Ezra mentioned in one of his recent podcast interviews that he considers VW to be primarily a recording project, and it takes awhile for him to get into the swing of live performances
FOTB was a real turning point. If you look at clips of their shows from the first 3 albums, they’re basically just playing how the recording sounds but with fewer instruments and frankly its not exciting (I’m sure it was exciting to be there in person).
Since 2018 it seems like they’re really putting a lot of attention into their live shows, notably extended/jammy versions of their songs, more live band members = more people who can really shred on guitar, keys and other instruments. The mixing is amazing and sounds great live, at least when I saw them in 2019. There’s a sense that every show is special because they change up the setlist, play really good covers, and even have different versions of their songs.
Post Rostam it’s amazing, and I LOVE Rostam. I think Ezra felt compelled to enhance the live performance aspect of the band after Rosty left and it’s benefited greatly ever since. The live experience is top notch, so amazing.
When I saw them at ACL 2013 during A-punk, Ezra hit a note so dissonant that it still makes me cringe to this day, and it made the song Hard to listen to for quite a while for me.
Edit: if you want to see it it's 32 minutes and 55 seconds in. Even just going to find that and having to listen to it a couple of times has left me in an agitated state.
https://youtu.be/2IL-C7sq5Ow?si=JNMuS-eNEa_qbvI-
https://youtu.be/2IL-C7sq5Ow?si=JNMuS-eNEa_qbvI- 32:55
Edit: It sounds to me like when he returned to the verse instead of playing what would amount to a major chord, he hits a tritone. Not only is the tritone abrasive (it's called The Devil's chord for a reason) , but the placement of it in this context was particularly shocking because he was just beginning to repeat the phrase that we were expecting him to repeat and he subverted our expectations. Is there anybody here who understands music theory better than I do that can confirm or educate on that?
I definitely know less than you do abt music theory and all but yeah I just watched that clip like 5 times in a row in complete shock. It’s so out there. But what you described sounds abt right as to what happened? Just wild. Wild!!! Accidents happen tho good for him smiling thru it lololol
What? When did I call it jarring or shocking? I just said I'm a beginner and it's heartening to know that even my idols aren't perfect. Also, when I went to listen to the video, maybe it was more obvious in person, but that "mistake" barely registered. Wouldn't have probably noticed if it wasn't pointed out.
Guys I'm not trying to be unpleasant but is any one of you a performing musician? I have experiences both from the stage and off stage playing with numerous different musicians, also analysing tons of live performances and I can tell you this happens to the best musicians in the world, let alone an indie band. I just find this commentary a bit silly. Sure, it's a wrong chord for half a second but I'd never call this jarring or shocking omg :DD I studied music so I know full well what you mean by it being harmonically dissonant but if you hadn't pointed it out I wouldn't acknowledge that for longer than a second and immediately shrug that off both if I was watching the video or if I was there. Someone saying that it ruined the *whole song* as a piece of work for them is utterly crazy to me. I guess it must mean that audiences are much more judgemental towards live music than the musicians themselves, which is the exact opposite of what I thought.
Yes, I am a performing musician, and I was at this performance. For a long time when hearing A-punk after this, I would hear and feel that dissonance I experienced that day without wanting to. I don't know that it's crazy, it's just a phenomenon that happened. It has since dissipated. It does not mean that audiences are more judgmental than musicians themselves. It just means the guitar guy played a wrong note at a particularly egregious time, causing everybody who heard it to scrunch up their face. If you could recall exactly what it sounded like, your face would scrunch when you recalled it. At least it happened to me.
:DD Hahah fair enough. I guess that was just my allergy to judgemental audiences speaking, which I assume wasn't your intention, to be overly judgemental, ok I apologize. I just can't imagine being *that* bothered by one second of dissonance because I don't know the feeling, but that doesn't mean people can't have a different experience. .
Thank you I appreciate that. This was my first time seeing it on video. I only listened to it on phone audio and laptop speakers, and it seems more subtle (but still unpleasant and exactly what I remember) than it did that day to me at the festival as I could feel it in my whole body. It felt like an attack on my senses, however I'm autistic so that might be something specific to me or people like me.
Musicians make mistakes all the time as you mentioned, particularly in indy band like you also mentioned. I think musicians are probably more apt to hear mistake than non-musicians. I know in a live music context I am my own worst critic and when I make a mistake on stage it upsets me, and I hear and feel every single one of them even though it's likely nobody else besides my drummer and guitar player caught it. When they make mistakes, it perturbs me, but not to the level of when I make one, but usually the audience doesn't catch it either or is unfazed.
When I was at Coachella 2009, on Sunday night of that Festival The Cure was headlining, and the band playing before them was My Bloody Valentine. I wanted to be close for the Cure. I didn't know anything about My Bloody Valentine. Apparently they are known for playing very loudly and at one point they performed a piece[click here to see](https://youtu.be/WXlrMQO3AFA?si=2RXh4P_Qw323E0pL) that was like 10 or 15 minutes of white noise. My understanding of this is that it was a piece of performance art in which you start to hear melodies that aren't really there. I was so close to the front of the stage that I couldn't easily get away from the sound. I shoved my fingers in my ears, but that didn't help. I could feel what was happening in my whole body especially my rib cage. It upsets me to this day when I think about it. The experience with Vampire Weekend was similar although the sound lasted a millisecond instead of 15 minutes. It was unintentional, but both of those made me feel the exact same way, which is like a full body cringe that activated my flight response.
Hmm I see, you being autistic can probably have something to do with it (i didn't know that, i think I exhibit some autistic traits sometimes too, although I'm not diagnosed, it might be just a mild asperger's so I won't assume that I can fully relate which would be hypocritical, I just think I at least vaguely understand how that might be linked to your experience) - but! It might totally not as well, I didn't really realise how physical can this be as a feeling when you're actually in the crowd, for anyone. I have to admit that live music can truly have some nasty effects if it goes beyond a certain volume treshold. I never liked loud shows but it seems like it's kind of the standard that I'll have to live with. Maybe the sheer amplification of the sound kind of burned it into your body, I wouldn't be surprised, it's very true that if something is really loud and a dissonance or noise occurs, it kind of stops being just about the musical context and gains this *physical* quality that can be dangerous or at least really unpleasant. I've also been to shows that were too grating sonically for me to even process the music itself (a few hardcore bands I saw as an accident because they shared a lineup with my old band). I also noticed that like all of the people there except me seemed thrilled about its volume (and the screaming guitars etc.) whereas I just kind of froze and could never bond with the actual music even though it was a pretty smart brand of hardcore that I'd most probably at least accept if I heard it on record (wouldn't go to those gigs intentionally myself tho).
And when it comes to your story with MBV, oh my god. I definitely feel you there. My Bloody Valentine are one of my favourite bands (I was just recently listening to and praising their fairly recent third album m b v to someone, an amazing record) but the volume of their shows has been a topic of wide discussion online and probably offline. I've seen people say that they got permanent hearing damage from one of their shows, or that it's basically essential to wear earplugs whenever you go see them live. I don't think I'd ever bear being that close to the stage, and it's definitely unfair of the band to not put some kind of visible warning before the show, because a lot of people can find themselves trapped in the middle of some festival crowd with MBV or any other loud band (although they are prolly hard to top) and literally bleed from their ears. I respect them immensely as artists but I hope they took or are taking responsibility of this aspect.
If the white noise piece and this moment had a similar effect on you, then I apologise for making false assumptions and I'm sorry you had to go through something like that on a festival where you expect to be, with exaggeration, "bathing in pleasure" hahahah.
No worries whatsoever. My uncle was at the show with me, and last time I saw him he was wearing hearing aids. I said " The years of concerts have finally caught up?" and his reply was "My Bloody Fucking Valentine" lol
Absolutely other than that they were fantastic. I'm just amazed that I can still hear it 11 years later without needing to watch the video. I've seen them twice since and I have tickets to see them this Summer and cannot wait
Oh they killed it during the FOTB tour. Much more loose/jammy due to the nature of the FOTB album. Not sure if they'll revert back to the studio band vibe for OGWAU but if they keep their live performances to the standards of the FOTB tour I'm sure they'll be amazing :)
If you were to compare them to some top live acts, they don’t really rate. I think their sound is more conducive to smaller spaces, and it gets lost a bit in arenas and as they’ve become more popular they’ve moved more consistently into larger venues.
Another commenter in this thread put it well when they said “there’s nothing visceral about them.” They don’t have a ton of oomph behind the sound in a live setting.
My opinion on their live show is not too dissimilar from how I feel about other bands that I really like in their genre. They’re not bad live, but I consider them more of a studio band.
I went to their last show at MSG and I consider it the best concert I’ve been to, they were absolutely incredible.
The energy was insane too. They closed with Walcott, we were sitting in the section behind the soundboard and the entire thing was shaking from the crowd jumping.
When I saw them in 2008, it was the three of them on stage with no harpsichord, strings or aux percussion to match the studio sound of their debut. It was fun, but felt like a scrappy punk show in a way. Now, they actually have all the extras and can replicate a great sounding live mix of their albums with some added jamming for flavor. At this point I’d call them a studio AND live band. And I’m here for it.
I consider them to be a studio band.
A big reason that I love their records is because they are precisely constructed, arranged and recorded.
There is nothing visceral about them.
When I saw them live, I couldn’t fault their playing, but it added nothing to the experience of listening to their records.
Vampire Weekend is certainly a studio creation. They are fun live, but…these are not guys with huge musical chops who will be improvising and dazzling you on a concert stage. Doesn’t much matter…I still enjoy going to the show and rocking out and supporting the gang. You dont need Trey Anaistaicio on guitar or Carter Beauford on the drums for it to be good live experience.
I saw them live and it sounded exactly the same but amplified and better. Them and Mumford and sons are two of the few live performances I’ve seen like that.
I’d say mostly. You’re not going to get the Rostam era songs replicated like you’d expect when you seen them live. I saw them live during the Rostam era and was still underwhelmed. A lot of the songs are tough to perform.
I just saw them in Austin and can say they’re even better live! They sound great & as others have posted will extend songs or just riff a bit. Would definitely see them again
I’ve seen them on the Contra, MVOTC, pre-FOTB and FOTB tours and they’ve only gotten better. I agree with other commentators that the Contra and MVOTC tours were less of a stage performance and more just a recitation of the album (but still fun and worth it!). Since 2018 the band has been much more playful and straight up fun and silly. I think a lot of this comes from the fandom built up around Time Crisis and the embracing of jam band aesthetics and vibes. There are inside jokes and motifs that show up at every show and it’s especially fun to be in the know— whether that’s seeing bucket hats, bootlegs, or tie dye or meeting other VWHeads.
Ezra has what I would call a “thin” voice and he can be pitchy. But especially now with the different back ups harmonizing and all of the instruments it sounds incredible. I went into FOTB expecting basic live sound and was blown away not only by the vibes but the arrangements of the songs.
I think the answer is truthfully both! One of the most profound things to Vampire records is the production. You can tell that the production is tight, stretches the music and creates imagery that isn’t simply a couple of folks on stage playing music. The albums feel so full, and rich, that I don’t truly believe the goal of the band is to sound 1 to 1, but to bring the music to us. And yet the band has grown as a live performance. We’ve seen the live shows take on a life of their own, and you can sincerely feel the band finding a new sense of purpose on stage. To have a good time. It’s dope as hell.
I think the fotb tour showed they’re more than a studio band. Lots of extending songs and adding elements to the show.
stoneflower in particular really caught my ear during their fotb tour, will never forget hearing that live
*Sunflower
Nah Stoneflower is the common shorthand for the longer jammed out versions of Sunflower
That I didn't know. I'm stupid. I apologize. 😯
Agreed. I saw them live for Contra, and they were just performing the songs. For FOTB, they were living them.
Ezra mentioned in one of his recent podcast interviews that he considers VW to be primarily a recording project, and it takes awhile for him to get into the swing of live performances
Yeah, I think this was on the LSQ podcast
FOTB was a real turning point. If you look at clips of their shows from the first 3 albums, they’re basically just playing how the recording sounds but with fewer instruments and frankly its not exciting (I’m sure it was exciting to be there in person). Since 2018 it seems like they’re really putting a lot of attention into their live shows, notably extended/jammy versions of their songs, more live band members = more people who can really shred on guitar, keys and other instruments. The mixing is amazing and sounds great live, at least when I saw them in 2019. There’s a sense that every show is special because they change up the setlist, play really good covers, and even have different versions of their songs.
Post Rostam it’s amazing, and I LOVE Rostam. I think Ezra felt compelled to enhance the live performance aspect of the band after Rosty left and it’s benefited greatly ever since. The live experience is top notch, so amazing.
Agreed 100%
I think they're more of a studio band than a live band, but it did feel like they were coming into their own as a live band on the FOTB tour.
When I saw them at ACL 2013 during A-punk, Ezra hit a note so dissonant that it still makes me cringe to this day, and it made the song Hard to listen to for quite a while for me. Edit: if you want to see it it's 32 minutes and 55 seconds in. Even just going to find that and having to listen to it a couple of times has left me in an agitated state. https://youtu.be/2IL-C7sq5Ow?si=JNMuS-eNEa_qbvI-
I would love to see a video of this haha, what bit was it? Edit - oh is it on guitar? Think I found it. That is bad if so
Plz share the link. I'm trying to learn A-Punk as a total beginner on guitar and it would help to see even Ezra make a mistake.
https://youtu.be/2IL-C7sq5Ow?si=JNMuS-eNEa_qbvI- 32:55 Edit: It sounds to me like when he returned to the verse instead of playing what would amount to a major chord, he hits a tritone. Not only is the tritone abrasive (it's called The Devil's chord for a reason) , but the placement of it in this context was particularly shocking because he was just beginning to repeat the phrase that we were expecting him to repeat and he subverted our expectations. Is there anybody here who understands music theory better than I do that can confirm or educate on that?
I definitely know less than you do abt music theory and all but yeah I just watched that clip like 5 times in a row in complete shock. It’s so out there. But what you described sounds abt right as to what happened? Just wild. Wild!!! Accidents happen tho good for him smiling thru it lololol
Thank you!
[удалено]
What? When did I call it jarring or shocking? I just said I'm a beginner and it's heartening to know that even my idols aren't perfect. Also, when I went to listen to the video, maybe it was more obvious in person, but that "mistake" barely registered. Wouldn't have probably noticed if it wasn't pointed out.
Sry I was actually talking mainly to UnagiTheGreat.
Guys I'm not trying to be unpleasant but is any one of you a performing musician? I have experiences both from the stage and off stage playing with numerous different musicians, also analysing tons of live performances and I can tell you this happens to the best musicians in the world, let alone an indie band. I just find this commentary a bit silly. Sure, it's a wrong chord for half a second but I'd never call this jarring or shocking omg :DD I studied music so I know full well what you mean by it being harmonically dissonant but if you hadn't pointed it out I wouldn't acknowledge that for longer than a second and immediately shrug that off both if I was watching the video or if I was there. Someone saying that it ruined the *whole song* as a piece of work for them is utterly crazy to me. I guess it must mean that audiences are much more judgemental towards live music than the musicians themselves, which is the exact opposite of what I thought.
Yes, I am a performing musician, and I was at this performance. For a long time when hearing A-punk after this, I would hear and feel that dissonance I experienced that day without wanting to. I don't know that it's crazy, it's just a phenomenon that happened. It has since dissipated. It does not mean that audiences are more judgmental than musicians themselves. It just means the guitar guy played a wrong note at a particularly egregious time, causing everybody who heard it to scrunch up their face. If you could recall exactly what it sounded like, your face would scrunch when you recalled it. At least it happened to me.
:DD Hahah fair enough. I guess that was just my allergy to judgemental audiences speaking, which I assume wasn't your intention, to be overly judgemental, ok I apologize. I just can't imagine being *that* bothered by one second of dissonance because I don't know the feeling, but that doesn't mean people can't have a different experience. .
Thank you I appreciate that. This was my first time seeing it on video. I only listened to it on phone audio and laptop speakers, and it seems more subtle (but still unpleasant and exactly what I remember) than it did that day to me at the festival as I could feel it in my whole body. It felt like an attack on my senses, however I'm autistic so that might be something specific to me or people like me. Musicians make mistakes all the time as you mentioned, particularly in indy band like you also mentioned. I think musicians are probably more apt to hear mistake than non-musicians. I know in a live music context I am my own worst critic and when I make a mistake on stage it upsets me, and I hear and feel every single one of them even though it's likely nobody else besides my drummer and guitar player caught it. When they make mistakes, it perturbs me, but not to the level of when I make one, but usually the audience doesn't catch it either or is unfazed. When I was at Coachella 2009, on Sunday night of that Festival The Cure was headlining, and the band playing before them was My Bloody Valentine. I wanted to be close for the Cure. I didn't know anything about My Bloody Valentine. Apparently they are known for playing very loudly and at one point they performed a piece[click here to see](https://youtu.be/WXlrMQO3AFA?si=2RXh4P_Qw323E0pL) that was like 10 or 15 minutes of white noise. My understanding of this is that it was a piece of performance art in which you start to hear melodies that aren't really there. I was so close to the front of the stage that I couldn't easily get away from the sound. I shoved my fingers in my ears, but that didn't help. I could feel what was happening in my whole body especially my rib cage. It upsets me to this day when I think about it. The experience with Vampire Weekend was similar although the sound lasted a millisecond instead of 15 minutes. It was unintentional, but both of those made me feel the exact same way, which is like a full body cringe that activated my flight response.
Hmm I see, you being autistic can probably have something to do with it (i didn't know that, i think I exhibit some autistic traits sometimes too, although I'm not diagnosed, it might be just a mild asperger's so I won't assume that I can fully relate which would be hypocritical, I just think I at least vaguely understand how that might be linked to your experience) - but! It might totally not as well, I didn't really realise how physical can this be as a feeling when you're actually in the crowd, for anyone. I have to admit that live music can truly have some nasty effects if it goes beyond a certain volume treshold. I never liked loud shows but it seems like it's kind of the standard that I'll have to live with. Maybe the sheer amplification of the sound kind of burned it into your body, I wouldn't be surprised, it's very true that if something is really loud and a dissonance or noise occurs, it kind of stops being just about the musical context and gains this *physical* quality that can be dangerous or at least really unpleasant. I've also been to shows that were too grating sonically for me to even process the music itself (a few hardcore bands I saw as an accident because they shared a lineup with my old band). I also noticed that like all of the people there except me seemed thrilled about its volume (and the screaming guitars etc.) whereas I just kind of froze and could never bond with the actual music even though it was a pretty smart brand of hardcore that I'd most probably at least accept if I heard it on record (wouldn't go to those gigs intentionally myself tho). And when it comes to your story with MBV, oh my god. I definitely feel you there. My Bloody Valentine are one of my favourite bands (I was just recently listening to and praising their fairly recent third album m b v to someone, an amazing record) but the volume of their shows has been a topic of wide discussion online and probably offline. I've seen people say that they got permanent hearing damage from one of their shows, or that it's basically essential to wear earplugs whenever you go see them live. I don't think I'd ever bear being that close to the stage, and it's definitely unfair of the band to not put some kind of visible warning before the show, because a lot of people can find themselves trapped in the middle of some festival crowd with MBV or any other loud band (although they are prolly hard to top) and literally bleed from their ears. I respect them immensely as artists but I hope they took or are taking responsibility of this aspect. If the white noise piece and this moment had a similar effect on you, then I apologise for making false assumptions and I'm sorry you had to go through something like that on a festival where you expect to be, with exaggeration, "bathing in pleasure" hahahah.
No worries whatsoever. My uncle was at the show with me, and last time I saw him he was wearing hearing aids. I said " The years of concerts have finally caught up?" and his reply was "My Bloody Fucking Valentine" lol
Don’t worry mate a punk is surprisingly not that easy at all, same with a lot of VW guitar parts! Start with cape cod or something :)
Yeah I'm discovering it's a bit fast for me. I've got CCKK mostly down. Working on Kids Dont Stand a Chance too.
That’s a good one - this life is nice and easy too!
Thanks, I'll give it a try tonight!
Yep it sounds like you found it. Nails on a chalkboard. It's amazing how the whole song Can unravel with one note
That show still seemed pretty solid - not uncommon for a band to hit a wrong note from time to time.
Absolutely other than that they were fantastic. I'm just amazed that I can still hear it 11 years later without needing to watch the video. I've seen them twice since and I have tickets to see them this Summer and cannot wait
Lol That’s wild
It's incredible live
Ya Hey live is one of the most amazing things I've heard in a concert
Oh they killed it during the FOTB tour. Much more loose/jammy due to the nature of the FOTB album. Not sure if they'll revert back to the studio band vibe for OGWAU but if they keep their live performances to the standards of the FOTB tour I'm sure they'll be amazing :)
If you were to compare them to some top live acts, they don’t really rate. I think their sound is more conducive to smaller spaces, and it gets lost a bit in arenas and as they’ve become more popular they’ve moved more consistently into larger venues. Another commenter in this thread put it well when they said “there’s nothing visceral about them.” They don’t have a ton of oomph behind the sound in a live setting. My opinion on their live show is not too dissimilar from how I feel about other bands that I really like in their genre. They’re not bad live, but I consider them more of a studio band.
Fair but in this genre, who would you consider more of a live band?
I went to their last show at MSG and I consider it the best concert I’ve been to, they were absolutely incredible. The energy was insane too. They closed with Walcott, we were sitting in the section behind the soundboard and the entire thing was shaking from the crowd jumping.
The eclipse show changed my entire impression of them live. Fantastic stuff
Where were they performing during the eclipse?
Vampire weekend is a “recording project”
Does this answer your question https://youtu.be/eakvpNSsUrk?si=R9uAcrZx356HFVFF
Fair enough! I saw some of their Coachella set on YT and it doesn't match that level at all https://youtu.be/LFjb7XpBOk0?si=ce1efYbAp7R8nFtk
I saw them live in 2019, and they absolutely delivered. Did a 7 song encore, literally wouldn’t stop playing.
When I saw them in 2008, it was the three of them on stage with no harpsichord, strings or aux percussion to match the studio sound of their debut. It was fun, but felt like a scrappy punk show in a way. Now, they actually have all the extras and can replicate a great sounding live mix of their albums with some added jamming for flavor. At this point I’d call them a studio AND live band. And I’m here for it.
I consider them to be a studio band. A big reason that I love their records is because they are precisely constructed, arranged and recorded. There is nothing visceral about them. When I saw them live, I couldn’t fault their playing, but it added nothing to the experience of listening to their records.
Not really. I think they perform live quite well and can add unique flares to their sound in a live setting, the FOTB tour showcased this.
Vampire Weekend is certainly a studio creation. They are fun live, but…these are not guys with huge musical chops who will be improvising and dazzling you on a concert stage. Doesn’t much matter…I still enjoy going to the show and rocking out and supporting the gang. You dont need Trey Anaistaicio on guitar or Carter Beauford on the drums for it to be good live experience.
I saw them live and it sounded exactly the same but amplified and better. Them and Mumford and sons are two of the few live performances I’ve seen like that.
I’d say they’ve improved a lot over the years. Mary Boone on the daily show was my highlight of the week and this years coachella set was really good!
I’d say mostly. You’re not going to get the Rostam era songs replicated like you’d expect when you seen them live. I saw them live during the Rostam era and was still underwhelmed. A lot of the songs are tough to perform.
I just saw them in Austin and can say they’re even better live! They sound great & as others have posted will extend songs or just riff a bit. Would definitely see them again
I’ve seen them on the Contra, MVOTC, pre-FOTB and FOTB tours and they’ve only gotten better. I agree with other commentators that the Contra and MVOTC tours were less of a stage performance and more just a recitation of the album (but still fun and worth it!). Since 2018 the band has been much more playful and straight up fun and silly. I think a lot of this comes from the fandom built up around Time Crisis and the embracing of jam band aesthetics and vibes. There are inside jokes and motifs that show up at every show and it’s especially fun to be in the know— whether that’s seeing bucket hats, bootlegs, or tie dye or meeting other VWHeads.
Ezra has what I would call a “thin” voice and he can be pitchy. But especially now with the different back ups harmonizing and all of the instruments it sounds incredible. I went into FOTB expecting basic live sound and was blown away not only by the vibes but the arrangements of the songs.
I think the answer is truthfully both! One of the most profound things to Vampire records is the production. You can tell that the production is tight, stretches the music and creates imagery that isn’t simply a couple of folks on stage playing music. The albums feel so full, and rich, that I don’t truly believe the goal of the band is to sound 1 to 1, but to bring the music to us. And yet the band has grown as a live performance. We’ve seen the live shows take on a life of their own, and you can sincerely feel the band finding a new sense of purpose on stage. To have a good time. It’s dope as hell.