Vampire Weekend rocks to a full crowd

AT first glance, Vampire Weekend doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy.

They’re known for dressing nice, as the representation of privileged angst in music form. But it’s hard to find that “it” factor, the hype that drives a band by looks alone.

Vampire Weekend, along with Beach House and Dum Dum Girls, opened up the 2010-11 IU Auditorium season to a packed house Monday.

Students and community members alike joined Koenig and Co. for an eclectic evening pulled straight from the indie music scene’s standard-bearers to close out the
summer.

Their entrance was casual enough, at least for one of music’s most hyped bands. As the crowd leapt to its feet, the New York foursome lead the band in a DJ Khaled-inspired dance, throwing their hands up as per the DJ’s request.

They started to play, bursting into “Holiday” from the 2010 album “Contra.”

It’s fast, even when it’s slow. Driven by a heavy influence in world music beats referenced by the band as “Upper West Side Soweto,” the band — front man Ezra Koenig, bassist Chris Baio, drummer Chris Tomson and multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij — charged through tracks from their first two albums as an ever-changing set.

Rarely missing a beat and never missing their mark, what started as a black curtain eventually yielded chandeliers and multiple murals evolving behind them.

“I know you may think summer is over, but this is a summer song forever,” Koenig said before playing the opening riff to “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” to raucous applause.

Even before Vampire Weekend took the stage, fans filled the auditorium for Baltimore-based Beach House, known for their “dream pop” — heavy keyboard chords and pounding drums coupled with vocalist Victoria Legrand’s moody lyrics.

Vampire Weekend emerged in 2006 from Columbia University and onto the indie music scene with the comfortable backing of positive response from a variety of music blogs. Their self-titled debut dropped in 2008, peaking at 15th on the Billboard 200 and spawning a number of successful singles like “A-Punk” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.”

Critical response was overwhelming; “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” even earned a spot on Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Songs of the Year” for 2007. Their second album “Contra,” was released in January of this year to critical acclaim. The group additionally contributed to “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” soundtrack.

Sophomore Kevin Brown, a frequent auditorium patron, said he was ecstatic when Union Board announced the performance.

“This is a testament to what IU can bring to the student population,” Brown said.
“They appeal to college students,” sophomore Joe Matick said. “This is their main fan base.”

Freshman Joe Heath chose Vampire Weekend to be his first visit to the auditorium. Heath, a recording arts major, said Vampire Weekend exemplified what he said he believed to be the auditorium at it’s best.

“It’s such a sweet venue,” he said. “The audience is great and the sound mixing is fantastic. It’s a great night to see a show.”