Vampire Weekend are the new....?

Originally posted by Chip Chanko:
Left early…couldn't take the oversold crowd who wouldn't shut up.

Yeah, the show definitely seemed to be oversold. I was all the way in the back during the 1st part of the set and was kind of wishing I had stayed at home. I agree, they didn't mix up the arrangements much and the live show sounded almost exactly like the album.

That being said, I did enjoy the show more as it went on. "Oxford Comma" and "Walcott" (the encore) were both very good. I liked the new song they played as well. All in all, better than I thought it would be. I left smiling, despite the heat and crowd, so I guess that is a good thing.

It didn't seem over "chatty" to me, not nearly as bad as other RNR Hotel shows I've seen.
I think Chip Chanko has very sensitive ears….

I will never go back to the rock and roll hotel for anything thats even remotely close to sold out. What a dreadful place when it is that crowded.

I agree with that.

Sacklunch, I think it was just more chatty where I stayed in the back. A few people were talking for the entire show. WHY ARE YOU THERE TAKING UP SPACE??? Just put the cd on at home and talk if you're looking for background music or go upstairs.

Originally posted by fatskippy:
I will never go back to the rock and roll hotel for anything thats even remotely close to sold out. What a dreadful place when it is that crowded.

I thought their show was just like the album - catchy and fun. Nothing astounding; but if you liked the album, you probably liked the show.

Definitely crowded and definitely hot but I didn't find it oppressively so. I liked that the keyboard player (who looks about 13 years old) kept his enormous scarf on throughout the entire show.

Yeah, I moved up a bit and it wasn't too bad (in regards to chattiness). I totally agree that sold out shows at the RNR Hotel are a drag. Maybe someone should have started a petition to move the show to the Black Cat mainstage ;)

No one has said this before, but the RnR Hotel gets my vote as the Worst Small Venue on the planet. If there was ever a fire there on a sold out show, I'm guessing half of the people would die from death by suffocation. Seriously, I freaked out last night, and I was way in the back!

I've also never been to a venue where you can't see the stage or performers from the back!!!

tried warning you…

Originally posted by sweetcell:
my complaint about an oversold night at the RnR has to do with the shape of the room - it's long and narrow, and the stage is rather low. result: the 50% of the crowd at the back of the room has a horrible view.

Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
No one has said this before, but the RnR Hotel gets my vote as the Worst Small Venue on the planet. If there was ever a fire there on a sold out show, I'm guessing half of the people would die from death by suffocation. Seriously, I freaked out last night, and I was way in the back!

I've also never been to a venue where you can't see the stage or performers from the back!!!

Did you ever go to an oversold show at the old Ottobar/Talking Head? That was bad.

At least they had the risers to stand on in the back.

didn't see it.

Originally posted by sweetcell:
tried warning you…

Originally posted by sweetcell:
my complaint about an oversold night at the RnR has to do with the shape of the room - it's long and narrow, and the stage is rather low. result: the 50% of the crowd at the back of the room has a horrible view.

I was certain getting the "The Sound Was Lousy" square on the Indie Rock Show Reaction Betting Grid (TM) was a sure fire bet… Kudo's to who ever ended up with the "The Songs Sounded Exactly Like the Record" square… The "The Show Was To Crowded" square was not in use for this game and "The Crowd Talked To Much" is a given :D

nice, we definitely should have had a pool going :D

man this makes me wish i hadnt missed the show to take someone to the emergency room.. good thing it was only ten bucks, and i didnt waste too much money. oh well, heres to hoping they play a bigger venue around here in the next half year or so.

the question is will their next show in dc be at 9:30; an inevitable co-headliner w/ cobra starship at DAR; or VFest

I think Vfest is a given… seeing as they are doing Coachcella and Bonnaroo… Possible a stop at 9:30, probably playing with some bigger at Merriweather and then the show at DAR although I don't see them doing that before a second record comes out.

Like a Sanguine Saturday In the Middle of the Week
A Toothsome Set From Vampire Weekend

Friday, February 8, 2008; C02

The only objectionable thing about Vampire Weekend is the complete lack of any objectionable qualities. The quartet of clean-cut Columbia University grads plays crisp, cheerful pop music with hints of African polyrhythms that only the most joyless (read: backlash-loving bloggers) could dislike. Each band member could qualify as "the cute one," and they thanked their Rock & Roll Hotel audience after nearly every song Wednesday night.

The avalanche of positive press surrounding Vampire Weekend's debut album resulted in an uncomfortably sold-out show – but even the lack of breathing room couldn't suffocate the good vibes. If the performance wasn't exactly a coronation of the Next Great Band, it was certainly a confirmation that songs on the band's debut really are that good.

Opener "Mansard Roof" set the tone, with gently rumbling drums, warm keyboard tones and sunny vocals from singer Ezra Koenig. Earworm "A-Punk" showcased some ska and Police influences while "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "One (Blake's Got a New Face)" proved that the band's "Graceland"-inspired numbers weren't mere studio creations.

Vampire Weekend saved the best for last with the outstanding one-two punch of "Oxford Comma" and "Walcott," a pair of bouncy, impossibly catchy tunes that would sound just fabulous blasting over the campus quad. The lyrical themes explored in the songs – punctuation, diction, escaping Cape Cod – might come off as pretentious to some, but for Vampire Weekend it was simply a sincere example of singing what they know. If anyone else sang "Hyannisport is a ghetto/Out of Cape Cod tonight" it would be cringe-worthy, but with Vampire Weekend you simply can't help but sing along.


– David Malitz

I've gotta be honest. I first heard this album back in December, long before I knew there was this much buzz for them. And the album really didn't do much for me. It still doesn't do much for me. I dislike it about equal to what I did in December. Don't hate it, just dislike it. Sorry, Washington Post.

Originally posted by kosmo:
I was certain getting the "The Sound Was Lousy" square on the Indie Rock Show Reaction Betting Grid (TM) was a sure fire bet… Kudo's to who ever ended up with the "The Songs Sounded Exactly Like the Record" square… The "The Show Was To Crowded" square was not in use for this game and "The Crowd Talked To Much" is a given :D

so maybe, MAYBE we have already exhausted our complaints about how awful the sound still is at the hotel?

oh wait…it's still awful…

Actually, I have no complaints about the sound for this show. I Just Couldn't See A Damn Thing From The Back!

Originally posted by you be betty:
so maybe, MAYBE we have already exhausted our complaints about how awful the sound still is at the hotel?

oh wait…it's still awful…