Vampire Weekend have hared the first two singles from their anticipated new album Only God Was Above Us and announced a massive tour in support of it. Both new songs were made with longtime VW producer Ariel Rechtstaid, and both sound distinctly like Vampire Weekend but also distinctly different than any of the band’s previous albums. They feel a little darker and more claustrophobic than Father of the Bride but just as inviting. It’s a clever, creative step forward from a band who’s still yet to miss.
Each new song comes with a video that uses footage of New York circa 1988 by Steven Siegel, who also shot the photo on the Only God Was Above Us album cover. The “Capricorn” video was directed by longtime Vampire Weekend creative director Nick Harwood, and the “Gen-X Cops” video was directed by Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Hobbs & Shaw, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, etc). According to a press release, Pearce “[utilized] the exact film-stocks Siegel used in 1988, and [tracked] down the only authentic 1970s New York subway car on the west coast. Pearce and DP Doug Emmett then meticulously researched the actual light patterns of 1980s subway tunnels in order to build a rig that would emulate them as well as shooting ‘Gen-X Cops’ on 8mm and 16mm cameras to ensure maximum precision.” Check out both below.
The tour includes arena and amphitheater shows happening across the US and Canada between April and October, with 11 different openers varying by date that were “hand-picked and carefully curated” by the three members of Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend have long been proudly fans of ska and jam bands, and select dates are with ska bands The English Beat and Voodoo Glow Skulls and jam band musicians Mike Gordon (of Phish) and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The tour reps their Just Like Heaven-core roots with Ra Ra Riot and Cults. They indulge their love of Latin music with cumbia band LA LOM. They rep electronic music with Mark Ronson (DJ set) and The Brothers Macklovitch (aka A-Trak & Dave 1 of Chromeo). They also lined up two notable tribute bands, Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum‘s Prince tribute band Princess, and Billy Joel tribute band Turnstiles, the latter of whom open the Madison Square Garden shows. (At least they have a sense of humor.)
Those Madison Square Garden shows happen Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6 with Mark Ronson on day one, The Brockers Macklovitch on day two, and Turnstiles on both. The Sunday show is a matinee.
Tickets for the whole tour go on sale Friday, February 23 at 10 AM local with a Citi presale starting Tuesday (2/20) at 10 AM local and an artist presale starting Wednesday (2/21) at 10 AM local. All dates are listed below.
Only God Was Above Us comes out April 5 via Columbia. Pre-order it here.
Vampire Weekend — 2024 Tour Dates
Mon Apr 08 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater (Solar Eclipse)
Sat April 27 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival*
Fri May 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party*
Thu May 30 – Barcelona, Espana – Primavera Sound*
Thu Jun 06 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Fri Jun 07 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sun Jun 09 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
Mon Jun 10 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Wed Jun 12 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sat Jun 15 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley
Sun Jun 16 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley (Matinee Show)
Tue Jun 18 – Burnaby, BC – Deer Lake Park
Wed Jun 19 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Thu Jun 20 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sat Jun 22 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater
Sun Jun 23 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater (Matinee Show)
Fri Jul 19 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Mon Jul 22 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Tue Jul 23 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater^
Thu Jul 25 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
Fri Jul 26 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Sat Jul 27 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Tue Jul 30 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
Thu Aug 01 – Milwaukee, WI – BMO Pavilion
Sat Aug 3 – St. Charles, IA – Hinterland*
Thu Sep 19 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
Fri Sep 20 – Cincinnati, OH – The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park
Sat Sep 21 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
Mon Sep 23 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
Tue Sep 24 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Wed Sep 25 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
Fri Sep 27 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Sat Sep 28 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann
Mon Sep 30 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Wed Oct 02 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion
Sat Oct 05 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Sun Oct 06 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (Matinee Show)
Tue Oct 08 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion
Wed Oct 09 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
Fri Oct 11 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
Sat Oct 12 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Sun Oct 13 – Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit
Tue Oct 15 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Thu Oct 17 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
*Festival date
