The Zimmermann Note

Setlist 

Lion In a Coma

Slippi

Blue Sky (new song)

Guys Eyes

Summertime Clothes

My Girls

Also Frightened

Daily Routine

Leaf House

Brother Sport

Encore: Comfy in Nautica

This will probably be the last time I write about Animal Collective for awhile. Of course with a new album and seeing them at the Metro and seeing that their album is getting close to “Masterpiece” status, there has been a lot on my mind in regards to them.

Based on some of the other setlists and reviews from the shows they probably skipped out 1 song due to Avey Tare having vocal problems. He did not come out for the encore and they played only a total of around 75 minutes but it was essentially 75 minutes of straight music with few interruptions. I have read some reviews so far which would suggest that fans were slightly disappointed in this. At this point, I am much more satisfied in the fact that they actually played as the issue with Avey Tare’s voice might have been the reason they were forced to cancel tonights show.

This is the second time that I have seen Animal Collective, the first time at Pitchfork Music Festival. I would not have considered myself at the time being an avid AC follower. I completely loved Panda Bear’s ‘Person Pitch’, one of my favorite records from 2007. Panda Bear, aka Noah Lennox came out with this solo album exploring some more of his nuanced Beach Boys meets Electronica style that had me shimmering for more. Animal Collective’s ‘Strawberry Jam’ was also an album that I appreciated that year as well. In breaking my virgin status with the Animal Collective show that night, I was struck immediately with the psychaedelic and hypnotic atmosphere of the night, as the songs while much more mellow than last nights show made me a fan of their live show.

When I found out that the band was playing at the Metro in mid-November, I immediately grabbed a chance at seeing them in a more intimate venue. I was surprised when I arrived at the venue nearly 45 minutes before the show started that it was pretty much packed already. As a fan that has always tried to stake out a good spot to see a performance there was a level of excitement in the air for the sold out show that was selling quite a bit over face value on eBay.

The setlist was heavy on the new Merriweather Post Pavilion (MPP) material playing 7 of the 11 tracks off the new album. As with an album that is as masterful as MPP, I could not help but be disappointed however, in the exclusion of ‘In the Flowers’’ probably my favorite track off the new album. However, with an album as solid as this and a show as stunning as it was, individual selfishness has to take a seat to the tapestry that was woven onstage.

Animal Collective are not a type of band where their actions onstage will definitely warrant any fans. These are not individuals that are in any way theatrical with their instruments. They are still a jam band for the electronic age, sounding tight but at the same time very improvisational. You would expect that within a set with virtually no breaks that the band would be playing the same setlist in order night after night but this is not the case. Lengthy interludes between songs make seeing them a unique experience.

Some of the highlights for me was ‘My Girls’ is the oft-repeated chorus during the song. . .

I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status

I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls

In the live setting, the song becomes almost universal, that barrier broken down between band and audience where everyone is singing and dancing, where the message and music are one. While we might be overwhelmed in the digital age with our mobile devices, email, or our entertainment systems, these material possessions mean nothing when it comes to the basic premise of protecting the ones we love.

Animal Collective – My Girls (Video) 

‘Brother Sport’ plays in the same vein as ‘My Girls’ offering that moment where the crowd can be engaged with the band. Being the second of the two songs off the new album with the most pop sensibilities the song builds up in the middle for a frenzied electronic explosion and shifts almost into a completely new song. But the message being brought out is about having inner confidence, and let go of the bad and take in the good. During these dark times we live in, it clearly hits the nail on the head.

As I had mentioned earlier, with Avey Tare having vocal difficulties Geologist and Panda Bear came out for a 1 song encore and I could not have been more pleased with the song they chose. I could argue that Panda Bear’s ‘Comfy in Nautica’ would be a song presented on my ‘Desert Island Mix Tape’ which sounds like Beach Boys behind a sampling board. I would only imagine that Brian Wilson could listen to this and think that this is the true next step beyond Pet Sounds. Hearing this song live and particularly the last minute of the song I felt that “Perfect Moment In Time” as the music crashed around my eardrums I did not want that moment to pass or have the song end but could have stood there for eternity.