Vampire Weekend @ Silverlake Lounge, 7/17/07
On their second night ever playing in Los Angeles, Vampire Weekend hit the Silverlake Lounge stage and declared their love for our city, citing its sunshine and quinoa. Singer Ezra Koenig even introduced “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” substituting the last two words with “quinoa quinoa.” Either these Brooklyn kids have never encountered extensive vegetarian-friendly menus before or this is a grain-related inside joke that maybe I don’t want to get.
For a band with only three songs for sale, Vampire Weekend filled their 45-minute set with energetic pop — not the most enthralling stage presence, but with those polished, catchy songs, it didn’t matter. A packed house was bouncing along and smiling. No mention of this band fails to refer to the similarities to Paul Simon, especially “Graceland.” And they’re there, but Vampire’s tiny oeuvre is far more complex than you’d imagine after hearing that comparison.
If Vampire Weekend were ranked according to a terrorism alert-style system, they’d be all the way up at red — for having sucked your blood and made you a convert.
Set list:
Mansard Roof
M79
One (Blake’s Got a New Face)
I Stand Corrected
Bryn
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Arrows
A-Punk
The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance
Campus
Oxford Comma
