concert review: vampire weekend/beach house/the very best.

A few Saturdays ago, I saw Vampire Weekend, Beach House and The Very Best at the Hollywood Bowl.

The Very Best opened up first. To be honest, they weren't for me - I heard from a lot of people I talked to that they loved them, but I just wasn't a fan. They played African hip-hop fusion, which I like normally, but all their songs sounded the same. Their back up dancers, however, were amazing. I was with friends (hi Matt, Em, and V!) and we all shared the same wish to steal their dance skills.
I love Beach House, so I was very excited to see them live. Biggest shocker - the lead singer is a girl. Yes, as a fan I should have know that, but I always thought she was a he on the recordings... Anyway, they were fantastic. Played a really great mix of songs, the set was really cool, they were great. Enough said.

Vampire Weekend was flawless. I love them a lot - they are adorable, preppy, musically inclined hipsters who have songs that just make you want to dance and lyrics that show off their Ivy League educations (Columbia grads). They played new songs, old songs, fast songs, slow songs. They closed with Walcott which was so fun - imagine the whole Hollywood Bowl dancing and singing. Cousins was fantastic live, the call-answer of M79 was perfect with the whole Bowl; basically, it was awesome. They played their biggest hits, which was kind of a let down if you (like me) were a fan of some of their less well known songs. They are fantastic performers - very charming and charismatic. They made a lot of jokes, and interacted with the audience which is always great.

On top of that, VW had plexiglass chandeliers that moved up and down, a huge Aztec like circle with lyrics in it as a backdrop and the best use of the changing colored dome I've seen in a while. Only other downside: the T-shirts were disappointing. The four of us (my friends and I) stood there for a good deal of time deciding which shirt was the least mediocre. Mine has dogs on it (not goats, Matt).
I've had Vampire Weekend stuck in my head for weeks, and I'm totally fine with that. A perfect way to end my Hollywood Bowl season for the year.

Vampire Weekend! Those bright orbs are the chandeliers.