"Grizzly Bear decided to go for the next best things: cover versions, light shows and symphony orchestras" #wymhm

They have covered the Crystals' He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss), American teen star JoJo's R&B ballad, Too Little Too Late, and the old English sea shanty Deep Blue Sea. On the Veckatimest tour, they have performed under huge bulbs in massive glass jars, which have blinked and sparkled in time to the music. They have also played with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the LSO, for which their songs were arranged by composer Nico Muhly (who also worked with them on Veckatimest).

Accusations of pretentiousness came with the move into orchestral performance, which rankled with Droste. "It bums me out! That playing with an orchestra is perceived as a very grand thing to do, when I wish it was just perceived as like a fun, one-night thing. I thought it would introduce younger fans to different music, and perhaps bridge a gap between the generations."