As night came over the Gorge, people began to flock one of two ways - towards mainstage to try and catch good views for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, or toward the Bigfoot Stage to squeeze a place in for Vampire Weekend. I chose Vampire Weekend almost strictly as a guilty pleasure - though they may come across to some as self-assured, their songs reminded me of the desire to move but not being able to, of young love during college days, of fun on the beach with a tinge of sadness. And their new album has fascinated me - the publicity leading up to it with Steve Buscemi was hilarious. Pitting apathetic East coasters against the sincere and ever funny Buscemi was a brilliant play. And their performance was everything I expected it to be and more. As they took stage a triumphant soundtrack scored the entrance. Colossal neo-classical columns had been erected to either side of the stage, andModern Vampires of the City was scrawled across the drum kit. Ezra was excited, and they started off with "Cousins". Heads bobbed, a girl behind me yelled "marry me Ezra!" as they played some of their older songs before launching into tracks from their new album. The crowded swelled to unmanageble proportions before becoming a bit easier to navigate, and before you knew it their extra long set was over. They cleared the stage, red lights dimming, guitars turned off, and we dispersed into the evening.
After Red Fang had totally shredded the Bigfoot Stage, punk rock Vancouver-based duo Japandroids jumped on stage and after fairly minimal sound checking, started their sweaty and awesome set. Though the sound was a bit strange (it would later cut out during a Vampire Weekend song), their energy was…
