Yo La Tengo’s annual all-covers Requestathon for WFMU Pledge Drive is this weekend

For 30 years, Yo La Tengo have been helping out beloved NJ independent station WFMU during their annual pledge drive by appearing on the station and taking requests for covers (in exchange for pledges), which they attempt to do live with no prep and no knowledge of what will be requested, entirely on the fly.

The 2025 edition of the Requestathon happens this Saturday, March 8 from 5-6 PM during Todd-O-Phonic Todd‘s WFMU show. You’ll need to pledge at least $100 to Todd’s show to make a request. “We swear on a stack of Hit Paraders that the four of us will know nothing about them until after the show begins,” says Ira Kaplan.

Here’s Ira with more, including some history on the Requestathon:

In 1996, Georgia, James and I, accompanied by aide-de-amp Bruce Bennett, drove out to East Orange and attempted to play requests in return for pledges during one of Gaylord Fields’s shows on the WFMU marathon. In a word, it was a disaster. Don’t get me wrong, money was raised, but the four of us experienced a shared humiliation so intense, we vowed to return the next year, and the year after that if necessary, until we felt better about our performance. This Saturday, March 8, we shall try yet again. Is the 30th time the charm? Probably not, but as Dusty Springfield put it, we’re wishin’ and hopin’. Here’s the deal. The WFMU 2025 fundraising marathon is underway. Over the course of 14 days WFMU is asking you to provide the funding for another year of remarkable freeform radio. Anyone who pledges at least $100 to March 8’s Todd-o-Phonic Todd’s show will have the opportunity to request a song. From 3 p.m. until 6 p.m EST., Todd-o-Phonic and co-host Gaylord Fields will channel the Shangri-Las singing “Remember”–“Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no no”– as we “fulfill” as many of those requests as we can. As the show goes by, the requests tend to pile up faster than we can keep track of them, so pledging in advance will increase the odds that we play your song. All you have to do is click here and follow the bouncing ball. When you get the opportunity to “Comment (For DJ)”, make your request. We swear on a stack of Hit Paraders that the four of us will know nothing about them until after the show begins. And if you think that for your $100 (or more), all you get is the privilege of hearing us ruin your favorite song, you couldn’t be wronger. WFMU will send you a dj premium and a t-shirt. The more you pledge, the more stuff WFMU sends you (you might even find yourself being flown to Memphis for Goner Fest) and the more dj premiums you receive. Consider becoming a Swag for Life member, and get a brand spanking new issue of long-dormant programming guide LCD. It’s all explained when you make your pledge. And is all but guaranteed to take the sting out of what we do to your song request. Tune in to 91.1 FM or 90.1 FM or 91.9 FM or wfmu.org, and duck.

WFMU can always use your help, pledge even if you don’t have a request.

Yo La Tengo will be on tour this spring, starting with a DC show on March 22 with Sun Ra Arkestra. Dates include festival appearances at Big Ears, Austin Psych Fest and Kilby Block Party, plus lots of Midwest, Southwest and West Coast shows. All dates are listed below.

Yo La Tengo – 2025 Tour Dates
Sat 3/22 – Washington, DC – The Howard Theatre w/ Sun Ra Arkestra
Sun 3/23 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart’s Opera House
Mon 3/24 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Tue 3/25 – Cincinnati, OH – Woodward Theater
Thu 3/27 – Sun 3/30 – Knoxville, TN – Big Ears Festival
Fri 4/25 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live
Sat 4/26 – Houston, TX – The Heights
Sun 4/27 – Austin, TX – Austin Psych Fest
Tue 4/29 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler
Wed 4/30 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
Fri 5/2 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Sat 5/3 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Sun 5/4 – Flagstaff, AZ – Orpheum
Tue 5/6 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
Wed 5/7 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s
Thu 5/8 – Los Angeles, CA – The NoVo
Fri 5/9 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Sat 5/10 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Mon 5/12 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Tue 5/13 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Thu 5/15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party at Utah State Park