Union Board nabs Vampire Weekend for Sept. 6 performance at IU Auditorium

Vampire Weekend will open the fall semester with a performance Sept. 6 at IU Auditorium.

The show, which will also feature the opening acts Dum Dum Girls and Beach House, has been the result of a collaborative effort from local booking agency Spirit of ’68 Promotions and the IU Union Board.

“It wasn’t a hard decision to try and possibly do a Vampire Weekend show,” Spirit of ’68 President Dan Coleman said. “It kind of came into everyone’s laps.”

Tickets for students began presale 10 a.m. Wednesday for $32.00, with bursar billing available. Tickets go on sale for the general public 10 a.m. Friday for $35.00 and can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or through the IU Auditorium box office.

“Early last spring, we tried to get a date on the tour,” Union Board concert
director James Still said. “Eventually we figured out it could all come together. It’s the biggest tour they’ve ever had, and it’s really a great opportunity.”

Following the release of its second album, “Contra,” this is not only the band’s biggest tour, but the biggest show the band has performed in Bloomington.

“I did a Thanksgiving show with them two years ago that 100 people came to,” Coleman said. “I expect this show to sell out. I think the University is excited about them coming.”

Vampire Weekend is known for a poppy, quirky and intellectual sound, and many students are anticipating the band’s campus performance.

“Their songs are always fun, and they always have something to say,” sophomore Jacob Strange said. “They’re one of my favorite bands and I’ve always wanted to see them, and now they’re coming to my school.”

After the Flaming Lips and Vampire Weekend performances, the Union Board hopes to continue to bring big acts to the campus.

“Getting bands in the prime of their career was my goal going into my time as director,” Still said. “We’ll see if we can get the rest of the semester to pan out this well. We have more in the works.”

Originally in the works to be last semester’s Little 500 performance, complications instead led to a highly anticipated performance from The Flaming Lips. However, after a few weeks of communicating with Vampire Weekend’s managers, Coleman was able to work with the Union Board to make the stars align.

“These 4 guys started playing together on a college campus, so they kind of are one of us,” Still said. “They’re mostly playing a lot of cities, but this is their only campus show so far. I know they love Bloomington.”