December 3, 2008
Click Click: Vampire Weekend @ 9:30 Club
Words and photos by DCist contributor Martin Locraft
Vampire Weekend formed in New York City, recorded one album while each member was in the process of diving into the real world, became crazy popular thanks to blog ubiquity and a clever video, traveled the globe, and ultimately arrived at the 9:30 Club on Monday for a two-night stint. The lead singer is handsome, and they dress like their next stop is a laid-back Ivy League cocktail party. On the surface, they appear to be just what you'd expect: riding the waves of a hot debut album and enjoying the subsequent rise to ubiquity, but weary of the fact that their kind has the potential to come and go rather quickly.
But if Vampire Weekend proved anything last night, it's that they are going to do their damndest to stick around for a while. Despite playing an extremely short set – I clocked it at just under an hour – Ezra Koenig & Co. packed enough energy into the sold-out venue to make people forget the fact that they've only got about 15 songs in their catalog. They jumped from track to track, eventually playing all 11 from their self-titled album, and introduced the crowd to a few works-in-progress (that sounded quite good, for the record).
Before covering Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere" to begin the encore, Koenig promised the crowd that the next time Vampire Weekend comes to D.C. – a year or so from now, after they've recorded their sophomore effort – they'd be more like Bruce Springsteen in that they'd play a 2-1/2 hour set. With instrumentals reminiscent of an early-90s Paul Simon, an extended show would certainly be a welcome change. For now, however, the thoughts of a passionate performance in front of an appreciative crowd will certainly suffice.
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i've never heard any of their stuff, but I saw them while passing by the MTV Woodie Awards on the tube, which was filled with some of the worst music i've ever been exposed to. So i'm guessing these guys wouldn't be my cup of tea. but you never know.
that being said, there is one redeeming quality in that Washburn hollowbody he's handling on stage. very nice.
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Pretty crazy how in (less than?) a year's time they went from the RNR Hotel to the 9:30 Club with ridiculous ticket prices.
I was disappointed last year at their extremely short set, so I'm glad that the next time I have the chance to see them they'll have something more to show.
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is that a fleece jacket?
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You think $20 is ridiculous for a 9:30 show? C'mon, that's only $8 more than the RnR Hotel show cost. And it was less than a year ago - February. I think what's crazier is that they played the Red and the Black before that...that would have been one intimate show!
No mention of the Teenagers' performance? I thought they were great...
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No, not the ticket's face price, but the inflation on craigslist. Sorry I didn't clarify.
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Teenagers were awful. Just awful.
Yes, that is a fleece jacket.
I think it's crazy that a band with only 11 songs (plus two new ones and a cover) can sell out one, let alone two nights at the 9:30 Club.
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Ridiculous is the $40 they're trying to charge for Ray Davies at the 9:30 on Monday. I figure there will be about two dozen 50-year-olds there, and nobody else.
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I am very pleased with the product I received as a result of my inflated Craigslist ticket. I loved the album, loved the show, look forward to the next on both accounts. As always, though, wish the DC crowd would let go of a bit of their insecurity and dance.
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I think too much is made of the whole Paul Simon thing with Vampire Weekend. References to similarities to Graceland tend to pass over the roots that gave rise to that record. Plus, I don't think those similarities are nearly as prevalent as the music press likes to think; it's become more of a convenient shorthand than an accurate descriptor of VW's sound. If anytime someone blends South African drumming with pop music we say they're derivative of Simon, we might just as well say anytime anyone includes rhythms from the opposite side of the Atlantic in a pop context that they're channeling David Byrne's work from the same period. It kind of glosses over the importance of the real source music.
All of which has nothing to do with the fact that their record is catchy as all hell, and I'm thinking of absolutely none of that when I'm singing along too loudly while road tripping. Super disappointed I didn't act fast enough to snag a ticket to either of these shows.
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Am I the only one who hears Vampire Weekend, and thinks The Clash?
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I think too much is made of the whole Paul Simon thing with Vampire Weekend.
Would you believe me if I told you I'd never read a review of VW before I wrote this? It may not make it any less bothersome, but listening to them jam a bit last night did immediately make me think of Paul Simon's Concert in the Park. Paying homage to the real source is all well and good, but Simon is the most recognizable influence, and I think it's hard to argue the similarities.
And no, indiecognition, you aren't the only one. I thought of The Clash many times during the show. VW can play some pretty mean punk -- if only they didn't look like they're about to help your 80 year-old grandmother with her groceries.
Come to think of it, Koenig did say that next time around they'd have new music and "new costumes." Perhaps they are going to complete changely their image. Hmm...
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And of course that should say "completely change," not "complete changely."
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Totally my favorite album of the last year. Didn't make it to the show, but love love love them. And I have excellent taste. :-)
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With ticket prices as they are these days, you can hardly say Ray Davies at $40 is way overpriced. For a point of comparison, see the Birchmere. We're talking about one of the greatest songwriters of all time here. Yeah, a little much, but not really that bad for what should be a pretty intimate show.
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I guess if you find paying $200 to see the Rolling Stones acceptable, then it's not out of line. As great as Davies is, and as much as I like The Kinks, $40 is too rich for my blood, especially considering the venue.
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I heard this band on a car trip and it was painful. I couldn't disrespect the owner of the iPod because he had been recently dumped (probably in part due to his poor musical taste) so I kept my mouth shut and just imagined the high pitched buzz of a dental drill ripping through my molars. It's adult oriented indie rock... "boring music made by boring white people for boring white people". It is the Soul Asylum of the 21st Century people, or maybe the new Coldplay for American Apparel shoppers
It does sound like a mish-mash of Paul Simon and Talking Heads (or should I say "Clap Your Hands and Say David Byrne"?)
Just like The Strokes a few years back, this band popped out of the blue with a hype machine behind them, and just like The Strokes, in three years time no one will remember.