animal collective - concert review

So it finally happened. Me, Panda, Geologist, Avey ... same room, same time. Since you're reading this a couple of assumptions can be made.

First, no, the earth did not open up and let out a beam of light that spread evenly over the earth engulfing all species and rendering their particles combustible thus making the view of earth from space one giant world industries logo.

Second, my eyeballs are still in tact, having not actually melted out of my skull a la holy grail wrong cup sort of situation which I predicted as a result of aural waves of panda's voice splashing upon my ocular nerves for the first time.

Instead the show was actually pretty normal. Except by normal I mean fucking epic. The set list was pretty standard. I thought actually kind of short, and very MPP heavy. Guy's Eyes was a rare classic. Dude, they played Chores!!! I think my favorite part about the show really was the crowd. Which were more openly enthusiastic towards the older songs.

Leaf House kind of left people (myself included) going absolutely bat shit crazy. The vocal percussion carried and accentuated heavily by the collective vocal stylings of the band's loyal followers. A moment that will not be forgotten. The epic nature surrounding fireworks lends itself to wanting to see it as the band's "typical" show closer. But judging from the way they seem to stay fresh each night with new sets and new cities and crowds to play to this type of regimented situation seems almost an impossibility. Though fireworks is a staple of every show, making it one of the few things you can count on.

The most telling detail of the night was the band's Chocolate girl intro into Comfy in Nautica. PB's voice hailing the sold out crowd to try and remember just to haev a good time. It was his voice and this message that persisted throughout. At any given time throughout the show it was easy to spot the supreme jubilation this group can wreak over its loyal fandom.

So what did we learn? Panda bear is supreme. Everything you could hope for and more. The only thing you can count on is that you can't count on anything. Their show is definitely built for two things. First, an outdoor venue. Their sound is way to vast to keep inside a mid size club. And the size of their fan base removes the possibility of making their shows intimate any more. An outdoor venue is the only way to experience this properly.

At all costs see these guys whenever, where ever you have the chance. You're guaranteed to get a different experience each night. If one thing came out of this show, its the fact that regardless of who plays opposite them at any festival shows, theirs is the set to choose. Seee you at bonna, pink speedo, headband, knee highs.... only the best.