On Tuesday, July 30, Vampire Weekend treated fans at the Minneapolis Armory to several surprises during the first offering in a two-show stint at the famed Minnesota venue. While on the Only God Was Above Us Tour in support of an album with the same name, the band has amassed buzz for their chaotic encore slot, playfully dubbed “Attempted Requests,” where the group does precisely that–attempts to play fan requests as they come. For their first return to the Armory in five years, the cult-classic ensemble brought the heat, fusing jam staples with classic ballads and pioneering rock anthems to close out the show.

Though the setlist proceeded as expected following a set from opener Ra Ra Riot, the North Star State show’s encore proved more thematic than usual, beginning with back-to-back Beatles debuts. The White Album centerpiece, “Martha My Dear,” rolled into another classic McCartney piano number, “All My Loving,” making for an atypically cohesive encore opener. This is not the first time the vaunted indie outfit has honored the Liverpool lads, having performed “Blackbird,“Dear Prudence,” “Twist and Shout,” and Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” in the same segment, and “Here Comes The Sun” over the years. While they flex their experimental muscle, Vampire Weekend has clearly stayed true to their roots.

The Beatle ballads bled into a first-ever version of Prince’s “Purple Rain,” which then devolved into Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So,” the latter in its second iteration on the tour. Following another debut “attempt,” The Police’s “Roxanne,” Vampire Weekend embraced their jam-forward tendencies with a Grateful Dead cover, delivering “Uncle John’s Band” for a second time this tour. Just as the band has shown appreciation for the Fab Four’s catalog on tour this year, the same is true of the Dead, as evidenced by offerings of “Cumberland Blues” twice this cycle, as well as the regular incorporation of the track into their “Cocaine Cowboys Medley.” 2024 has also seen five covers of Grateful Dead staple “Peggy-O,” as well as the Robert Hunter-penned classics “Shakedown Street” and “Touch of Grey.”

The encore continued with blink-182’s “All the Small Things,” soldiering on through “Wild Horses,” “Tainted Love” and The Strokes’ “Someday” before closing out the evening with two original tracks, fan-favorites “Worship You” and “Ya Hey.” This leg of the Only God Was Above Us tour comes to a close on Aug. 1 in Milwaukee, and Vampire Weekend is set for a final summer show at Hinterland Music Festival in Saint Charles, Iowa, on Aug. 3. Their tour continues in the fall.

For tickets and more information, go to https://www.vampireweekend.com.