As the crowd settled down, the noise rose up. Cycles and phasers and feedback filled the room, creating a sound Waters, Gilmour, Yorke and Greenwood would enjoy. As the sound grew, the band appeared fearless, willing to bend and twist sound and rhythms right off the bat. Tension grew and the crowd needed a release. Thus began “My Girls.”
Animal Collective on stage at Terminal 5.
This was how my night at Terminal 5 went with Animal Collective. Three guys, lots of electronics and a sea of talent flowed off the stage. I know how that sounds, but honestly, these guys were good. I only wish I were up to the task as a listener.
The night felt like a journey through some sort of electronic wilderness. The trippy would-be rave kings stood above us as our guides, taking us from song to song, melody to melody. In between, more wilderness, which was fine if you were in the right frame of mind to wander. Sadly, I was limited in that regard.
Among the highlights was “Summertime Clothes,” which might have been the first song to really bring the house down. People sang along and the crowd moved in unison.
After a brief encore break, Animal Collective came back for two more. They opened with a particularly spacey jam that led into “Lion in a Coma.” As the final song on their album, I expect the show to end there. Instead, they upped the ante and followed it up with “Brother Sport.” It’s always fun when a song that doesn’t particularly grab you on the album takes on a new life when performed live. With “Brother Sport,” the result was positively blissful.
A few other thoughts: I definitely zoned out for part of this show. They were great, but when I didn’t know the song, I wasn’t always able to stay focused. I don’t put that on them, but I think it is worth noting. Also, I’ve never been elbowed, shoved or stepped on quite so much at a single show. It was tight in there, but that’s no excuse to drunkenly shove through people without any regard. Jus’ sayin’…
