Vampire Weekend’s live performances are celebrated by fans not just for their energy and musicianship, but also for how their concert setlists balance fan favorites, deep cuts, new material, and cover surprises. In this article, we’ll explore Vampire Weekend concert setlists in the recent “Only God Was Above Us” tour, trace recurring patterns, highlight memorable shows, and discuss how setlists reflect the band’s evolution.
Why Setlists Matter: The Art of Crafting a Concert Flow
A band’s setlist is more than just a playlist on stage. It’s a carefully curated narrative: opener, climaxes, breathing moments, encore, surprises. Vampire Weekend uses setlists to:
- Showcase material from their newest album (e.g. Only God Was Above Us)
- Pay tribute to earlier albums and fan favorites
- Introduce unexpected covers or deep cuts
- Adapt to the mood of the night, sometimes with improvisation or audience requests
When fans ask about Vampire Weekend concert setlists, they often want to know: What songs will they definitely play? Which ones are surprises? How much variation is there from night to night?
The Current Tour: Only God Was Above Us (2024–2025)
With their 2024 album Only God Was Above Us, Vampire Weekend launched a tour that heavily influences the composition of their recent setlists.
Typical / “Average” Setlist Structure:
Ticketmaster’s blog gives an “average setlist” framework for the Only God Was Above Us tour. Some of the staples in many shows include:
- Hold You Now
- Oxford Comma
- One (Blake’s Got a New Face)
- Ice Cream Piano
- Classical
- Connect
- Unbelievers
- Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
- This Life
- Stranger
- Diplomat’s Son
- Giving Up the Gun
- We Belong Together
- Don’t Lie
- Rubin and Cherise
- I Think Ur a Contra
- Capricorn
- Gen-X Cops
- Diane Young
- A-Punk
- Campus
- Mary Boone
- Hannah Hunt
- Harmony Hall
Encore (covers & surprises):
- Lisztomania (Phoenix cover)
- The Less I Know the Better (Tame Impala cover)
- Space Song (Beach House)
- Two Weeks (Grizzly Bear)
- Wolf Like Me (TV on the Radio)
- Electric Feel (MGMT)
- Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
- Sugar, Sugar (The Archies)
- Heart of Glass (Blondie)
- Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)
- Sex and Candy (Marcy Playground)
- Young Folks (Peter Bjorn & John)
- Bitter Sweet Symphony (The Verve)
- Laid (James)
- Santeria (Sublime)
- M79
- Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan)
- Walcott
- SNL Closing Theme
This “average” reflects how they mix new songs (from Only God Was Above Us) with signature older tracks, and close with a lengthy, eclectic encore of covers and rarities.
Variability & Highlights from Actual Shows
While the above gives a baseline, each concert may deviate. Let’s look at some real setlists from recent shows to see how Vampire Weekend concert setlists actually play out:
- Montclair, NJ (Sep 15, 2025):
The set included Only God Was Above Us tracks, but also heavier use of covers and shifting order. - Golden Gate Park / Outside Lands 2025:
Their setlist for that festival included:
White Sky, One (Blake’s Got a New Face), Sunflower, Diplomat’s Son, Stranger, Oxford Comma, Run, Jokerman (Bob Dylan cover). - Asheville (2025):
They played Cousins, I Stand Corrected, One (Blake’s Got a New Face), Ice Cream Piano, Classical, Connect, White Sky, Step. - Saratoga Springs (2025):
The show opened with Cousins and included Holiday, One (Blake’s Got a New Face), Ice Cream Piano, Classical, Connect, Unbelievers, Step. - Pittsburgh:
Mansard Roof, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, I Stand Corrected, Ice Cream Piano, Classical, Connect, White Sky, Step.
These examples show a core of recurring songs (especially from the new album plus classics like Connect, Classical, White Sky) and frequent variation in the rest.
Covers & Surprise Moments
One of the defining features of modern Vampire Weekend concerts: the encore covers and surprises. They often close with covers of artists like Phoenix, Tame Impala, The Verve, Bob Dylan, and more.
In Philadelphia (May 30, 2025), their setlist included a mix of covers, and fans on Reddit noted it was a memorable night:
“Don’t lie (1st time since 2019) · I think ur a contra (1st time since 2019)”
“Peggy-O (with Weyes Blood) · Married in a gold rush (with Weyes Blood)”
Huge night for deep cuts
Fans also speculate among setlist changes; for example, there is talk that they may integrate songs like Stranger or Obvious Bicycle in part 2 of the tour.
Patterns & Trends in Their Setlists
From surveying many shows, some patterns emerge:
Core Set / Frequently Played Songs
Certain songs nearly always appear in a show:
- Classical
- Connect
- One (Blake’s Got a New Face)
- White Sky
- Ice Cream Piano
These tracks seem foundational for their live identity on the tour.
Rotation of Deep Cuts & Fan Favorites
The band often rotates in songs from their back catalog — Cousins, Step, Holiday, Diane Young, A-Punk, Oxford Comma, etc. — choosing a few each night depending on feel and crowd. The “average setlist” shows many of those.
Covers as Encore Staples
The cover-heavy encores make each show unpredictable. They draw from a wide palette: indie, rock, pop, classic covers, sometimes audience requests. This element keeps their concerts fresh and highly talkable among fans.
Deep Cut Appearances & Surprise Resurrections
Occasionally, fans get to hear songs that haven’t been performed in years, like Don’t Lie or I Think Ur a Contra, which adds excitement and rarity.
Flow & Concert Structure
The shows tend to start with new material or moderate energy songs, build through mid-to-high intensity, drop into reflective or slower moments, then build up again toward a powerful finish, often capped with the covers section. The variability helps maintain tension and surprise.
Why Fans Track Setlists & What to Expect
Many fans check Vampire Weekend concert setlists before or after shows to:
- Anticipate which songs they’ll likely hear
- Judge whether a concert’s setlist had surprises
- Compare across dates to see how the band evolves
- Collect recordings or share setlist-based memories
If you’re going to a Vampire Weekend concert, you can reasonably expect:
- A mix of new album tracks and classic staples
- A few rotated deep cuts
- A generous, eclectic, cover-centered encore
- Some surprises or rare tracks per night
Given how often they change certain parts, no two shows are identical.
Memorable Setlist Moments to Highlight
Here are a few particularly memorable setlist highlights from recent shows:
- Philadelphia, May 30, 2025: One night where Don’t Lie and I Think Ur a Contra reappeared after long absences.
- Outside Lands 2025: They mixed classics and covers strongly, with Jokerman (Bob Dylan) included.
- Montclair, Sep 15, 2025: Show with a heavier cover presence and setlist deviations.
- Asheville show: Use of I Stand Corrected among rotating choices.
These moments often generate buzz and replay value for fans.
How to Use Setlists as a Fan
If you’re a concert-goer or planning to attend:
- Check recent setlists via sites like setlist.fm to see what songs are appearing frequently.
- Watch for “surprise slots” — bands sometimes fill a slot with an unreleased song or deep cut.
- Don’t expect everything you love — even popular songs sometimes get rotated out.
- Record or note your own setlist — fan culture often collects and compares these across dates.
- Appreciate the covers — those are often the most unique, unpredictable parts of the show.
Conclusion
When we talk about Vampire Weekend concert setlists, we’re talking about much more than a list of songs. The band uses setlists as storytelling tools — blending new material, beloved older tracks, surprises, and covers to keep the audience engaged and guessing.
On the Only God Was Above Us tour, there is a backbone of staple songs (Classical, Connect, One (Blake’s Got a New Face), etc.), but plenty of room for variation, spontaneous covers, and fan-favorite deep cuts. Each show feels tailored, and fans who follow setlists know that what you hear one night may not always be exactly the same the next.