Katkin Reflects On Vampire Weekend's Visit To Cincinnati

We've been blessed with a flurry of activity from the good professor Ken Katkin as of late.  In what caps a trifecta of recent additions to Katkin's Korner, here is his review of last month's Vampire Weekend show at the Gypsy Hut:

As of January 25, 2008, I'd never heard of Vampire Weekend. But when I took a quick January 26 foray into NYC, it seemed as though all of Gotham was buzzing about Vampire Weekend's allegedly fresh and infectious hybrid between African music and The Feelies (or maybe the Talking Heads). In Brooklyn, I was shown a youtube video for the band's signature tune "A Punk," which struck me as borderline enough that the band might potentially be either good or awful. One clever pal did express a prescient note of skepticism, warning me that Vampire Weekend at their best sounded like Paul Simon's Graceland and at their worst sounded like every generic English ska band from the 1980s.

When I returned to Cincy the next day, I stopped by Shake It Records to pick up the new Bonnie Prince Billy live CD Wilding In The West. While there, the shopkeeper told me that he had just received 200 tix for Vampire Weekend's semi-secret Cincy gig, which would take place on Wed Feb 13 in the Gypsy Hut, the smallest venue of the band's hyped and sold-out national tour. Having just spending a whole NYC weekend hearing people gush about this band of recent Columbia grads, it seemed like my inescapable karma to buy a pair of tix to go see them.

As Feb 13 approached, the local hype intensified. On the day of the gig, my pal Al (to whom I had given my second ticket) was offered $150 for the pair (I had paid $20). In what seems like the most compelling argument in favor of getting a cell phone that I've yet experienced, Al passed up this golden opportunity because he didn't know whether I would have wanted to sell the tix.  (I would have). So we went to the gig on a freezing and snowy Cincinnati weeknight.

I had never been to the Gypsy Hut before, and somewhat hope that I have no occasion to go there again. It was basically an unheated small concrete room, stark and empty, more long than wide, with mediocre sound and a very low stage, nestled under the I-75 expressway. What this meant was that despite this being the smallest venue of Vampire Weekend's tour, in the packed room it was basically impossible to see the band and not ideal for hearing them either. (Admittedly, my fave venue Maxwell’s could be accused of suffering from the same long-room, low-stage issues, but Maxwell’s always had excellent sound and it also has risers on the sides and in the back that help provide viewing opportunities. Plus, people in Hoboken aren't as tall as people in Cincinnati. and Maxwell’s is heated in the wintertime).

When the band started playing, I almost couldn't believe how lame they sounded. Tinny, precious, phony, limp, weak, fey, corporate, boring, annoying:  all of those words sprang instantly to mind. By the second song, my pal Al was agitating to leave. Aware of the hype, I insisted on staying for a few more songs, on the theory that some of their material must be better than this. But by song #6, the suck factor was undeniable and the cold was taking its toll and out the door I went, the first time I've walked out on a headline band less than halfway through their set in many many years.

Comments

[The Undeniable Skeptic]

Go Katkin! I saw them too, totally lame. Whatever hype they get is undeserved and should be going other places (me.)

Gotta love the reviews of the semi-professional professor.

[Grant]

Yes, until he decides to go totally pro and start his own blog I'll gladly continue adding to his "Korner" of the site!

I had two tickets to the show and didn't get back in town in time to go. I cringed when I read how much his friend was offered for the tix. While it sounds like I didn't miss much in the way of a show, I would have gladly taken $150 for them!!!

[Vincent Lewandowski]

It's refreshing to read this sort of critical analysis concerning the heaps of hype that waft through the music world like gigantic clouds of audible flatulence. Thanks for clearing the air...