Yo La Tengo celebrates Sun Ra Arkestra at its annual Hanukkah show finale

Photos and reporting by Daniel Efram

Yo La Tengo capped off its 2022 Hanukkah shows by bringing on The Sun Ra Arkestra for its Dec. 25 finale, providing a mischievous and trippy end to this year's Festival of Lights benefit series at the Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets for this yearly event sell out very quickly and brighten many a mood for those remaining in the NYC area for the holidays. 

Each show has a different beneficiary, and the South Bronx's Word of Life International was the target of this Sunday's final series performance. The organization's Feed The Community Program provides food support to individuals and families at risk of hunger, addressing food insecurity and inequity that has persisted in the South Bronx for decades. 

According to Todd Abramson, the talent buyer for White Eagle Hall and series production confidant, "the event has run most years since the inception in 2001 with the exception of a number of years off after Maxwell's [in Hoboken] closed."

"2022's Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows were another triumph," Abramson continues. "I am amazed every year by the amount of work. Each YLT show is different and not just in regards to the setlist. It's very rare when they don't have at least one extra musician, if not an entire band, join them for at least part of their set (and the encores). They really strive to bring the audience something special and unique. Mazel Tov!" 

The Sun Ra Arkestra has been playing yearly since the Hanukkah shows moved from Maxwell's (ending in 2012) to the Bowery Ballroom in 2017. Led by Marshall Allen, who at age 98, has complete control of this Afro-futurist group of 12. Allen has played in the group since 1958.

As is traditional at these YLT events, the Arkestra also joined Georgia Hubley, James McNew and Ira Kaplan on stage to help bring the musical space trip to its climax with evergreen renditions of "Speeding Motorcycle" (Daniel Johnston), "Dreaming" (Sun Ra), "All the Glitter is Gone" (Yo La Tengo), "Emulsified" (Rex Garvin & the Mighty Cravers), "More Stars Than There Are In Heaven" (Yo La Tengo) and the rousing "Nuclear War" (Sun Ra) with the timely lyrics:

If they push that button

Gonna blast your ass 

So high in the sky 

You can kiss your ass 

Goodbye, goodbye

Encore songs included "Take Care" (Alex Chilton), "3/5 Of A Mile In 1/10 Of A Second" (The Jefferson Airplane) and "I Can't Stand It" (The Velvet Underground). 

And, as always, the grand finale is a lovely version of "My Little Corner of The World, " sung by Kaplan's mom Marilyn. This song was made famous by Anita Bryant (1960) and Marie Osmond (1974) and was later covered by Yo La Tengo on its album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One in 1997.

Yo La Tengo's new album, This Stupid World, is out on Feb. 10, 2023. 

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Daniel Efram is an East Village-based photographer-curator. He is the producer of "The Steve Keene Art Book."

Setlist credit: Jesse Jarnow Frank & Earthy