The incredibly talented and multi-instrumental New York-bred indie rock band, Vampire Weekend, spent a beautiful weekend in Chicago at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island last weekend. Chicago was in for a very special treat as the band put on a two-night residency event that included various lawn activities such as bags, face painting, caricatures, and they even brought an entire ferris wheel, converting the whole affair into a mini Vampire Weekend music festival. The band also brought along the Prince cover band, Princess, which is fronted by Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum along with indie rock veterans Ra Ra Riot. Chicago was the only stop that got Princess as an opener which made for an even more memorable weekend!
The last time Vampire Weekend played this venue back in 2019, the weather was absolutely gloomy, cold and rainy and it was June! This time around we got the most ideal Chicago weather we could have asked for. Touring in support of their latest album release, Only God Was Above Us, the band has returned to form on this new LP. Their previous album Father of the Bride was a bit on the experimental side that brought upon an orchestration of worldwide instruments and a lengthy track list. Their new album however is a simple 10-song run with absolutely no skips on it whatsoever. It is still very much a Vampire Weekend-sounding album but on a whole other level; as if they took everything from their previous albums and molded it into something fresh yet still on brand.
The venue flooded quickly on Saturday with one of the most diverse crowds I have ever seen at any show! The audience ranged widely from younger teens to fans that look like they have loved them since their heyday in the 2010s, and of course multiple parents with their kids and even elderly people sprinkled throughout! And this is the best part about this band, it is all about the music and it is for EVERYONE to enjoy! Ra Ra Riot and Princess perfectly warmed up the crowd with respectable sets from them both. Princess put on a unique and entertaining show; it’s not really every day you get to see a Prince cover band that is fronted by two absolute legends!
There were so many excited and cheery faces in the crowd as time drew closer to Vampire Weekend’s set. As the stage hands revealed a massive ‘Vampire Weekend’ banner; the crowd roared its cheers and applause. The band really spread their wings during the set, performing a two-hour-plus set playing plenty of songs from all five of their magnificent albums. After a three-song run intro of some of their older work that consisted of “Hold You Now,” “Oxford Comma” and “Bryn;” the band jumped into “Ice Cream Piano,” which is the intro to their newest LP—accompanied by a dramatic curtain drop that revealed the rest of the stage and band. Towering behind frontman Ezra Koenig was a massive inflatable tunnel that looked so real it made me wonder why other bands don’t incorporate inflatables more!
Vampire Weekend played almost the entirety of their new album, excluding one song that they played the previous night in Chicago. The show concluded with an encore that consisted of covers that were requested by the audience. They covered songs such as “Pumped Up kicks” by Foster The People, “Kids” by MGMT and even “Saturday In The Park” by Chicago, which honestly could not have been more fitting! It was truly an epic evening and weekend spent with Vampire Weekend. I attended both evenings and we got two very different setlists (see night one here and night two here) on both nights.
Only God Was Above Us is arguably one of my favorite album releases for this year. From the perfect length to the fact that there is not a single bad song; this was the tour to go and see Vampire Weekend live as this is the best they have ever been! The band has come a long way but they have cultivated a very dedicated yet very relaxed fanbase and cult following that I think will never stop gaining traction. They are definitely one of my all-time favorite bands to see live and this past weekend was truly one I will never forget!
All photos by Andrew Lagunas
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