Vampire Weekend said "Ya Hey" and goodbye as they wrapped the North American leg of their Father of the Bride tour at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado last night (October 9). The indie-rockers are showcasing and celebrating the release of their first album in six years, Father of the Bride, with an international tour that brings back their nostalgic early aughts hits as well as introducing fans to new sounds.
With the departure of founding member, songwriter and guitarist Rostam Batmanglij in 2016, the band has undergone shifts in the music they are producing as well as the band in whole. The four-member band has now increased to seven, with additions such as Brian Robert Jones in lieu of Batmanglij. But despite the six-year absence and member shuffling, Ezra Koenig and co. have bounced back harder than ever, and as they rocked things out to a packed audience at Red Rocks for the past two nights, I think it's safe to say that fans think so too. Check out a snippet of the performance below!
The band opened the show up with songs off of their new album, such as "Harmony Hall" and "Hold You Now." They got the crowd moving with older hits like "Oxford Comma" and "Camp Cod Kwassa Kwassa," bringing the Millennials in the crowd back to the simpler days when alt-rock was the pinnacle of cool. The rockers had fun with their older tunes, elongating certain notes and putting new spins on hits such as Koenig's solo work on "New Dorp. New York." They also played with covering classic rock legends with a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Jokerman." The theme that rang throughout the night was that the group was just having fun with the audience, the atmosphere morphing into more of a jam session.
"The music on record was treated as nothing more than a framework for Jones and Koening to explore everything from Americana to classic funk...The key to it all was that the band seemed to play with the most fun they’ve had in years."
The impressive two-hour show boasted a 30-song setlist, even playing "A-Punk" twice! They followed the main set with a 5-song encore where Koenig took calls from the audiences, playing "Spring Snow" and "California English pt. 2" on request. Check out the entire insane 30-song setlist below!
While the North American leg of the tour is over for now, fear not VW heads, because the band is heading to locations across the globe before coming back to North America to finish up their tour in 2020. See the upcoming dates for the Father of the Bride tour below!
Oct 18 2019 - Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico @ Festival Coordenada
Oct 19 2019 - Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico @ Live Out Festival
Oct 21 2019 - Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico @ Metropolitan Theater
Oct 22 2019 - Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico @ Metropolitan Theater
Nov 07 2019 - Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall
Nov 08 2019 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
Nov 09 2019 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
Nov 11 2019 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy
Nov 13 2019 - London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
Nov 14 2019 - London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
\Nov 16 2019 - Paris, France @ Le Zenith
Nov 18 2019 - Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
Nov 19 2019 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Nov 21 2019 - Cologne, Germany @ Carlswerk Victoria
Nov 22 2019 - Lausanne, Switzerland @ Les Docks
Nov 24 2019 - Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz
Nov 25 2019 - Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
Nov 26 2019 - Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisbon Coliseum
Dec 06 2019 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Dec 30 2019 - Marion Bay TAS, @ AustraliaFalls Festival
Dec 31 2019 - Lorne VIC, @ AustraliaFalls Festival
Jan 02 2020 - Byron Bay NSW, @ AustraliaFalls Festival
Jan 04 2020 - Fremantle WA, @ AustraliaFalls Festival
Jan 07 2020 - Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum
Jan 09 2020 - Sydney, NSW @ Enmore Theatre
Mar 27 2020 - Mar 29 2020 Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Lollapalooza Argentina
Mar 27 2020 - Mar 29 2020 Santiago, Chile @ Lollapalooza Chile
Apr 03 2020 - Apr 05 2020 Bogotá, @ ColombiaFestival Estereo Picnic
Apr 03 2020 - Apr 05 2020 São Paulo, @ BrasilLollapalooza Brasil
May 28 2020 - Burlington, VT, USA @ Midway Lawn
May 29 2020 – Westbrook, ME @ Maine Savings Pavilion
May 30 2020 – Burlington, VT @ Midway Lawn
May 31 2020 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Jun 02 2020 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theater
Jun 03 2020 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
Jun 12 2020 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel Outdoors
Aug 09 2020 – Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Amphitheater
Aug 10 2020 – Boise, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
Aug 12 2020 – Missoula, MT @ Kettlehouse Amphitheater
Aug 14 2020 – Calgary, AB @ BMO Centre
Aug 15 2020 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Convention Centre
Sep 23 2020 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
Sep 24 2020 – Detroit, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheater
Sep 26 2020 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ McGrath Amphitheatre
Sep 27 2020 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Theater
Sep 29 2020 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
Sep 30 2020 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
Oct 6 2020 – New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre
Oct 7 2020– Birmingham, AL @ BJCC Concert Hall