Vampire Weekend Bring the Pain in Chicago

Posted on Mar 26th 2010 10:00AM by Anna Deem
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With a hype-filled 'Jock Jams' track serving as their introduction, Vampire Weekend took to the stage at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on Thursday night -- the first of two sold-out shows at the historic venue -- bopping their heads and basking in the cheers of the massive crowd. A black covering behind them dropped on cue to reveal a backdrop of the artwork for their newest album, 'Contra,' and the quartet tore into their first song without hesitation, as flashing strobe lights illuminated every corner of the venue.

With a setlist that consisted of as many songs from 'Contra' as it did from their self-titled debut, Vampire Weekend gave the crowd exactly what they paid to see: a young band still very much in its prime. Newer songs like "White Sky' and 'Holiday' got the room riled up, but there was no denying the fact that the loudest cheers were for old favorites like 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' and 'A-Punk.'

Frontman Ezra Koenig fueled the fire by conducting the crowd in several call and response cheers. "This one has no words, just painful screams," he said of 'M79,' and then screamed into the microphone and had the audience scream back at him. "No, no, you have to bring the pain," he said. The crowd obeyed during the remainder of the song, screaming along with Koenig as overhead spotlights switched on and illuminated their gaping mouths.

"This one is about the important people in everyone's life," said Koenig introducing Contra's first single, 'Cousins.' A single spotlight shone on him as he played the fast-paced guitar intro to the song with confidence, not faltering once. In fact, the only weak point of Vampire Weekend's entire hour-long set was the autotune effect on Koenig's vocals during 'California English,' which sounded less polished than on the album, bordering on cartoonish instead. Most of the crowd didn't seem to notice though, as they pumped their fists and danced.

Perhaps the highlight of their entire set was 'Diplomat's Son' and its opening sample from M.I.A.'s song 'Hussel,' which prompted the entire room to cheer as if M.I.A. herself had walked onstage. 'Diplomat's Son' was followed by 'Giving Up the Gun,' the newest single from 'Contra' that has received its fair share of press lately due to its star-studded music video.

A one-two punch of 'Campus' and 'Oxford Comma' ended the first part of Vampire Weekend's set as they took a quick break before heading back onstage for their anticipated encore. "Thanks for waiting," said Koenig politely, as he proceeded to lead the crowd in another sing-along for 'Horchata.' The two-minute long 'Mansard Roof' quickly followed, and another track from their debut, 'Walcott,' closed the evening out. With female screams of "Ezra!" clearly audible between songs, it's evident that Vampire Weekend have completed their transition from indie-pop darlings to major-league stars. Although they may only have two albums under their belt, there's no telling how big the boys of Vampire Weekend could be in years from now.