We all have a list of “dream shows” that we’d love to see, those bands that for whatever reason — whether it be that they’ve never come near Omaha or the ticket price was too high or the band no longer exists — we’ve never been able to see perform live. Yo La Tengo has been on my list for almost a decade. I first interviewed the band way back in March 1998 (the story is online here). I had just started working with John Heaston and The Reader after a few years writing for The Note out of Lawrence Kansas. And one of the things I promised myself at this new paper was that I’d try to write about bands that I love — not because they have a new record coming out or because they were coming through town — just because I loved their music and wanted to interview them. Modest Mouse was one of those bands. So was Yo La Tengo. And John, much to his credit, ran the stories even though at the time few people had ever heard of those bands. As part of that interview, I remember asking Ira Kaplan why his band never came through Omaha, and he said he didn’t know. The idea had never occurred to them and that he’d have to remember Omaha on the next tour.

Well, more than eight year later Ira has apparently remembered Omaha. One Percent Productions has posted on their site that Yo La Tengo will be playing Sokol Underground Oct. 8. Tickets go on sale Aug. 19. Big fans of the band may wonder “why Underground, why not the auditorium?” but the fact is, there are fewer of us “big fans” around here than we realize. I doubt that Yo La Tengo’s music has ever been heard on Omaha airwaves, ever. I’m sure that the band is an unknown commodity to most people, including a lot of young indie music fans who have yet to discover them. For me, the show is a dream come true. Better get in line for those tickets, folks.

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