Vampire Weekend Extend ‘Only God Was Above Us’ Tour Part 2, Including First Garden State Homecoming in 16 Years

Vampire Weekend, photo by Michael Schmelling

While still steadily working through an exhaustive world tour that’s kept them on the road since May, Vampire Weekend have tacked a new batch of dates to the end of their Only God Was Above Us Tour Part 2.

After wrapping up a European festival sprint in the dog days of August and returning to the States for a performance at East Aurora, N.Y.’s Borderland Festival on Sept. 13, the storied indie trio will make its long-awaited return to New Jersey, where Ezra Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson grew up (in Glen Ridge and Imlaystown, respectively). The band’s Garden State homecoming is set for Montclair, N.J.’s Wellmont Theater on Sept. 15 and 16 and will feature an opening set from Sophisticuffs, Koenig’s band from Glen Ridge High School. The double-header will be Vampire Weekend’s first performance in New Jersey since a 2008 gig at the same venue, when the fresh-faced band was still touring their self-titled debut album.

Vampire Weekend’s sets at Richmond, Va.’s Iron Blossom Music Festival and Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Festival on Sept. 20 and 21 will take them down the coast to their next new tour date, a Sept. 24 engagement at New Orleans’ historic Saenger Theatre. Two final festival bookings at Oceans Calling Festival and Soundside Festival will lead into a newly announced Sin City show at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on November 7. Fans can register to secure presale tickets for all of the band’s new dates now at vampireweekend.com.

Recent performances on Vampire Weekend’s Only God Was Above Us Tour Part 2 have been retrospective, celebratory and adventurous affairs lined with new favorites, certified classics and audience-requested covers. Read up on the group’s recent debut of Twiddle’s “Jamflowman” here.