May 15, 2024

Vampire Weekend justifies their success at the Hollywood Bowl

Zack Gill
Staff Writer

It’s shocking to think that only two years after their debut, rock group Vampire Weekend have become arena rockers. On Sept. 26 at the Hollywood Bowl, they proved themselves worthy of their new-found success, capably and energetically entertaining some 17,000 fans.

Vampire Weekend was supported by afro-pop group The Very Best and somewhat sleepy Beach House as their tastefully-chosen openers.

With a 90-minute set consisting literally of every song from Vampire Weekend’s two albums (other than “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”), they provided fans with both quality and quantity. A somewhat lacking stage display was more than made up for with passionate vocals from singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig and the refined, chirpy chaos of Vampire Weekend’s instrumentation.

With almost every song from their discography accounted for, playful renditions of “A-Punk,” “Holiday,” and “Giving Up the Gun” seemed to gauge the biggest audience response. As per Vampire Weekend tradition, they closed the night with “Walcott,” perhaps their best song on the record in a live setting. With its soaring, fiery piano line, it has the sort of tune that makes the listener want to look up in the best way possible.

Vampire Weekend’s somber songs proved to be just as, if not more, affective. The sole cover of the night, Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m Going Down,” was as powerful as Vampire Weekend will ever get. “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” from 2008’s self-titled debut, captured the audience’s undivided attention with adolescence and soul. When it comes down to it, the crowd wants to hear the chugging riff of “Cousins” more than Ezra Koenig’s croon, so Vampire Weekend’s ability to hold their crowd during a slow song proves how strong they are.

Despite their strong musical performance, Vampire Weekend needs some sort of light show or stage display that compliments their songs.

In the smaller clubs they headlined only a year ago, presence alone could provide an exhilarating show, but in a setting where band-members are equivalent in size to ants, Vampire Weekend needs to adapt and evolve in order to hold their audience. Colorful lights are nice, but a band as creative and playful as Vampire Weekend could benefit from a display that reciprocates their sensibilities.

Vampire Weekend’s live performances harness the musicality that has already made them a force to be reckoned with during the summer festival circuit. Notwithstanding the disappointing lack of visual flair, Vampire Weekend did the highly-esteemed Hollywood Bowl justice.

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