New York City Prepsters Prove They Can Rock

When I arrived at Rochester’s Main Street Armory, I was met with a horde of fans, from teenagers, clad in Ray Ban shades and an array of flannel plaid, to a slightly older bunch less worried about their appearances, all waiting desperately to be let inside. Though the building’s façade belongs to the century-old former military armory, the inside includes a set of balconies over a concrete slab, the perfect location for a rock concert. I’ll admit that upon arrival I wouldn’t have included Vampire Weekend, the quartet of Columbia University preps, to fall into the category of rockers.

I was immediately proven wrong.

They opened with the jovially head-bopping and infectious “Holiday” that had the entire audience jumping up and down and grinning. Lead singer Ezra Koenig kept up a great rapport with the audience, incorporating sing-alongs for “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)” during which everyone appropriately crowed, “Blake’s got a new face!,” along with “Horchata” where we all joined in for the afro-pop style “Ooooohs” to accompany the heavy drum beat. Bright lights and Koenig’s boyish charm kept the mood light and fun, never losing Vampire Weekend’s true nature.

The boys closed the show with “Oxford Comma,” letting all the college English majors in the crowd sing along as Koenig asks the pressing question, “Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?” But we weren’t finished quite yet. After an evening transported to New England’s high society lifestyle it was only appropriate to encore with crowd favorite, “Walcott,” bringing us back to reality and out of Cape Cod, out of Cape Cod tonight.