As Boston Calling’s third day reached its final performances, sunlight shined down on the Green Stage—a surprise given the otherwise grey weekend.
Walking out in monochrome outfits, Vampire Weekend wasted no time jumping into its energetic headlining set, using songs from its new album as well as its age-old hits to get the audience dancing and singing along.
Formed in the early 2000s and having amassed hundreds of millions of streams, the alternative-indie band showed its maturity and expertise with its Boston Calling performance. Though a stark contrast to Sublime—who took the stage right before—Vampire Weekend brought its own unique liveliness to Cambridge.
Starting off with some lesser-known songs, Vampire Weekend slowly built the crowd’s excitement. Playing “Classical” off its new album, Only God Was Above Us, as well as other more niche songs like “Cousins,” the band entertained the audience with not just its music, but also in its performance.
From bringing out a crew member to wildly dance in the middle of the stage to allowing the violinist to put on a clinic with her solos, Vampire Weekend managed to captivate the crowd before playing a single hit.
Switching out guitars, lead singer Ezra Koenig started to strum out familiar chords as a warm-up, and fans of the band held their breath, knowing what song was to follow. Jumping into the opening of “A-Punk,” Vampire Weekend’s most-streamed song, the crowd started to hop to the beat.
“Johanna drove slowly into the city / The Hudson river all filled with snow / She spied the ring on His Honor’s finger / Oh, oh, oh,” Koenig sang in the opening verse, with the audience acting as backup vocalists.
After a more relaxed start to the set, the roar of applause following “A-Punk” was a sign that the growing crowd was certainly animated. The energy only grew as Vampire Weekend followed with another one of its major hits, “Campus.”
Beach balls flying through the air, Vampire Weekend bounced around the stage to the song’s light, upbeat tempo. Riding on a succession of its popular songs, the band kept the audience smiling while clearly enjoying performing itself.
Slowing the beat down to play “Oxford Comma,” Vampire Weekend stripped down most of its background instrumentals for a quieter moment. With a dampened atmosphere, the crowd’s singing along became a focus—especially with the crude verses.
“Who gives a f–k about an Oxford comma? / I climbed to Dharamsala too, I did / I met the highest Lama / His accent sounded fine to me, to me,” sang Koenig.
The subdued song transitioned perfectly into the band’s penultimate song, “Harmony Hall.” Playing the familiar starting guitar strums similarly to “A-Punk,” much of the crowd began to sway with the easy rhythm of Koenig’s singing, combined with a unique, nature-themed backdrop.
As the song approached a faster, upbeat pace with its bridge and chorus, the crowd began to find its excitement again. Many grinning and throwing arms around their friends, “Harmony Hall” seemed to be a perfect pick to revive the audience.
Vampire Weekend closed out its set with “Walcott.” The song, about leaving Cape Cod, was fitting for their exit. The band explained how it thought it should choose one of its many Cape Cod–based songs to finish its Boston Calling performance, and then Koenig stepped back for the band to let loose.
Leaving the crowd charmed by an essentially Massachusetts song, Vampire Weekend exited the Green Stage to enthusiastic applause. A feel-good set full of popular songs, Vampire Weekend’s performance was a fitting way to start closing out Boston Calling.
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