Vampire Weekend playing Radio City Music Hall, released a video starring RZA, Jake Gyllenhaal & a Jonas Brother
Vampire Weekend @ Bowery Ballroom in January (more by Bao Nguyen)
In the spring of 2006, Columbia University senior Rostam Batmanglij was entertaining literary society parties with his fledgling postmodern Afro-pop band, Vampire Weekend, and wondering if he could pull off life as a professional musician. By the spring of 2008, he was playing the band’s runaway hit single, “A-Punk,” on Saturday Night Live. Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut had been out only a few months, but fans and critics had been clamoring over it for most of the year. After months of feverish blog hype and the release of an EP that only stoked the fires, the band landed on the March 2008 cover of Spin, which annointed them the year ‘s Best New Band before their album had even come out — a first in the magazine’s history. Looking back, it still seems insane that a bunch of cerebral schoolboys in pastel cardigans could go from cramming at the library to performing on SNL in the span of a couple of semesters. But according to Batmanglij — the band’s producer, co-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and sole gay member — Vampire Weekend was meant to be huge. “We all had a strong feeling about the band from the early days,” he says. “We had this opportunity to be really out there and avant-garde, but also commercially successful.” [Out]
Vampire Weekend will be playing Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, September 15th. Tickets go on AmEx presale February 24th at noon. General sale starts Friday at noon.
The last time they played NYC, in January, the band did three nights at three venues: United Palace, Webster Hall and Bowery Ballroom.
They currently have shows booked around Europe, the United States (most with Abe Vigoda opening) and Australia. All those are below.
They just put out a new tennis-centric video for their song “Giving Up the Gun” with cameos by RZA, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers and Lil’ Jon. That’s below…
Vampire Weekend – “Giving Up The Gun” (Official Music Video)
Vampire Weekend – 2010 Tour Dates
Feb 22 AB Brussels, Belgium
Feb 24 Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands
Feb 25 Olympia Paris, France
Feb 26 Le Bikini Toulouse, France
Feb 27 Penelope Barcelona, Spain
Feb 28 Teatro Circo Price Madrid, Spain
Mar 14 Edmonton Event Center Edmonton, Alberta
Mar 15 MacEwan Hall Calgary, Alberta
Mar 16 Wilma Theater Missoula, Montana
Mar 18 In The Venue Salt Lake City, Utah
Mar 19 Ogden Theatre Denver, Colorado
Mar 20 Spring Jam Core Party Aspen, Colorado
Mar 22 First Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 23 Riverside Theater Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mar 25 Riviera Theater Chicago, Illinois
Mar 26 Riviera Theater Chicago, Illinois
Mar 27 Big Ears Festival – Tennessee Theatre Knoxville, Tennessee
Mar 29 The LC Pavilion Columbus, Ohio
Mar 30 The Sound Academy Toronto, Ontario
Apr 01 Orpheum Theatre Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 02 Electric Factory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 03 DAR Constitution Hall WASHINGTON, Washington DC
Apr 05 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, Tennessee
Apr 06 Orange Peel Asheville, North Carolina
Apr 08 The Tabernacle Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 09 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Apr 10 Stubbs BBQ Austin, Texas
Apr 11 House of Blues Dallas, Texas
Apr 13 Marquee Theater Tempe, Arizona
Apr 14 Fox Theater Pomona, California
Apr 16 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival Indio, California
Apr 19 Fox Theater Oakland, California
Apr 20 Fox Theater Oakland, California
Apr 29 Bruce Mason Centre Auckland, NZ
May 01 Groovin The Moo Victoria, Australia
May 02 Groovin The Moo Queensland, Australia
May 04 Palace Theatre Melbourne, Australia
May 06 AEC – Theatre Adelaide, Australia
May 08 Groovin The Moo NSW, Australia
May 09 Groovin The Moo Canberra, Australia
May 11 Tivoli Theatre Brisbane, Australia
May 12 Enmore Theatre Sydney, Australia
May 15 Groovin The Moo Bunbury, Australia
May 16 Metro City Perth, Australia
May 29 Sasquatch Music Festival – The Gorge Amphitheatre George, Washington
Jun 12 Isle Of Wight Festival Isle Of Wight, UK
Sep 15 Radio City Music Hall New York, New York
(w/ Abe Vigoda Mar 22nd – Apr 20th)
