I’d seen Animal Collective twice before the Pitchfork festival. The first time I didn’t know the band that well and didn’t really enjoy the show. The next time I was familiar with a few of their albums… but still didn’t enjoy the show. So going into the festival, I wasn’t exactly sure why they were letting one of the more unenjoyable acts I’d seen headline on Saturday. Well after having seen their performance, I can say that this is one lesson learned the hard way. Though they might be hit or miss in concert, when Animal Collective hit, they hit harder than pretty much anyone else.

The big, obvious highlight for me was the inclusion of Panda Bear’s “Comfy in Nautica” into the beginning part of the set. I was still in the photo pit, so I experienced the fantastic light show full force. At the start of each “BA-dum” section, the lights flooded the stage and immediately cut. It was incredible. You can watch it for yourself, but it isn’t anywhere near as good as it was to be there. The amps ebbed and pushed like the tides; they could have played that song for an hour and I never would have been sick of it.

More photos below…