Photos and Review by Max Stewart
Vampire Weekend have really come into their own as a unique live band that appeals to a wide-range of listeners as of late. Sure, the band took off in 2008 from their self-titled debut release which featured indie rock / pop that appealed to the hipster college fans. Their latest releases (Father of the Bride in 2019 and Only God Was Above Us in 2024) have proved that this band can really stretch their musical muscles into jam, country, psychaledia, and other sonic territories.
This band clearly keeps it light too, with singer / guitarist Ezra Koenig‘s in-between-song banter proving the band is self-aware and tongue-in-cheek in their own ways. At one point, the band teased “Mountain Jam” by the Georgia legends Allman Brothers Band in Atlanta, in a cover of “Mountain Brews” by, yes, Mountain Brews (a band fronted by Time Crisis with Ezra Koenig co-host Jake Longstreth).
“I have never played a venue that has such immediate access to tennis, equestrian and golf facilities,” Koenig commented on the legendary iconic Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park on a chilly Saturday evening. Not to mention their fan-requested, incomplete-but-fun versions of other local heroes the B-52s’ “Love Shack”, REM’s “Losing My Religion” and OutKast’s “Hey Ya” during the encore.
They may have fun, but their musical chops are no joke. The band’s catchy indie tunes blended with the ability to stretch the songs out into unique improvisational sections (i.e. “Sunflower”) makes them a supremely satisfying live show. A few highlights of the night included playing “Hannah Hall” and pointing out that the song was requested by a fan with the same name who proved so by showing her Costco card. Also, before “Harmony Hall” Koenig identified a 9-year-old fan in the front who was attending his first concert ever and dedicated the song to him.
If you are a fan of cool, indie rock bands – this band is for you. If you are fan of crunchy, wide-ranging jams – this band is also for you. It’s great when musical worlds can collide in harmony. Also, something about catching Vampire Weekend on a Saturday night in Spooky October just feels right.
Setlist – 10/12/24 – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park – Atlanta, GA
Oxford Comma
Campus
Bryn
Ice Cream Piano
Classical
Connect
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Step
This Life
Sunflower
Sympathy
The Surfer
Giving Up the Gun
Capricorn
Gen-X Cops
Diane Young
Cousins
A-Punk
Mountain Brews (Mountain Brews cover)
Mary Boone
Hannah Hunt
Harmony Hall
Hope
Encore:
Lovefool (The Cardigans cover) (Snippet)
Last Nite (The Strokes cover) (Snippet)
Hey Ya (OutKast cover) (Snippet)
Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover) (Snippet)
Losing My Religion (R.E.M. cover) (Snippet)
Back in the High Life Again (Steve Winwood cover) (Snippet)
Love Shack (The B‐52s cover) (Snippet)
Message in a Bottle (The Police cover) (Snippet)
Every Breath You Take (The Police cover) (Snippet)
Iron Man (Black Sabbath cover) (Snippet)
Walcott
SNL Closing Theme (A Waltz in A) / Flower Moon
