Photo By Omari Spears
It’s strange to think Vampire Weekend have swung back into the limelight of indie pop. Could it really have been twelve years ago that they had wannabe clever teens rallying anthemically against a punctuation mark? And a whole six years since their last release? Fast forward then splice into the mix the departure of a founding member, a Toblerone-repping Netflix series, and a whole bunch of Phish listening, and the end result is the band that pulled up to Agannis Arena on 9/3, still very much that same band singing about desperately fleeing from Cape Cod, but a little more seasoned now, and a lot looser. They were always a fun band, but now they look like a band having fun.
Most of all, it’s just good to have them back around. “We haven’t been in Boston in six years,” frontman Ezra Koenig lamented, also promising that “it won’t be so long next time.” In an astounding marathon set that ran over two hours total, the band shuffled through a generous 30 song helping of their catalogue, including some fresh tweaks on fan favorites like “Diplomat’s Son,” as well as a cover of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (hey now, HEEEEY NOOOOW).
Though the imagery of Father of the Bride is global with its planet Earth cover art, Vampire Weekend gave their Boston set a personalized touch. See, in their time, they’ve written three songs that make specific reference to Massachusets: “Boston (Ladies of Cambridge)”, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” and “Walcott.” Every time they come through, they’re sure to dust off this trilogy, each time with fresh energy. They bookended the show with “Boston” and “Walcott,” both fast and energetic.
In true Springsteen style, the real treat of the evening came at the beginning of the encore, when the band opened up the set to audience requests, a bold move when you’ve released four or more albums. But VW took it in stride, playing “Give Up The Gun” (one of their catchiest fan favorites), “M79,” and even “Arrows,” which is a deep early cut to even the most diehard of fans. While some of these wild cards certainly sounded unpolished compared to more tried-and-true tracks, kudos to the band for staying so aware of their catalogue to be able to play what still amounted to excellent renditions of some obscure tunes.
In a way, this album represents Vampire Weekend’s shift into a yacht-/dad-rock band, something you’d hear your parents grooving to on Magic 106.7 back in the day. Where they used to fill their sound with Afrobeat drum grooves and chamber pop textures, they’ve instead filled with americana guitars and jazzy riffing, like they’ve become an updated Steely Dan for a set of jaded noughties bred young adults trying to figure out what the hell is life in their mid-20s. This shift almost seemed inevitable after the departure of founding member Rostam Batmangli. It’s Vampire Weekend saying, “It’s not over, we’re just growing.” Having grown with Vampire Weekend over the past decade and change, their new sound and attitude is a refreshing reminder to stick to doing what you really love.
Check out our photo gallery from the show below.
