Grammy-winning indie-pop band Vampire Weekend brought its frabjous songs and vibe to Saint Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights on July 25. The last time the group visited St. Louis was the night that the Blues won the Stanley Cup, in 2019. Before the encore that night, Vampire Weekend took a few minutes to learn several chords of “Gloria” to commemorate the win, adding: “We didn’t want to learn to play ‘Gloria’ before the game. That would have been presumptuous.”
Amid their extensive tour supporting the release of their latest album, Only God Was Above Us, the trio appeared on stage in mostly all-white clothes in front of a large backdrop and kicked off the robust set with the jaunty “Holiday.” The curtain fell after the second song to reveal the touring members and gave the band more room to move around. Fan favorites throughout the night included the toe-tapping, airy “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” the poppy “Oxford Comma,” and the tuneful “Harmony Hall.” The extended encore included several audience-requested snippets of nearly a dozen covers, including from The Modern Lovers, The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Beyoncé, and Umberto Tozzi’s “Gloria.” The band ended the night’s setlist with the fast-paced “Worship You” and slid into the popular “Ya Hey.”
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Syracuse, New York’s Ra Ra Riot, who recently joined this leg of the tour, opened the night with 50 minutes of its happy-go-lucky sound, including “Can You Tell” and “Water.” Ra Ra Riot closed its setlist with “I Need Your Light,” on which singer Wes Miles’ falsetto shined.
See more photos from the evening at https://bit.ly/VampireWeekend24cz.
