Wednesday was an exhilarating night for St. Louis. As if the long-awaited Stanley Cup victory wasn’t exciting enough, Grammy Award–winning Vampire Weekend was also in town supporting their recently released fourth studio album, Father of the Bride.
The night began on a soulful note with opener Chicano Batman. Hailing from Los Angeles, the band is composed of Eduardo Arenas, Carlos Arévalo, Bardo Martinez, and Gabriel Villa. The group’s sound draws from a mix of genres ranging from psychedelic soul, funk, indie, tropicalia, and rock.
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Bathed in a simple stage set of red lights and a cloud of smoke swirling above that never dipped low, Chicano Batman engaged the growing audience with their sweet vocals mixed with the dub/psychedelic sound they’ve become known for. Songs included “Jealousy” and “Freedom Is Free.” Check them out when they’re headlining in a more intimate setting.
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As soon as Vampire Weekend took the stage, the packed house rose to its feet and never took its seats again during the 125-minute concert. The headliner opened strong with “Sunflower,” a toe-tapping tune from their most recent album that perfectly showcases the band’s knack for creative rhythms and harmonies. The crowd sang, clapped, and swayed along to every infectious, happy, and danceable note—which is to say the entire night.
Next up were two oldies but goodies: “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” and “Unbelievers.” Before launching into “How Long?” frontman Ezra Koenig said to the full theater, “Glad you chose to spend a very big night with us,” (referring to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final). The crowd responded with cheers and a resounding “Bluuuues!”
The majority of interaction after that involved Koenig asking what the score of the hockey game was, though the surges of cheers that would randomly erupt during songs that normally don’t receive the same reaction probably told the band that the Blues were playing well.
For the first time this tour, the band pulled out “I Stand Corrected,” one of the hits from their 2008 self-titled debut album. Then Koening launched into a cover of Labi Siffre’s “I Got The…” during which the Blues scored another goal.
The band was playing “Horchata” when the Blues won the Stanley Cup. The crowd erupted in jubilant cheers. Chants of “Let’s Go Blues” resounded during a heart-thumping jam that segued into “New Dorp. New York,” a cover of SBTRKT. They continued on with their biggest hits from all four albums, including “Harmony Hall,” “Diane Young,” and “A-Punk.”
At the 100-minute mark, the band took a brief respite from their high-energy set. They returned moments later saying “We didn’t want to learn to play ‘Gloria’ before the game. That would have been presumptuous” before launching into “Gloria.” They played a simplified version with the crowd cheering them on and helping them out.
Koeing then switched gears saying, “You know we have our own blues song (“Big Blue”). This one’s for you.”
The band took two requests during the encore: “Hannah Hunt” and “Sympathy.” The night ended on a high note with “Walcott.” The elated crowd left the show still dancing on a blue cloud of air.
Photos of Vampire Weekend:
