Rain - Yo La Tengo - DragonCon

We Atlantans are currently enduring a dreary stretch of weather unlike anything I can remember in years. It rained every day last week. It rained all weekend. It will rain every day this week. I suppose the only good news in all this is that our dreadful drought -- described here -- may finally be over.

Fortunately, the highlight of this weekend's action was indoors, because one of my favorite bands, Yo La Tengo, paid us a visit here in the ATL on Saturday night. I've always loved these guys because they are musically fearless -- they do not shy away from any style or any sound. They are just as adept at roaring through a cacophonous 15-minute noise jam as they are at playing a gentle love song that can break your heart. Plus, they carry themselves with a sense of humor and humility that makes them all the more charming. Example: before the show, YLT's guitarist/singer Ira Kaplan was sitting in the lobby of the Variety Playhouse, helping sell t-shirts:

That's Ira with the dark curly hair.

The band played a typically excellent set, mixing in new tunes from their just-released album POPULAR SONGS, along with old favorites like "Autumn Sweater" (pretty significantly rearranged), "Blue Line Swinger," "Double Dare," and "Deeper Into Movies." As always, Ira was the extroverted frontman ...

... while drummer Georgia Hubley and bassist James McNew (pictured below) quietly but effectively held down the rhythm section:

My favorite moment of the show came at the very end: a tender version, sans drums, of "You Can Have It All," from the album And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. Aside from a few hoots and hollers when they started into it, you could have heard a pin drop in the Variety Playhouse. Magic!

Speaking of magic, I also took some photographs of the annual DragonCon convention, which took place here in Atlanta a couple weeks ago. As you can see, it was an action-packed affair:

I was a little concerned for my safety. Despite my strong anti-gun views, I must confess that I did feel slightly comforted that this guy was around to help keep the peace:

Other than all that, just a typical September here in Atlanta ....