Vampire Weekend at Triple Rock Social Club on 4/3/08

By: Jon Behm

Vampire Weekend - Photo by Jon Behm

One of the music scene’s most hotly anticipated shows came to pass last night at the Triple Rock: Brooklyn sensation Vampire Weekend’s very first Twin Cities performance. The band’s recent almost biblical ascension to the upper echelons of indie rock has led to a huge number of instant fans, as well as a heavy and dedicated backlash by those who are deeply suspicious of popular trends (see Stop Peter Bjorn and John).  Though I must admit, my own anticipation of the show was tempered a bit by allegations that “Vampire Weekend really isn’t that great live,” I tried to come with an open mind.  

Since VW have been accused in the past of lacking a great deal of energy onstage, they seemed to try and make up for it at the Triple Rock. Sporting vestiges of his unrepentantly affluent background (dock shoes, Lacoste sweater, etc.) lead singer Ezra Koenig worked up a sweat immediately dancing energetically around the lead mic. While the rest of the quartet certainly weren’t melting any faces, they put admirable effort into the show. “A –Punk” was as poppy and energized as I have ever heard it.  “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance,” was even a little more rocking than I expected.  

Vampire Weekend - Photo by Jon Behm

Throughout the show Koenig kept the audience engaged by cracking jokes and encouraging participation (an excellent call and response version of “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)”).  He even called out a certain Columbian friend in the audience, lamenting the country’s unfair reputation as a drug bonanza. What worried me a bit was his claim that the band has been rehearsing Tom Petty’s greatest hits for their next album (thankfully a joke).

While the show was very enjoyable, I wasn’t as happy with it as I expected to be.  Perhaps VW are suffering of a case of overwhelming expectations, but there wasn’t a great deal about the show that will make it extremely memorable in my mind. While the songs sounded as great as they do on the album, they almost seemed a little too rehearsed, as if the group was afraid of taking too many chances. One notable exception was “Oxford Comma,” where the band seems to have played around with the time signatures a bit, slowing the beat down more than usual so that the fast paced refrain really pops. 

The men of Vampire Weekend are still young though, and I don’t blame them for taking a while to get accustomed to playing on the road every night. Over time I will be very interested to see whether this band overcomes pessimistic blogger expectations to become more than just a flash in the pan in an all too unforgiving scene. I like that VW dips into influences like African Rumba and Paul Simon rather than the standard indie canon (Pixies, Joy Division, Radiohead, etc.) so I hope that they continue to be successful at what they do.

Evidence of the band’s continuing effort came in their performance of one new unnamed pop gem from an upcoming album. While it certainly wasn’t my favorite song of the night, I am glad to hear that VW are already writing new songs rather than resting on precarious laurels. In order to not be forgotten in a short amount of time they already need to think about following up strong with a sophomore effort. Only time will tell if the band can live up to the hype. For my part, I am rooting for their success. 

Vampire Weekend's Website

Vampire Weekend's Myspace

More Photos from the show

Location Info: Triple Rock Social Club
Artist Info: Vampire Weekend

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