Vampire Weekend Wades Into Whamageddon At London Concert

Fans engaged in Whamageddeon 2024 attending last night’s Vampire Weekend concert in London were out of the competition early as the band opened their encore with “Last Christmas.” The Wham! holiday classic was the first in a series of cover requests VW attempted at Eventim Apollo.

For those unfamiliar, Whamageddeon is a yearly game in which participants try to go as long as possible between December 1 – 24 without hearing “Last Christmas.” You’re out as soon as you recognize the song.

Vampire Weekend are touring Europe and the UK in support of their 2024 album Only God Was Above Us. Each night of the Only God Was Above Us Tour has seen the group take impromptu cover requests during their encores. Frontman Ezra Koenig explained the genesis of the idea to the crowd on Thursday at the band’s second of two concerts at London’s Eventim Apollo:

On the Father Of The Bride Tour we started taking Vampire Weekend requests at a certain section of the show but that got too easy. So, now we’re doing something new. We’ll take anything BUT Vampire Weekend requests and we’ll do our best. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. But I can assure we have rehearsed these.

Koening was kidding about the last part. Attendees lodged requests by hoisting signs. Ezra Koenig spotted one asking for “Last Christmas” and the band came through with a fairly solid version. “Last Christmas,” which Wham! released just over 40 years to the day prior, was performed partially and without mention of Whamageddon.

Other covers Vampire Weekend attempted on Thursday were Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark,” Blondie’s “One Way Or Another,” Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights,” Pulp’s “Common People,” Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved,” Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba.” A request for King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” was acknowledged but deemed too hard.

Watch fan-shot footage of Vampire Weekend’s cover attempts on Thursday in London below: