Vampire Weekend Finds New Textures in Old Favorites During Intimate, Career-Spanning Set: Concert Review

Vampire Weekend's five studio albums are renowned for their complex, sometimes frenetic arrangements, yet the band consistently maintains a firm grip on compositional control. Their production is marked by meticulous detail—like a delicately balanced structure that could falter if a single element were misplaced. Over the years, their sound has grown increasingly dense, culminating in the richly layered textures of their 2024 release, "Only God Was Above Us." In concert, however, the group embraces a looser, more improvisational approach, weaving spontaneous and shaggy moments into their well-loved repertoire. This compelling tension between precision and play gives their live performances a distinctive energy.

The band is currently concluding the second leg of their "Only God" tour, which recently featured a four-night hometown run at Montclair, New Jersey’s intimate Wellmont Theater. For frontman Ezra Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson—both raised in the state—the 2,600-seat venue offered a cozy contrast to their recent area shows, including two sold-out nights at New York’s massive Madison Square Garden. The smaller setting fostered a strong sense of connection, particularly during the opening segment where the core trio—Koenig, Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio—delivered stripped-back versions of early favorites like "Unbelievers," "Holiday," and "One (Blake’s Got a New Face)." These guitar-driven classics harkened back to the band’s spikier origins and had the crowd singing along from the very first note.

After a curtain drop, the group transitioned into newer material, performing three consecutive tracks from Side A of "Only God Was Above Us." They were augmented by five additional touring musicians, significantly broadening their sonic range. While the fuller instrumentation sometimes rendered Koenig’s vocals less distinct—likely a result of the venue’s acoustics—the expanded lineup brought undeniable richness and depth to the newer compositions. As music critic Ian Reed noted, “Vampire Weekend’s recent output thrives on orchestral complexity, and their current live configuration fully honors that vision, even if it demands some adjustment from the audience.”

About ten songs into the two-hour-plus performance, the band eased into a more exploratory mode. Tracks such as "Sunflower," from their 2019 album "Father of the Bride," were reworked with extended, Grateful Dead-inspired improvisations. The larger ensemble handled these grooves with both tightness and visible enthusiasm, suggesting that this freer, jam-oriented direction is where Vampire Weekend currently draws its greatest creative inspiration. These looser passages never overwhelmed the more structured songs but instead revitalized them—through piano embellishments in "Harmony Hall" or saxophone accents in "Cousins." Familiar tunes remained instantly recognizable yet felt refreshingly inventive.

In an era where many acts with Millennial followings are leaning into nostalgia tours—often capitalizing on album anniversaries and monetizing youthful memories—Vampire Weekend stands apart by continuing to push forward. They resist being pigeonholed as a relic of the past, instead taking artistic chances and reinterpreting their catalog with both intelligence and warmth. This commitment to growth—both musically and conceptually—ensures they remain a band worth following through the years, precisely because they haven’t stopped evolving.