According to Brooklynvegan.com, Yo La Tengo wrapped up their eight-night run at Bowery Ballroom with new friends, old friends and a few of their own traditions. The night’s openers were Philadelphia indie country greats Florry, who made one of our favorite albums of 2025. Jon Benjamin, of Bob’s Burgers, Archer was the night’s comedy act. Admitting he was a little out of practice doing standup, Jon brought his son Judah on stage to play rimshots just so everyone knew when the punchline was delivered.

The first half of Yo La Tengo’s set featured a horn section from CJ Camerieri (trumpet/French horn), Mike McGinnis (saxophone), Cheryl Kingan (baritone saxophone) and later fiddle players Peter Stampfel (Holy Modal Rounders) and Stephanie Coleman came out to help the band pay tribute to the great Michael Hurley, who died in April. Yo La Tengo’s set included “Everyday,” “Moby Octopad,” “Before We Run,” “Cherry Chapstick,” “Upside Down,” and more before closing with “Blue Line Swinger.”

For the encore, Yo La Tengo welcomed Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles to the stage to cover Bob Dylan’s  “I’ll Keep It With Mine” (which she sang on the indie classic Rainy Day album), followed by The Bangles’ “In Your Room.” Susanna stuck around for covers of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs Robinson” and The Grass Roots’ “Things I Should Have Said,” before wrapping up with the Prince-written “Manic Monday” that was a hit for The Bangles in 1986.

Finally, as has become a Hanukkah tradition, Yo La Tengo welcomed Ira’s mom, Marilyn Kaplan, to the stage to sing. Stampfel and Coleman came back out, too, to play fiddles on another Michael Hurley tribute, “Griselda,” and then as always they closed out Hanukkah 2025 with a cover of “My Little Corner of the World.”

Photo Credit: Nathan Edge