Vampire Weekend Covers Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m Goin’ Down’ In New Jersey

Vampire Weekend kicked off a four-night run at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey on Monday. The New York City-born band nodded to New Jersey native son Bruce Springsteen with a cover of his “I’m Goin’ Down” and more.

Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig emerged to get the show underway with “Hold You Now” as drummer Chris Tomson and bassist Chris Baio trickled in. VW filled the first half of their set with favorites such as “Campus,” “This Life,” and “Sunflower.”

Vampire Weekend selected Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m Goin’ Down” for the 13th song slot.

“This is a song we used to play a lot in the early days,” Koenig said. “It’s a wonderful cover we like to do [by] one of the finest songwriters of all time who happens to be from New Jersey.”

Chants of “Bruuuuuuce” cascaded down on the band as they struck up the Born In The U.S.A. deep cut “I’m Goin’ Down.” The song was indeed a staple cover for the band in their early days. SetlistFM stats clock 23 plays in 2010 but besides a resurgence in 2019, The Boss cover has become something of a rarity of late.

Following the Springsteen cover, VW delivered two songs off their most recent studio album, Only God Was Above Us, “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops,” ahead of additional favorites like “Diane Young,” “A-Punk,” and “Harmony Hall.” The main set came to a close with Only God Was Above Us cut “Hope.”

Watch the full main set below (“I’m Goin’ Down” at around 54:20):

Vampire Weekend’s fun, cover-filled encore included another Springsteen classic, “Thunder Road,” along with takes on “Margaritaville,” “Sabotage,” “The Boys of Summer” and more. The concert came to a close with the VW classic “Walcott.”

Vampire Weekend’s Wellmont Theater run continues tonight (September 16). Scroll down for VW’s full tour routing and ticket info.