By:

Staff

By Sophia Pino

In their khakis, Topsiders, and cable-knit sweaters, the four members of Vampire Weekend looked like they should be on the set of Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums rather than onstage at the Fillmore Miami Beach. But if  it seemed they were still coming to terms with their recently found success, the Ivy Leaguers certainly didn't lack a sense of excitement.

Lead singer Ezra Koenig's interaction with the audience at the June 9 show mixed awkwardness with eagerness, and the effect was charming, even endearing. He called an audience call-and-response version of “Blake’s Got a New Face” a “community-building exercise,” and mused about how it was the band’s first time in Miami and about just how excited they were to be here. The audience responded with enthusiasm.

The set list included favorites from their self-titled debut, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” “A-Punk,” and “Oxford Comma,” as well as two new songs. All the songs they played sounded close to or identical to the album versions, but they had a new life. The band's limited catalog meant the show, which sold out, was more a sprint than a marathon, but no one was left dissatisfied. Whether it proves prescient or not, the performance left me feeling as if I were witness to something in its nascent stages.

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Band: http://www.vampireweekend.com

Label: http://www.xlrecordings.com

Audio: http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend