Vampire Weekend Makes Its Saratoga Debut

SARATOGA SPRINGS — When a local woman won $500 on stage by playing cornhole during an extended medley dubbed “Cocaine Cowboys,” it was clear this wasn’t a typical concert.

Vampire Weekend, a band that was once practically synonymous with the Brooklyn hipster scene of the 2000s, made its Spa City debut last Wednesday night at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), on a night when thousands swarmed downtown for Belmont on Broadway. Without throwing shade at Gin Blossoms, it’s hard to imagine that their free concert was a more unique experience than what Ezra Koenig and company brought to the Spa State Park.

Vampire Weekend’s live performances have become increasingly odd in a way that might be polarizing but feels like a welcomed respite from watching old musical acts drag themselves up on stage to play the same songs the same way they’ve been playing them for decades. Vampire Weekend instead embraces the improvised and the unexpected, while stopping just short of venturing into jam band territory a la Dave Matthews or Phish. “Cocaine Cowboys” is a ten-plus minute medley typically comprised of the band’s original tune “Married in a Gold Rush,” blended with “Possum” by Phish, “All the Gold in California” by Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, “Sin City” by the Flying Burrito Brothers, and “Cumberland Blues” by the Grateful Dead.

As if that wasn’t unique enough, Vampire Weekend also spends almost the entirety of its encores taking requests from the audience, which at SPAC included renditions of “Shakedown Street” by the Grateful Dead, “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus, “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit, “Them Changes” by Thundercat, “Beast of Burden” by the Rolling Stones, and “Basket Case” by Green Day.

The band’s stage design was exceptional, with a giant “Vampire Weekend” banner plummeting dramatically to reveal an ensemble of drums, saxophones, violins, keyboards, and guitars. Looming behind the group was a large tunnel, somewhat reminiscent of a New York subway passage. As the band wrapped up their set, each member exited behind the stage through the opening. The use of stage lighting was also impressive, with Koenig himself at one point illuminating band members with something akin to a large fluorescent bulb.

For some, this may all be a bit too unorthodox. But Vampire Weekend has never been a predictable musical project. The group always seems to be searching for something new to do, and it has helped ensure their legacy as one of the 21st century’s greatest acts.