Vampire Weekend has a big Garden State week planned.
From Sept. 15-18, the “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” rockers are slated to play back-to-back-to-back-to-back concerts at Montclair, NJ’s Wellmont Theater, which happens to be less than a five minute drive from lead singer Ezra Koenig’s Glen Ridge hometown.
At all four shows, the inimitable indie group will be joined by special guest opening act The Sophisticuffs, who just so happen to be Koenig’s high school band.
“Sophisticuffs was a Glen Ridge, NJ band active from roughly 1999-2002,” Vampire Weekend shared via Instagram.
“Ezra was a member ages 15-17 along with his good friends Wes, Steve, Dan and Andrei. They played the vast majority of their shows in Montclair, usually at Serendipity (in the Congregational Church) or at the Possible Side Effects improv events under the Clairidge Theater. They dabbled in surf, post-rock, Christmas, punk and pop music. Ezra is thrilled to reunite onstage with the band for the first time since high school. You can expect to hear [their] songs like ‘Chicken Dance,’ ‘Hello Professor,’ and ‘Great Expectations.’”
In regards to what Vampire Weekend performs, that’s harder to say. The group is known for switching things up quite a bit when playing live these days.
Want to be there?
As of now, tickets are available for all four gigs at the Wellmont Theater (which has a 2,137-person capacity).
At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find for any one of the shows was $68 including fees on Vivid Seats.
Other NJ concerts start anywhere from $75 to $90 including fees.
Prior to the mini-residency, the two-time Grammy winners headline at East Aurora, NY’s Borderland Festival, which goes down Sept. 12-14. They’ll be joined by big names like Mt. Joy, Khruangbin, Nathaniel Rateliff, Band of Horses and Trampled By Turtles.
For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about Vampire Weekend’s 2025 New Jersey stint below.
All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.
Vampire Weekend New Jersey ticket prices
A complete calendar including all four Vampire Weekend Wellmont Theater concert dates, start times and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found here:
| Vampire Weekend Montclair concert dates | Ticket prices start at |
|---|---|
| Monday, Sept. 15 8 p.m. |
$75 (including fees) |
| Tuesday, Sept. 16 8 p.m. |
$68 (including fees) |
| Wednesday, Sept. 17 8 p.m. |
$82 (including fees) |
| Thursday, Sept. 18 8 p.m. |
$90 (including fees) |
(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and, if it isn’t noted, will include additional fees at checkout.)
Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.
Still curious about Vivid Seats? You can find an article from their team about why the company is legit here.
Vampire Weekend 2025 tour schedule
When they’re not in the Garden State, here’s where you can find Vampire Weekend on the road these next few months.
| Vampire Weekend tour dates |
|---|
| Sept. 12-14 at the Borderland Festival in East Aurora, NY Three-day passes |
| Sept. 19-21 at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta, GA Three-day passes |
| Sept. 20-21 at the Iron Blossom Music Festival in Richmond, VA Two-day passes |
| Sept. 20 at the Iron Blossom Music Festival in Richmond, VA Single-day passes |
| Sept. 21 at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta, GA Single-day passes |
| Sept. 24 at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, LA |
| Sept. 26-28 at the Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, MD Three-day passes |
| Sept. 27 at the Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, MD Single-day passes |
| Nov. 7-8 at the Dreamy Draw Festival in Scottsdale, AZ Two-day passes |
| Nov. 7 at Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, NV |
| Nov. 8 at the Dreamy Draw Festival in Scottsdale, AZ Single-day passes |
Vampire Weekend 2025 festival appearances
In addition to the mini Jersey residency, Vampire Weekend has five North American festival headlining spots lined up this year.
To find which one suits your taste best, we found everything you need to know about each multi-day music extravaganza on their itinerary.
| Vampire Weekend festival dates |
|---|
| Borderland Festival Sept. 12-14 at the Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora, NY Mt. Joy, Khruangbin, Nathaniel Rateliff, Band of Horses, Trampled By Turtles |
| Shaky Knees Festival Sept. 19-21 at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA Deftones, My Chemical Romances, Blink-182, The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes |
| Iron Blossom Festival Sept. 20-21 at the Bon Secours Training Center in Richmond, VA The Lumineers, Khruangbin, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, The Teskey Brothers, Futurebirds |
| Oceans Calling Sept. 26-28 at the Ocean City Inlet in Ocean City, MD Noah Kahan, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer, DEVO |
| Dreamy Draw Festival Nov. 7-8 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater in Scottsdale, AZ The Lumineers, Father John Misty, Saint Motel, Marcus King Band, Thee Sacred Souls |
Vampire Weekend set list
In October 2024, Vampire Weekend headlined two shows — including one matinee — at NYC’s Madison Square Garden. Here’s what they played at their second gig (including a shocking number of off-the-wall covers) according to Set List FM.
01.) “Hold You Now”
02.) “Campus”
03.) “Bryn”
04.) “Ice Cream Piano”
05.) “Classical”
06.) “Connect”
07.) “Unbelievers”
08.) “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”
09.) “This Life”
10.) “Everlasting Arms”
11.) “Sunflower” (“Skaflower” version with Super Mario Bros. “Underground” theme interpolated)
12.) “M79”
13.) “Pravda”
14.) “Run”
15.) “Diplomat’s Son”
16.) “Sweet Child o’ Mine” (Guns N’ Roses cover)
17.) “Capricorn”
18.) “Cousins”
19.) “A-Punk”
20.) “Married in a Gold Rush / All the Gold in California / Sin City / Cumberland Blues / Possum”
(“Cocaine Cowboys” medley, Ezra gave $700 to a fan during the song for playing cornhole)
21.) “Prep-School Gangsters”
22.) “Horchata”
23.) “Mary Boone”
24.) “Hannah Hunt”
25.) “Harmony Hall”
Encore
26.) “Seinfeld Theme” (Jonathan Wolff cover)
27.) “Monster Mash” (Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt‐Kickers cover)
28.) “Santeria” (Sublime cover)
29.) “Theme From New York, New York” (John Kander cover)
30.) “Mr. Brightside” (The Killers cover)
31.) “Blitzkrieg Bop” (Ramones cover)
32.) “Burning Down the House” (Talking Heads cover)
33.) “Wipe Out” (The Surfaris cover)
34.) “Wuthering Heights” (Kate Bush cover)
35.) “The Boys Are Back in Town” (Thin Lizzy cover)
36.) “Worship You”
37.) “Ya Hey”
Note: Based on our findings, the band mixes up what they play most nights. For a fuller look at what made the set list at other gigs, check out their complete concert history here.
Vampire Weekend new music
On April 5, 2024, Vampire Weekend released their fifth studio album “Only God Was Above Us.”
In the very off chance you haven’t listened yet, the guys still have the goods. The precise yet ramshackle opener “Ice Cream Piano” is a slice of piano pop heaven with pounding percussions, swirling strings and washed out guitar mixed in over Koenig’s lush vocals.
From there, the goofy “Classical” finds one groove, settles into another and becomes something entirely different. Oftentimes, “OGWAU” is so inspired that it struggles to sit with one melody or idea for too long; this isn’t a knock on the group though. The band’s restlessness keeps the listener on their toes in the best way.
“Capricorn,” the third track, oscillates between twinkly piano ballad and noise rock; Koenig’s soft, unassuming lyrics (“I know you’re tired of trying baby, you don’t have to try” is a standout) glide over lush keys until the tune hurtles into overdrive two minutes in with discordant noise-rock before bringing it back to basics.
For the remainder of the brief 47-minute runtime, Vampire Weekend continue to surprise and innovate. “Connect” marries DIY banging on drums with synthetic autotune; “Prep School Gangsters” takes a page out of The Beach Boys’ laid-band, seaside playbook. Although each song features the same ingredients (and all sound unmistakably Vampire Weekend-ian) the end result is unique each time.
In the back half, “The Surfer” goes a more lo-fi airy route than the five tunes that preceded it yet still features majestic swirls. “Gen-X Cops” transitions from an out and out garage rock anthem into something a bit more precious — a hard driving, head-bopping indie anthem. Best of all though, might be the melancholy, triumphant, choir-backed “Mary Boone.” It fits squarely into this critic’s favorite genre: the heartbreaking, singalong anthem that gives you goosebumps every time you hear it.
Closing us out is the charming thumper “Pravda” (which just might be the most perfect “making dinner” song to ever exist) and “Hope,” an eight-minute epic with the refrain “I Hope You Let It Go.”
To hear the elegant, brainy album for yourself, you can find “Only God Was Above Us” here.
Prefer a visual experience?
Click here to check out their inventive music videos featuring footage from 1980s New York.
Indie rockers on tour in 2025
Many bands that broke ground at the height of the blog era will be hoofing it once again this year.
Here are just five of our indie favorites you won’t want to miss live.
Who else is pounding the pavement? Check out this list of all the biggest alternative acts on the road in 2025 to find the show just for you.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change
