Posted on Friday 23 January 2009
I made a last minute decision to drive to Chicago for Animal Collective last night. The deciding factor (other the the universal love for Merriweather Post Pavilion) was the last minute addition of Rodriguez, whose Cold Fact was a welcomed surprise that surfaced last year.
8 Highlights/Reflections/Remembrances of Animal Collective + Rodriguez in Chicago
1. Rodriguez – Songs like “I Wonder” and “Sugar Man” sounded great, wish his set would have lasted longer than the 30 minutes he was given. That being said, I never thought I’d get to see him live ever, so I’ll take every second of that time.
2. What Are They Playing, I Don’t Know – I’ll profess my ability to recognize/name the songs played is about on par with my ability to understand the logic behind the BCS. Because of that, I enjoyed most of it and felt lost at other points. The high points were definitely amazing, unlike any other concert experience, lots going on, hard to keep track of where all the sounds were coming from. Good stuff.
3. “My Girls” – It was highlight #1 of the show, the first song I recognized from the new album, everyone else recognized it right away too. Big applause at the beginning and end.
4. Crowd – The crowd was mixed with people completely gone mad and on a different planet and those watching in stunned WTF fashion. Those who got it, got it. Those who don’t stood wondering what they were witnessing. Both fun to observe.
5. “Comfy in Nautica” – The band emerged for an encore after a set that lasted a little over an hour. Panda Bear made reference that Avey Tare would sit it out due to straining his voice during the set. They launched into a gritty/different take on the Person Pitch standout.
6. Poster/Shirts – Did anyone throw down the $10 for the show poster? I passed because I have no wall space as it is, but it was quite nice looking. The t-shirts on the other hand…
7. “Animal Collective finally lives up to its buzz” – Proper review with pictures via Chicago Sun-Times (Jim DeRogatis)
8. Early start, home early – Gotta admit it was pretty nice to pull into the driveway 5 minutes before midnight after seeing a show in Chicago.
Discuss: Did you make it to the Metro last night? What did you think of the show? Did you like/hate Rodriguez? Please leave your thoughts and reviews in the comments.
