Vampire Weekend Attempting Diverse Covers By Request During Encores

Vampire Weekend kicked off their North American summer tour last Thursday in Houston and an interesting trend has developed over the first week of the excursion. The band has devoted the start of each encore to fun attempts at an eclectic array of covers suggested by fans.

Frontman Ezra Koenig and his bandmates first queried their audience for suggestions in Houston. Vampire Weekend wound up reeling off partial takes on Phoenix’s “1901,” Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House.

Watch fan-shot footage of Vampire Weekend trying out “1901” and “Wonderwall” below:

The tour continued on Friday (June 7) in Irving, Texas, where the cover requests attempted included Talking Heads’ “Once In A Lifetime,” The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” Beyoncé’s “Hold Up” and more. Vampire Weekend even performed a bit of the Phoenix/Koenig collaboration “Tonight.”

On Sunday (June 9) in Phoenix, the band gave “Hold Up” a second try and delivered partial versions of the Grateful Dead’s “Cumberland Blues,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” Pearl Jam’s “Better Man,” The Strokes’ “Reptilia” and Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” before ending the show with their own “Walcott.”

Check out audience-captured video of Vampire Weekend’s encore in Phoenix:

Vampire Weekend’s latest concert took place on Monday at Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater in San Diego. Last night’s show saw the band offer short renditions of the John Mellencamp classic “Jack & Diane” and “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure. See both attempts:

The tour picks up on Wednesday night at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Phish bassist Mike Gordon then starts a five-show swing supporting Vampire Weekend with his solo band on Saturday and Sunday at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California.