Sheets of rain filled my Converse as I ran through Thursday’s torrential downpour, determined to see Vampire Weekend’s return to Milwaukee.
For the past 10 years, my childhood best friend and I have been visiting the band at BMO Pavilion, waiting patiently in five-year increments for new albums to bring them home to us. Our tradition was in grave danger from Thursday night’s weather conditions: sideways rain, sky-filling lightning and thunder that could drown out any bass drum
Announcement after announcement of delays encouraging us to shelter in place diminished our hopes, unsure of how many more lake-sized puddles we could evade. Then, the distant sound of frontman Ezra Koenig playing the opening riff from the band’s East Coast-inspired ska song, “Cousins.” The storm was broken.
In April of this year, Vampire Weekend released Only God Was Above Us, their fifth full-length record and second without founding bandmate Rostam Batmanglij. OGWAU calls back to the sounds from the Rostam era and particularly their self-titled debut, warping and distorting classic preppy harpsichord melodies into an apocalyptic post-Modern Vampires of the City’.
Thursday’s show obviously didn’t have multi-talented musician and producer Rostam performing, yet there was no deficit of masterful live production. With every album, the band makes greater strides in maximalism — something that was reflected in the many new players taking the stage at BMO Pavilion.
Three pianos, two synths, a drum machine, two drum kits, a violin, a saxophone, bass, and numerous guitars supported frontman Ezra Koenig. When the lights came up, I found myself in a damp New York subway station. The backdrop was an elaborate tunnel, not unlike the mouth of a giant sandworm ready to swallow the band at any moment.
While the rain stopped, lightning continued to crackle, setting the perfect mood to bring the new record to life. A proper balance of new tracks such as “Gen-X Cops” and “Capricorn” played next to old classics “White Sky” and “M79.” It was clear the band had found their footing in their new sound without Rostam, as they have grown into something much greater than the original four-piece we all knew and loved.
At around 10:45 p.m., a new backdrop fell over the subway scene: a giant black and white image of producer Ariel Rechtshaid wearing 3D glasses that read “Vampire Weekend.. Rechtshaid is said to be the honorary fourth member of the band, with his hands at the boards producing OGWAU. As his oversized photo unfurled, Koenig announced: “We have entered phase two of the show.”
Since my days in middle school attending Vampire Weekend shows wearing a handmade bootleg puffy paint t-shirt while my mom waited in the car, I have waited to hear the song that started it all for me. My friend and I even came prepared this year with a sign requesting our all-time favorite track — and were rewarded.
On Thursday, for the first time at the venue and on this tour, Vampire Weekend gave us “Diplomat’s Son.” It was possibly the most stripped-down performance of the show — just Ezra and a drum machine lit by low red lights. But it was the most memorable, showing where they started and how far they’ve come.
After an 8-minute singalong to their new track “Hope,” all musicians exited the stage one by one through the mouth of the “sandworm.” Last standing were founding members Koenig, Chris Thompson and Chris Baio. CT left his drum kit. Ezra and Baio stood together playing their guitars facing each other. Ezra left. Baio played his bass as if it were a fifth appendage. Finally, he made his exit.
The formal show was over, and — after all the delays left us sitting at 11:30 p.m. — it felt like an encore might not be in the cards. It turned out things were just getting started, and soon enough the band re-emerged one by one.
Like most great parties approaching midnight, our time together became a rapid-fire karaoke show as the band embarked on a 30-minute encore of covers, directed by crowd requests. The versatility of craft was solidified by how quickly every musician adapted to the wild shifts in — from Jerry Garcia to Lady Gaga to The Beach Boys. A request for “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton elicited a head shake of disapproval from Baio, but Koenig’s cup of ambition kicked in as he barrelled through the opening lyrics, determined to embody the country spirit of the feminine icon.
As the last strains of “Walcott” hung in the air, Ezra thanked Milwaukee for pushing the curfew. Then, at the stroke of midnight, they were gone.
Staying out late to see this band felt just as rogue as it did in 2014 (although this time I didn’t have to go back to my mom and ask why the guy next to me smelled like skunk). And while they pushed beyond time limits and torrential downpours, I will always want more Vampire Weekend.
