Los Angeles is not mad at Vampire Weekend

What a difference a week makes. It wasn’t even 7 days ago that I watched Vampire Weekend suffer through a showcase gig in Austin during SXSW (or simply “South by,” which is what the locals call it). VW was the main attraction of last Saturday’s SPIN party on the back lot of Stubb’s BBQ (the pic above was snapped at the gig). The assembled mass of industry insiders was not impressed. As the band dutifully played through their sunny repertoire of afro-pop inflected indie hop, a majority of the crowd just stood and stared. Singer Ezra Konig tried to lighten the mood with some corny jokes, but that only made things worse. It was almost painful watching these fresh-faced guys so eager to please, essentially playing to the hand.

Last night’s sold out show at the El Rey was a much different story. Playing to a far more partisan crowd, VW charged through every tune on their debut album (and two new songs) with the same happy-faced energy that permeates their recordings. And everyone in the room (including SNL cast member Andy Samberg) loved it.

While it’s always good for bands to endure show-and-prove shows like the one that withered Vampire Weekend in Austin, it was good to finally see the band doing what they do best in their natural habitat. There’s a reason the hype on VW is enormous. They’re a solid band doing something different for the kids. Is that so wrong?

—Scott T. Sterling