If a band has been playing live music for nearly 25 years, odds are they’re constantly looking for ways to keep their live shows interesting. The problem is that not all bands have the popularity or money of say, U2, who can essentially do whatever the hell they want with whoever they want to. That isn’t going to stop New Jersey indie rockers Yo La Tengo, however. For their winter 2011 tour, the band has come up with a pretty nifty shtick inspired by carnivals and game shows.

On a brisk 13-stop jaunt starting and ending in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia on January 20th and Pittsburgh on February 5th), Yo La Tengo will be accompanied by experimental folker William Tyler and a big ol’ Wheel of Fortune. Nope, that’s not a new band you haven’t heard yet; each night, the band will be spinning an actual, onstage wheel to determine what the first half of their 90-minute set will consist of. They’ll determine the second half only after they’ve played whatever the wheel commands them to. That means each city will be getting a totally off-the-cuff, one-time-only show. That should more than make up for those missing out on the sold out Hoboken Hanukkah shows. As awesome as this sounds, wait till you check out what the possibilities of the wheel are:

1. Condo Fucks
The band will take the stage as their alter-egos, Condo Fucks, to play tracks from their cover album, Fuckbook.

2. Dump
Bassist James McNew’s homespun side project, Dump, gets the spotlight for 45 minutes.

3. The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo
This would essentially be a question-and-answer session with the band with songs intermittently thrown in as the questions allow.

4. The Name Game
So many of their songs titles contain names, piecing them into a 45-minute set is cake.

5. Sitcom Theater
Definitely one of the craziest and coolest possibilities, the audience will experience the band and crew act out a classic sitcom in lieu of a musical set.

6. Songs Starting With S
Same idea as The Name Game, though the band does “promise that there will be some [songs] rarely, if ever, heard live.”

7. The Sounds of Science Part 1
8. The Sounds of Science Part 2
The band will play one half of the instrumental music they created as a score to Jean Painlevé’s undersea documentary series, The Sounds of Science.

With such intriguing prospects, these dates certainly have the potential to be some very memorable, unique shows. If it happens, please let someone video record No. 5. You can head over to the band’s website for tickets (which go on sale November 5th) and more information. You can also warm up with a practice spin of the wheel. The complete list of dates is below.

Yo La Tengo January/February 2011 Tour Dates:
01/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero *
01/21 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
01/22 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
01/23 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
01/25 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
01/26 – Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live *
01/28 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
01/29 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s *
01/31 – Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay *
02/01 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In *
02/03 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue Theater *
02/04 – Chicago, IL @ Metro *
02/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Fun House *

* = w/ William Tyler