Spring Weekend Review: Vampire Weekend/Lupe Fiasco

In theory, Vampire Weekend and Lupe Fiasco didn’t seem like the most logical bill. Apart from the intellectual vibe given off by Vampire Weekend’s Columbia educations and Lupe’s thoughtful lyrics, there wasn’t much common ground between the laid-back, poppy rock and serious, energetic hip-hop on their respective albums. However, Vampire Weekend ended up being the perfect warm-up for Lupe: they certainly didn’t upstage him, but they held their own. The band had sound and energy that no one who’s heard their catchy but anemic self-titled debut would expect. Drummer Chris Tomson was loud, driving, and everything a good drummer should be. “A-Punk” sounded like it might actually have some punk in it, while “I Stand Corrected” was transformed from a nice ballad into a power anthem.

Lead singer and guitarist Ezra Koenig’s vocals were also significantly more energetic and unique than they are on Vampire Weekend, and his stage presence was as casual and friendly as the dorky sweaters sported by several band members. While Vampire Weekend has some great songs, with only one album out they’re forced to play some duds (for example, the only interesting part of “Blake’s Got a New Face” was the name), and these unmemorable songs fell flat. Still, for a nice-but-bland band like Vampire Weekend this Spring Weekend performance was a truly impressive showing.

While Vampire Weekend put on a solid show, Lupe Fiasco was definitively the real attraction of the night. With the help of one side man and a DJ, Lupe put on a straightforward show that was consistently enthralling and fun. The focus was squarely on Lupe’s clever rhymes, with the beats and hooks occasionally omitted. Hooks have never been Lupe’s strong point, especially when it comes to the mostly aggressively un-catchy choruses on his most recent album Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, so not much was lost. Lupe is a true performer, executing skateboard jumps and tricky hand movements while looking like he’s having even more fun than the audience. Stage banter rarely overstayed its welcome and featured an apology for the materialism in “Gold Watch” and a short but fervent speech encouraging political consciousness and action.

Lupe’s flow is almost as good as his lyrics, whether it’s slow and sexy on “Paris, Tokyo” or hyperspeed on the aptly named “Go Go Gadget Flow.” He raced though a big, loser-free set of songs from both of his albums, sometimes switching up the beats like on “Sunshine” or lacing together shorter sections of songs. His breakout song “Kick, Push” sounds as fresh as new hits like the crowd favorite “Superstar.” The Grammy-winning “Daydreamin’” was a fantastic encore and ending to an enjoyable, professional performance.