The past couple of weeks have been exciting for fans of indie giants Vampire Weekend, as the band ramped up teasing a new album, “Only God Was Above Us,” on social media. Not only did they announce the record last week, but they also revealed a nationwide tour on Friday morning, which includes a Thursday, Aug. 1 stop at the BMO Pavilion on the Summerfest grounds. 

The Milwaukee show is slammed into a Midwest loop of the 39-date tour, which also includes a pair of nights in Chicago and a Minneapolis trip right before the BMO Pavilion. In addition to the tour, the band also put out videos for “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops” on Friday, the lead singles from the new album. “Only God Was Above Us” is the first record from the band since 2019’s “Father of The Bride,” which marked a return from hiatus that was stunted by the COVID-19 lockdown. The new album comes out on April 5, and the tour begins on April 8 in Austin.

A wide variety of support acts are also set for the band on each leg of this run, with each opener handpicked by frontman Ezra Koenig and company with a special significance to that part of the country. Ra Ra Riot will join the band in Milwaukee, on a tour that will also feature Voodoo Glow Skulls, LA LOM (or the Los Angeles League of Musicians, playing Cactus Club on March 29), The English Beat, a Mark Ronson DJ set and even a Billy Joel cover band called Turnstiles (not to be confused with the Baltimore hardcore heavyweights.)  

Tickets for Vampire Weekend at BMO Pavilion will go on sale Friday, Feb. 23, with presales beginning Tuesday, Feb. 20 via Ticketmaster. It’s already been a big week for the BMO Pavilion, with MUNA being announced as a 2024 Summerfest headliner on the Pavilion stage.

Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for even more music as the summer concert lineup begins to take shape, and be sure to support a local venue and music by checking out who’s hitting Milwaukee stages this month.