Vampire Weekend at PItchfork: Did You Just Boop?

Posted by admin On July - 20 - 2008

~Z.T.~ Chicago, IL. Vampire Weekend isn’t just a band. It’s a way of life. These guys can do no wrong in my book. Their self-titled debut is my favorite album of the year, and since they have such few songs, you’re guaranteed to hear each and every one of their perfectly crafted pop songs at every show. Ezra Koenig and company charmed the Pitchfork crowd with earnest smiles and crystal clear rock. Photo by Hilary.

I guess I was a little too used to Friday night’s concept of a band playing an album all the way through. After Vampire Weekend opened with album opener “Mansford Roof,” I made a “boop boop” sound, like the ones that accompany the beginning of track 2, “Oxford Comma.”

“Did you just boop?” the concert-goer next to me asked.

I explained the boop, he understood, and we proceeded to enjoy a spot-on Vampire Weekend show. They played every song on the album, and a couple of others, with especially strong crowd sing-a-long’s on “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)” and “M79.” An especially strong version of “Wolcott” closed the 50 minute set. Brilliant as always. Ezra Koenig manages to get a unique, high-pitched, light squeal of a sound from his strum that makes me feel good in places you don’t talk about at parties. The drumming is nice too. Photo by Eric.