Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Velvet Underground’s Philly Debut with Yo La Tengo
This December 15th, Yo La Tengo will grace the Gershman Y with a performance celebrating The Velvet Underground. The event will also feature a screening of 13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, a series of four-minute silent film portraits with a commissioned soundtrack by Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips, formerly of Luna and Galaxie 500. The Velvet Underground performed in Philadelphia for the first time in December of 1966, appearing as part of Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable road show. The show took place at the YMHA Auditorium during the Philadelphia Art Festival and featured the band providing the soundtrack to Warhol’s visuals.
Yo La Tengo – Courtesy of the artst. | Photo by Carlie ArmstrongIn 1996, Yo La Tengo portrayed the band in Mary Harron’s I Shot Andy Warhol, and since then, their love for the art rock legends has been well documented. With numerous Velvet covers under their belts already, the band are sure to make this a night to remember. Find tickets and more information on the performance and optional after-party here.
Below, watch Yo La Tengo cover “Femme Fatale” with Alex Chilton during a 2007 performance in the band’s hometown of Hoboken, NJ.