “Back With the New York Jews”)
Periodically Double or Triple
Can’t Forget
Madeline
We Travel the Spaceways (Sun Ra) >
Let’s Be Still
Don’t Have To Be So Sad
Dreaming (Sun Ra)
My Heart’s Reflection
Clumsy Grandmother Serves Delicious Desert By Mistake (Jad Fair)
This Stupid World
Emulsified (Rex Garvin)
More Stars Than There Are In Heaven (boogie version)
Nuclear War (Sun Ra)

E:
The Kid With the Replaceable Head (Richard Hell)
This Ain’t the Summer of Love (Blue Oyster Cult)
Be My Baby (Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich/Phil Spector)