By Evan Jake Goldstein
August 30, 2018

It’s hard to believe that nearly eight years have gone by since House of Vans Brooklyn first opened their doors, promising free concerts, art installations, and curated events for all to attend. Originally intended as a pop-up spot for Vans to showcase their signature skate style shoes, the repurposed Brooklyn warehouse became a major hot spot for skaters, hipsters, punks, and music connoisseurs alike. The first come, first serve, RSVP ticketing system for their free summer concerts offers equal opportunity for anyone to attend their events. You can’t buy your way inside if you miss the sign-up period or are late to line up at the door. There are no $8 water bottles or VIP bathrooms, no balcony seating or members-only presales.

House of Vans feels like a magical place where beers are free for anyone of age willing to wait on line, and t-shirts, tote bags and posters are given away to attendees upon arrival and departure as souvenirs. Hispanic teenagers from the Bronx mosh with the middle-aged white businessmen of Manhattan, their mutual love for the music binding them. They book artists spanning all genres, decades,and levels of fame. The well-curated shows typically feature a headliner, a supporting act of the lead’s choice, and an unsigned opener. The penultimate show at House of Vans Brooklyn featured Deerhunter, Circuit des Yeux, and Standing on the Corner.

Post-post-genre openers Standing on the Corner were the first to hit the stage. Lead by 22-year-old Brooklyn native Gio Escobar, their unique blend of free jazz, instrumental sample-based hip-hop, spoken word poetry, and funkified indie rock set the tone for the rapidly growing audience to expect the unexpected.

The evening continued with Circuit des Yeux, the psych-folk project of singer Haley Fohr. Her current lineup for live shows features a drummer, viola player, an upright bass and Haley occasionally on 12-string acoustic guitar enhancing her vocals. Throughout the set, the music swells to massive melodic peaks and poignant plateaus, carved out by Ms. Fohr’s commanding yet calming voice and equally hypnotizing stage presence.

At last, Deerhunter takes the stage. They begin with ‘Cover Me (Slowly)’ and ‘Agoraphobia’, two favorites from the now classic Microcastle/ Weird Era Cont album which came out a decade ago this week. Band leader Bradford Cox wields his microphone with confidence and swagger, towering over bandmates and the crowd alike. His shirt half unbuttoned and slacks pulled up high, he seems relaxed, comfortable even. Without his signature brimmed hat to cover his face, his smile is visible even behind the microphone. The band is clearly digging the vibes in House of Vans… “I feel like we’re playing a prom!” Bradford exclaims.

Bradford then switches off between bass and guitar on new tracks ‘Futurism’, ‘What Happens To People’, ‘Death In Midsummer’, ‘Elemental’, and ‘No One’s Sleeping’. The fresh material is elegantly interwoven with ‘Revival’, ‘Desire Lines’ and ‘Helicopter’ from their 2010 critically praised album, Halcyon Digest. It’s nearly impossible to describe the sound of a Deerhunter show, heavily distorted guitar swells and recedes over the crowd as Bradford layers in soft spoken vocals as drums build to form heavy waves of sound.

As Deerhunter’s set continues, I find myself wandering around the venue, trying to take it all in. The converted Greenpoint warehouse has been transformed into a skate-haven turned concert hall for one of the last times. For seating, there are oversized bean bag chairs laid upon the slants of several large skate ramps. I grab a free water bottle from a large plastic container beneath the 30 foot industrial ceiling fan, and sit myself against a storage container outside the enormous loading door leading to the yard. I can’t help but marvel at the diversity of the crowd. To my left, some teenagers are trying out Fortnite dance moves to the shoegazey, improvisational sounds coming from the stage. To my right, twenty-something mustachioed yuppies sip from their vape pens, their heads bobbing ever so slightly out of time.

The 11PM curfew approaches, Bradford remarks, “This is the last time we’re playing this set…We just finished our new album yesterday morning at 6:30, so the next time you see us, we’ll have a whole different set- all new stuff…And there will be candy and rainbows!” On my way out, I’m given a poster for the event, as well as a House Of Vans t-shirt with 2010-2018 on it, commemorating the venue’s first and last shows.

House of Vans Brooklyn is closing its doors, but Vans plans on continuing to give back to the community. This year, they are launching their ‘Vans Gives A Band Music Fund’ where ten Brooklyn public schools will each receive $10,000 of music equipment and a $10,000 grant to fund music programming in schools, helping put instruments in the hands of young people all over Brooklyn.

Photography by: Jonathan Mehring @mehringsbearings & Laura June Kirsch @laurajunekirsch