Keep an open mind when you see Animal Collective live . I say this because there’s always the chance that a majority of the set will be dominated by new jams. If you go expecting to hear their “greatest hits”, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Last night’s show at Prospect Park was a great performance even if was dominated by new songs that may have left some fans wanting more.
The only old songs the band played were “We Tigers”, “Did You See The Words?”, “Brother Sport”, “Summertime Clothes” and “Taste”. All are some of the collective’s finest, but it would have helped to hear some other old cuts just to balance things out.
With that said, the new songs that Animal Collective played were mind blowingly good. I stayed pretty clear of all the live bootlegs beforehand, so almost all the songs were new to be. They sounded a lot more dance/beat based, relying more on rythem and timing rather than vocal harmonies (as seen on MPP). Avey Tare was the man of the show, taking lead in practically all of the songs. Panda Bear stayed tightly behind an actual drum kit, singing lead vocals on only a few songs, mainly sticking to backing vocals.
This came off as an odd decision to me at first, but these songs are more on the experimental side, leading me to believe that they’re better suited for Avey. (It’s a good guess that this album is very Avey influenced.) It was cool to hear Deakin take lead vocals on “Change”, the guy can sing. One new song that stood out was “I’d Rather” which was a perfect start to the encore.
It’s well known that you should go into an Animal Collective show expecting them to experiment with new songs, especially when they are in the process of working on a new album. I got to tip my cap that they stick to their guns, and trust their fans enough to play almost all new stuff. But the Animal Collective geek inside us all was dying to yelp to “Leaf House”, get emotional to “Fireworks” and enjoy the fuck out of “My Girls”.
Anyone who tells you different is simply trying too hard.
Black Dice opened the show. I never will understand this band. I just don’t get them. I’ve seen them open for bands three times now, and it’s been the same thing. I’ll just leave it at that. Nothing against the band, they just aren’t for me.
Setlist (via):
Animal Collective @ Prospect Park Bandshell 7/12/2011
“Change†/ “Stop Thinking†/ Did You See the Words? / “Long Time Ago†/ “Take This Weight†/ “Knock You Down†/ Brother Sport / “Mercury†/ “Your Choice†/ “Frights†/ We Tigers / Summertime Clothes // “I’d Rather†/ “Little Kid†/ Taste
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