Having been in the business for more than two decades, the members of Yo La Tengo have seen and survived a lot of things—including New Jersey. No wonder they’re not afraid of you. With last year’s I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, the Hoboken trio successfully created one of its most eclectic and oddly titled albums. After 2003’s Summer Sun, fans may have been worried that Yo La Tengo was latching onto a quieter, more linear sound. Skeptics only needed to witness the genre-spanning material at the band’s recent show at Philly’s Trocadero Theatre to dispel any doubts.

A genre-bending outfit with a penchant for experimenting and altering its sound as often as it puts out new records, Yo La Tengo appropriately showered the audience with a grab bag of tricks. With more than 10 albums to its name, it was no surprise to see the band comfortably flit from soft piano lullabies to sizzling, reverb-filled guitar jams. After wordlessly filing onto the stage at the start of the set, singer/guitarist Ira Kaplan launched into a frenzied guitar assault that lasted 15 minutes while bassist James McNew stood cemented to the floor, bobbing his head in a monotonous daze. Drummer Georgia Hubley stared pokerfaced as she wailed on her drum set.

The subdued state didn’t last long, however. Both the band and the crowd came to life after the instrumental opener led into the bubbly jangle of “Stockholm Syndrome.” The typically mild-mannered band even joked around with the audience when Kaplan stopped in the middle of a song to switch guitars. As he proceeded to tune, McNew teasingly requested a chair and asked the audience to enjoy the electronic beats, “courtesy of Casio,” for a few minutes.

The veteran musicians then launched into a set of songs from I Am Not Afraid, swapping instruments and alternating between smooth, sedate numbers and fiery, raucous screechers. Hubley’s sweet, sing-song voice on “The Weakest Part,” followed by crowd favorites “Beanbag Chair” and “Mr. Tough,” had younger fans dancing in the tight space. Kaplan was at his best when pounding on his guitar, gyrating around the stage and projecting into the microphone. The highlight of the evening came in the latter half of the set with the garage-punk tune “Watch Out For Me, Ronnie,” as Kaplan raged and wildly wrestled his guitar inches from Hubley’s drums.

A hush came over the theatre as the poignant 12-minute album closer, “The Story Of Yo La Tango,” concluded the set. Kaplan faced Hubley as his jarring guitars and droning vocals engulfed the crowd. When the band exited the stage, steady clapping and foot-stomping quickly weaved its way through the masses until the sounds became one collective pulse. Yo La Tengo didn’t make the audience wait long for the encore. Kaplan asked an audience member sporting the band’s shirt what he wanted to hear. Without hesitation, the band rocketed into the fuzz encrusted “Sugarcube,” from 1997’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, which had everyone singing along. 

When it appeared the show was over, Kaplan honored the band’s final appearance with opening act the Rosebuds, a husband-and-wife team from North Carolina, and invited them onstage for one final jam, culminating in onstage hugs between the two groups. And with that emotional cap-off, Yo La Tengo waved goodbye to both the thunder of a satisfied crowd and its last American tour stop.

—Amanda Jasso