
by Kellie Abrahamson
A diverse crowd came out to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on October 14th to see Vampire Weekend perform with guests Beach House and the Very Best. The preppy indie rock act out of New York drew fans from all walks of life: grandmas and teens, hipsters and jocks, rednecks and office drones. Like the crowd, the music itself proved to be an interesting blend of styles, making for a fun night filled with quality entertainment.
The Very Best was out first to warm up the crowd. The group is a mix of dance, hip hop and pop all flavored with the traditional sounds of Malawi, the country where front man Esau Mwamwaya was raised. Next was Baltimore’s Beach House, whose mellow dream pop was enhanced by a unique stage set up including pyramids that glowed in a different color each song and a curtain of twinkling lights that dazzled the crowd whenever it was turned on.
Finally it was Vampire Weekend’s turn to take the stage. The last time the band performed in St. Augustine they turned in a high energy set for the sold out crowd at Café Eleven. This time, before a much larger audience, Vampire Weekend delivered an equally lively performance. Diehard fans sang along to every song, but it was clear the big hits like ‘A-Punk,’ ‘Oxford Comma,’ ‘Giving Up the Gun’ and ‘Cousins’ were what the vast majority of the crowd came to hear. Notably missing from their set was ‘Mansard Roof,’ the band’s debut single, but they played nearly everything else. They wrapped up the show with their “song about leaving,” ‘Walcott.’
Follow FOLIO!