Animal Collective plays ‘Feels’ live again
After years of speculation, the wait is finally over. Animal Collective is set to reunite for the first time in four years to bring the seminal 2005 album Feels to life in front of audiences.
Fans have long asked why the celebration of the album’s 20th anniversary didn’t include a live performance, and now the band has found their answer. The celebration, which included a limited-edition reissue, left a palpable desire for a live experience. That desire has now materialized in the upcoming tour dubbed FEELS LIVE.
The concerts are slated for October, offering two dates in major hubs: October 22 at Queens’ Knockdown Center in New York City and October 24 at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.
The decision to perform Feels in full is rooted in a realization of something unfinished. The band explained that while they celebrated the anniversary, they hadn’t fully considered the impact of performing the work live. This realization prompted them to revisit the album, finding old loops, tunings, and sounds, determined to bring the complete experience to the stage.
The album itself occupies a pivotal spot in Animal Collective’s evolution. Released in 2005, Feels captured the group moving beyond their experimental roots toward something more immediate, melodic, and emotionally expansive. It was a sound forged in Seattle, showcasing the interplay of Josh “Deakin” Dibb and Brian “Geologist” Weitz alongside Dave “Avey Tare” Portner and Noah “Panda Bear” Lennox.
This era served as a crucial stepping stone toward their extraordinary ascent. Following Feels, the band continued their trajectory with subsequent records like Strawberry Jam in 2007 and Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2009, which propelled their unique, ecstatic sound far beyond the experimental underground.
Looking back at the timeline, the shift in perception reflects the passage of time itself. As one member reflected on their early twenties, the perception of time seemed elastic, where years felt radically different, yet now, the passage feels more settled. The evolution of the music mirrors this changing perspective, demonstrating how quickly artistic journeys can reshape the very definition of what it means to be.
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