Teleportation is now possible. Okay… maybe that isn’t exactly true, but you’ll swear it is after seeing Vampire Weekend in concert. You’ll forget that you’re in a muggy, dark ballroom in the middle of Chicago. You won’t even realize that your face is, in fact, mere millimeters away from the soggy armpit of an overweight stranger. You might not even remember your name. The only thing you’ll know for sure is that you were instantaneously transported to a house party somewhere in the Hamptons, full of boisterous Ivy Leaguers on summer break, the moment the jubilant beat fills your ears.
Vampire Weekend, a relative newcomer to the Indie rock scene, played at the Aragon Ballroom on September 5, 2010. The band played songs from their self-titled debut and sophomore album "Contra".
Lead singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig, bassist Chris Baio, guitarist/keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij, and drummer Chris Tomson met while finishing up their senior year at Columbia University in 2006. They were signed by XL Records and generated a lot of buzz for their self-titled debut album in 2008. The album lived up to the hype and was soon followed by 2009’s release Contra.
Following two opening acts and a healthy dose of anticipation, Vampire Weekend finally prances out to the stage Warning: if you are a female, your heart may inexplicitly stop. The band is comprised of one handsome group of guys. Lead singer Ezra Koenig is especially magnetic. The combination of boyish charm, charisma, and adorable black mop of curls make him hard to take your eyes off of.
The ladies won’t be the only ones mesmerized, though. Vampire Weekend’s ecstatic enthusiasm is contagious. The entire crowd is a slave to the band, hanging on every word, every chord, every drumbeat, all the while howling the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Vampire Weekend, thankfully, uses their powers for good and not evil.
The opening song, “Holiday”, is sure to speed up your heart rate and get your feet moving. Other standouts included the jerky, spirited “One (Blake’s Got A New Face)” and “A-punk”, the shimmering melodies and smooth vocals of “Giving up the Gun” and “White Sky”, the rowdy, mosh-worthy “Cousins”, a respectable rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m Going Down”, and the more restrained, sincere “I Stand Corrected” and “Bryn”.
The biggest problem with Vampire Weekend’s concert is you’ll wish it lasted longer, even though they performed all 22 of their songs. You’ll be stunned that the concert is over as they exit the stage following charmingly twitchy “Oxford Comma”. As the deliberately tilted chandeliers (to match the debut album cover) above the stage start to dim, the response is unanimous. The fans want more.
After hollering, shrieking, and significant amounts of foot stomping, Vampire Weekend marches back on stage, greeted by overwhelming adoration from the audience. They proceed to perform a three song encore, ending the show on a high note.
Opening bands included Dum Dum Girls and Beach House. The Dum Dum Girls are an unruly lineup: four girls, all of whom utterly are useless in terms of performing and, for that matter, playing instruments. The melodies were lacking and choruses consisted of one word being repeatedly screeching into the microphone. They appear to be going for a cool, entrancing vibe but ended up spewing varying degrees of wrongness.
Luckily, Beach House was the calm after the storm. Their songs are dreamlike and buoyant, but have a somewhat aggravating consistency; They are a little too tame to match the rowdiness of Vampire Weekend.
The openers serve two purposes: Their mediocrity will juxtapose Vampire Weekend’s awesomeness, and they will give you time to claw your way to the front.
Vampire Weekend typically does general admission shows, so be prepared to use a little brute force if you want to get a good view. You’ll quickly learn that the claws come out in concert warfare. Everyone is your enemy. The front row is the Promised Land.
The concert is highly entertaining and well worth the relatively cheap cost of $45. You’ll emerge from the Aragon Ballroom doors with aching feet and sweat all over, but with an enormous smile on your face and the joyful reverberation of Vampire Weekend echoing in your ears.
Photo by Sarah Hombach