The final act of Saturday, the 2nd night of the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, was also the hardest to photograph. Animal Collective’s stage was set as a dim atmosphere that flashed with intermittent bursts of light, including a colorful slide show that projected onto a huge globe hanging over the heads of the group’s members. Kutsher’s main ballroom was overflowing with Animal spectators and for good reason - they assembled a near flawless setlist that included new, old, and unique sounds in mammoth dosages. Aside from The Flaming Lips closing out the festival on Sunday, no show was as packed.
Opening with a creative jam, they segued straight into “Also Frightened” before belting out a ridiculously great rendition of “Who Could Win A Rabbit” that aroused rambunctious applause. Avey Tare was extremely energetic that evening, bouncing around stage between the tables of Geologist and Panda Bear, like he was caught on the inside of a pinball machine.
Some people have qualms about Animal Collective not stopping between songs or taking breaks, yet that trait remains one of the highlights of their shows for me. Watching how well they can seamlessly fuse one song into another is like watching them compile their own greatest hits record right before your eyes! Going from “My Girls” > New Jam > “Fireworks” and into a scintillating closer of “Brothersport” capped off an already fantastic day.
