Published in: MyMarist575.com and Marist College's school newspaper, "The Circle"
With the rhythm of their music, the acoustics of Radio City Music Hall and the playfulness of the lyrics illuminated the simplistic set of Vampire Weekend, both visually and musically. Vampire Weekend is a band characterized as indie rock, New Wave and always fun. This New York City band sold out three nights at Radio City Music Hall last week, and had the majority of the venue filled even after a closing of the Long Island Railroad.
Vampire Weekend songs are very simple and catchy, which makes them popular. Each song plays about two minutes long and easy to listen to. Just listening to one of their songs can make someone happy. The set list played one after another to keep the audience moving, playing songs from both their self-titled album and January released album, “Contra.” The entire audience was dancing the majority of the concert because of the type of music they play.
Bands Beach House and Dum Dum Girls opened, and Vampire Weekend came out to “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khaled, which all amped the audience. Beach House’s set was a complete wall of lights to look like star-lit sky, and illuminated pyramids to look like tents, and as Vampire Weekend originally came out, they seemed to have no set at all compared to Beach House. As the set list moved, so did the set. Chandeliers came down, a wheel that seemed like an optical illusion and a map of “Port of Contra” was used, which was exactly what they needed to add to their songs. The lighting and the simplistic additions were all that was needed to create the right setting for their music. The lighting would choreograph the set and made the band even more tantalizing.
The band played exactly what would be heard on their CD and sounded exactly like their albums. Many bands aren’t capable of doing so. The band truly played for the audience and played everything a fan would want to hear.
VW also played a cover of Bruce Springsteen, “I’m Going Down,” to slow down the show and illustrate the diversity the band can handle.
Their playful music lit up the venue which was the perfect size for the band. An outdoor setting or larger venue wouldn’t exemplify their music because it would overpower the sound of their songs. In every part of Radio City, you can feel the music, where other places you can feel exactly where you are sitting and how much you’ve paid. The only negative aspect as lead singer Ezra Koenig said was how “formal” the setting was, especially from the general admission they are used to. The seats can restrict one who wants to truly enjoy the music and dance along with the lighthearted sound. Koenig also added about how “self-conscious” New York City can be, and how they should let their fears go and let their bodies sway along. They even demonstrated the best dance moves that go along with songs. They described how holding your arms up and move your fingers go along to one of their hits.
Their hits like “A-Punk” and “Cousins” were played in the middle of the set and ended with “Walcott.” Every song they played was well known from both albums, where each song didn’t need a catchy chorus to make the song popular. With lyrics like, “In December drinking horchata. I'd look psychotic in a balaclava,” and “Who gives a f*** about an Oxford comma?” give each song the appeal of effortlessness and having minimal metaphoric ideas. Vampire Weekend say exactly what they mean, make it rhyme and make it fun. Some lyrics need to be explained, but that’s what makes them so fun.
These preppy boys in their Sperry’s, cardigans and blazers show off their fast moving songs with their fast moving videos and transform this into a show with rapid lights and cause a constantly moving audience. Vampire Weekend left the stage with a very satisfied audience because they gave what the fans wanted each night at Radio City.
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