Any discussion of Vampire Weekend has to start with the name. “Vampire Weekend”? What does that even mean?! Wikipedia claims that the name comes from an independent film created by lead singer Ezra Koenig. If you check Internet Movie Database, though, it says the film does not exist. And bear in my mind, IMDB lists the name of the gaffer from Norbit and the boom operator from Vampire City 2: Rock ‘n Roll Zombies from Outer Space. (Those distinguished gentlemen’s names? Terry Meadows and Jo Lapitz. Jo doesn’t need an ‘e’; he’s that cool.)
After their first few songs at Constitution Hall, I had very little indication of what the name “Vampire Weekend” meant. It was pretty clear, however, that this would be an incredibly strange show. The band walked on to blaring hip hop, eased into some low-key tropical tunes, and ended with a series of high-energy sing-a-longs. It made no sense. The set decoration was just as odd. Above the performers hung several glittering chandeliers; behind the performers hung a giant Grace Kelly banner. It was not Grace Kelly exactly, but some attractive Hitchcock blond who, for no apparent reason, halfway through the show, grew red dots in her eyes!
Undoubtedly the strangest part of the concert was the fact that it actually worked! It was strange in a good way: eerie without being unpleasant. (Think Smashing Pumpkins not Counting Crows; Muse not Bob Dylan.) The biggest reason it worked was the crowd. They were a packed house and continued to sing/clap no matter how absurd it got – picture 3500 people chanting “Blake’s got a new face! Blake’s got a new FACE!” Not exactly a radio-ready hook… The other reason it worked was they played a number of legitimately good songs: “A-Punk,” “Oxford Comma,” “I Stand Corrected,” “Cousins,” “Horchata,” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” They all sounded quirky and upbeat, so it did not matter that you could not fit them into any clear categories (Jamaican Cotillion music? Chorus-less Killers?).
In the end, I was definitely glad I went to the show and will check them out next time they’re at DAR. Maybe by then I’ll understand the meaning of their name…
Grade:A-
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment