I saw the War On Drugs in concert Wednesday night in Columbus, and it was rad in its own right. (Who’d have thunk a pit full of kids would be moshing and crowdsurfing to “Red Eyes“? Who’d have thunk this band even counts anyone under 30 among its fan base?) But do you know what would have been even radder? Seeing the band rock an intimate venue in their hometown alongside former bandmate Kurt Vile. Vile, who famously was a member of the War On Drugs before either he or they ascended prominence, joined Adam Granduciel and company for several songs last Friday in a “special secret show” at relatively tiny Philadelphia bar Johnny Brenda’s. Philly radio station WXPN has photos from the show, and they shared some excellent videos of “Under The Pressure,” “Arms Like Boulders,” and “Hear You Calling” by videographer Joe Burns, each one with Vile hunched over in the corner of the stage. There’s also footage of “Red Eyes,” which didn’t feature Vile, just because it rocks. Honestly, Vile’s involvement is pretty negligible here, and you can barely even tell it’s him down noodling away down there, but seeing the War On Drugs at the peak of their powers is reason enough to watch all four clips below.

[Photo by John Vettese/WXPN.]