At their shows this year in support of Only God Was Above Us — one of 2024's best albums so far — Vampire Weekend have been enacting a fun ritual during the encore: taking requests for covers from the audience and attempting to perform other people's songs on the spot. It's been a bit messy but definitely entertaining. To quote Ezra Koenig: "Is this the best part of the show or the worst part? It's a combination."
Since we last checked in, the band has taken a stab at a number of new tunes. In Phoenix Sunday night, the impromptu covers set featured fragments of the Grateful Dead's "Cumberland Blues," Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," Beyoncé's "Hold Up" (which Koenig cowrote), Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," Pearl Jam's "Better Man," the Strokes' "Reptilia," and Elton John's "Bennie And The Jets." Monday in San Diego they added two more: John Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane" and the Cure's "Just Like Heaven." Check out footage of all that below.
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