Watch Vampire Weekend get the lyrics wrong while covering Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ following fan request
During their triumphant headline set at Outside Lands, Vampire Weekend performed a beautiful impromptu cover of Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’, even if Ezra Koenig got some of the lyrics wrong.
On August 9th, the New York band made Outside Lands history by opening and closing the festival with two sets on the same day.
Their first set of the day took place at 12:45pm on the Polo Field. Vampire Weekend delivered an eight-song set that saw them rip through fan favourites such as ‘Oxford Comma’, ‘Sunflower’, and ‘White Sky’, as well as a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Jokerman’.
As Vampire Weekend operated with a strict no-repeat policy, they refrained from using their biggest hits earlier in the day, as they were due to headline the Twin Peaks stage in the evening. Upon arriving on-stage, Koenig told the crowd (via SF Gate): “It’s so nice to be back here. How were the last seven hours?”
After performing a career-spanning set, opening with ‘Mansard Roof’ from their debut album and also including cuts like ‘Classical’ from 2024’s Only God Was Above Us, they returned for an encore that saw them take cover suggestions from the crowd.
One fan suggested ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay, to which Koenig replied, “That’s easy, it’s just like three chords?” While Vampire Weekend delivered a note-perfect cover, Koenig could have done with the help of a teleprompter for the lyrics. Nevertheless, it was still a delightful, impromptu moment.
Vampire Weekend are now Europe-bound. They headline Parades de Coura in Portugal on August 13th, play Pukkelpop in Belgium on August 15th, and will headline Victorious Festival in Portsmouth on August 23rd, their only UK show of the year.
Far Out wrote in a four-and-a-half star review of Only God Was Above Us last year: “This album is the best the band have ever made. Each song has windchime-like trickling guitar and keys at its heart, with even the most minimalistic tracks building like symphonies. It’s this style of music as it’s never been done before. Unpredictable in its structure and execution but completely charming throughout.”
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