Vampire Weekend brings good vibes to Chicago

March 25, 2010, at the Riviera Theatre

By Kelley Hecker
Published: March 28th, 2010 | 6:55pm

The lights dimmed and House of Pain's “Jump Around” blared over the speakers as Vampire Weekend—vocalist-guitarist Ezra Koenig, keyboardist-guitarist-backing vocalist Rostam Batmanglij, bassist Chris Baio, and drummer Chris “CT” Tomson—strolled on stage for the first of two sold-out shows in Chicago in support of January’s Contra (XL). The crowd surged forward amid a sea of cheers as a banner of the album cover art dropped behind the band who wasted no time launching into “White Sky.”

During “Holiday,” Koenig and Baio exchanged wide smiles, and Batmanglij was—as Tyra would say—totally smizing. This shock and excitement was on full display all night, and it was pretty damn adorable. Despite slightly awkward banter from the seemingly shy Koenig, Vampire Weekend seemed much more comfortable on stage on this tour. Koenig has sharpened his moves to get all the teen girl’s hearts a-fluttering … and, okay, mine too. Dude’s a dreamboat!

The band then introduced a slew of songs from their 2008 self-titled debut (XL), including “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” “Bryn,” and “I Stand Corrected,” the last of which found them cloaked in red light, the crowd pumping its fists along to the chorus.

“This one is about the important people in everyone’s life,” Koenig said as he introduced Contra’s first single, “Cousins.” Tomson—who was looking a bit out of place and very Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf with his full beard and ’90s Chris Webber Golden State Warriors jersey—is always an impressive drummer, but seeing him play this track makes you wonder how the hell he can move so fast.

The sole slow moment of the night came in the form of the beautiful ballad, “Taxi Cab.” The lights dimmed and Baio switched to the upright bass as Koenig crooned in his light, boyish vocals, “You’re not a victim / But neither am I / Nostalgic for garbage / Desperate for time / I could blame it on your mother’s hair / Or the colors that your father wears / But I know that I was never fair / You were always fine.”

“Diplomat’s Son,” which wonderfully samples M.I.A.’s “Hussel,” was a definite highlight and perfect to dance to. As Koenig sang, “That night I smoked a joint,” the crowd seemed to jump extra high—possibly because billowing clouds of smoke floated through the air during much of the night.

“There are some really positive vibes in the room tonight,” Koenig commented as the band later returned for the encore. (Having read his now-defunct blog, Internet Vibes, several years ago, I cackled before hoping no one heard.) After performing “Horchata,” he remarked, “I love these early shows. This means you can get a lot of sleep tonight and get up at 6:30 and go for a run.” Appropriately, he told the audience the next song, “Mansard Roof,” was their Presidential Fitness Challenge and that they were to “move some part of your body for these next two minutes.” Vampire Weekend wrapped their set with the high-energy “Walcott,” prompting one audience member to crowd surf, much to Tomson’s wide-eyed, grinning surprise.

Amazingly, the band breezed through a set comprised of nearly every song in their catalogue, and though it’s easy to wish they had thrown in “Ottoman,” “Arrows,” or “Ladies of Cambridge,” fans undoubtedly left completely satisfied. Vampire Weekend is an incredibly tight live band, and the members are gifted musicians. Haters always gonna hate, and it’s a shame, because they’re really missing out on some of the best pop music being made today.

Vampire Weekend official site

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XL Recordings