By: Lindsey Goldin
On the chilly evening of February 22, the “indie power group” Animal Collective graced the city of Boston s to play an unforgettable show . The crowd was buzzing and the eclectic ballroom of Royale seemed to shake with anticipation. First, Animal Collective’s opener, Ratking, revved up the crowd. The self-proclaimed “left field” hip-hop trio played a couple of songs (titles please), which had the iconic Animal Collective vibe; overall, the crowd responded positively .
Finally, at around 10:15pm, Animal Collective strode onto the stage and the crowd went wild. The set behind the band was a mix of SpongeBob Squarepants’ “Bikini Bottom” and the daydreams of superstitious modern artist. Panda Bear, Avey Tare, Geologist, and Deakin calmly got into their positions at their soundboards, keyboards, and drum sets, and was ready to go.
The band started off with one of the leading singles “Lying in the Grass” from their newly released album “Painting With”. The quartet played the psychedelic song with gusto, as the crowd started to dance methodically. The whole atmosphere of the venue felt like a dream.
Animal Collective at Royale. Photo By Lindsey Goldin
Avery Tare mumbled something funny that only the front row could hear. Animal Collective went into their biggest hit “ ” from their new album. Upon hearing the first few beats of the song, the crowd immediately went into a frenzy, savoring every last second of the upbeat four minutes. “FloriDada” smoothly transitioned into “Hocus Pocus”, another fan-favorite off of the band’s new album. Those hypnotic 8 minutes were truly the highlight of the show. Everyone was blissful and at that moment, the audience was one.
After an hour and a half of playing songs from their newest album, a couple of covers, a few tracks from “Feels”, and three encore songs, the Animal Collective concert came to an end. It was a night of love and connection; for when you are at an Animal Collective concert with a room full of strangers, you end up leaving with a room full of friends.
