Kurt Vile Sells Out Tipitina's

Kurt Vile onstage at Tipitina’s, by Victoria Conway

The singer-songwriter made his songs the star during his recent stop in New Orleans.

Kurt Vile and the Violators nonchalantly walked out to face a sold-out Tipitina’s on Tuesday, March 26. Already decently full for Weak Signals’ opening set, the historic venue was filled to the brim by the time Vile took the stage at a quarter after nine for his Back to Moon Beach tour. Standing below the iconic portrait of Professor Longhair, who inspired the venue’s name, Philadelphia-native Vile and his four-piece band dove straight into the night’s exhaustive set.

Much to the delight of the overwhelmingly millennial crowd, many of whom have likely followed Vile since his The War on Drugs days, the band opened with “Jesus Fever” off Vile’s 2011 album Smoke Ring For My Halo. Bringing the crowd to the more recent past, Vile followed with a few songs from his 2022 record (watch my moves) while the crowd swayed, before performing the tour's eponymous song. Somewhat ironically, this was one of only three pieces that Vile pulled from his latest record for his 15-song setlist. 

Kurt Vile onstage, by Victoria Conway

After covering his bases with “Back to Moon Beach,” Vile delved into his earlier discography, playing “Life Like This” off of b’lieve i’m goin down… (2015) and lovers’ favorite “Baby’s Arms.” Vile then broke up the set—exactly in half—with his cover of “How Lucky” by John Prime. Casual and cool to his core, Vile’s laidback attitude mirrored that of the crowd, relaxed yet aptly attentive—or perhaps it was the crowd who reflected him. 

Returning to his original music, the remainder of the concert covered the last 10 years of Vile’s prolific discography, featuring (another) eponymous track “Wakin on a Pretty Daze,” crowd-pleasing “Pretty Pimpin,” “Check Baby” from Bottle It In, and “Tom Petty’s gone (but tell him i asked for him).” As tradition goes, Vile faked out the crowd with an exit off-stage, before returning for a three-song encore and closing with “Like Exploding Stones.”

The folk/indie/psychedelic rock sound of Kurt Vile and the Violators resonantly filled the intimate venue. Movement through the crowd was nearly impossible, each individual taking in the group’s artistry with rapt attention. Faithful to the sound of his studio releases, Vile did not disappoint, delivering a seemingly effortless masterful performance. While weeknights hardly count as such in a city like New Orleans, the show’s overwhelming attendance speaks to Vile’s popularity—it’s not often that you come across a sold out show on a Tuesday night.

Kurt Vile adjusts his pedals, by Victoria Conway