Vampire Weekend was in New York City over the weekend to celebrate the long-awaited release of their new studio albumFather of the Bride. To celebrate, the popular rock band took up an entire day at the recently-reopened Webster Hall, where they treated their hometown fans to three sets performed throughout the day on Sunday, in addition to sharing some fresh merch for those who actually lasted throughout the entire event.

The all-day concert event may have featured surprise sit-ins from notable pop acts like Haim, but for jam fans in attendance, the real highlight was that of the band’s special t-shirt designed for the show. At first glance, the shirts sold at the event may just look like another overpriced piece of merch specifically designed for a new album cycle. To the average Deadhead, however, the shirt’s design strikes an awfully close resemblance to the artwork featured on the Grateful Dead‘s 1991 live album, One From The Vault. 

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As one Deadhead in attendance at this weekend’s event pointed out on social media, the script formatting on the back of Vampire Weekend’s t-shirts was themed around the copy used on the Dead’s 1991 album, which was originally recorded in 1975 during their hiatus from 1974-76. Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig is an outspoken fan of jam bands, and has incorporated the Dead’s music into their own performances in the past, so it should come as a surprise to no one that he decided to use the famous rock band as inspiration. Fans can take a look at the two photos below to decide for themselves.


Vampire Weekend will head out on a North American tour in support of their new release beginning on June 5th in Toronto and continuing until October 8th with a performance at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. For more tickets and tour info, head to the band’s website.