The ever-evolving art-rock band Animal Collective kicked off the New Year with plans for a brief mid-January tour of Europe and the U.S. With those initial stateside dates now underway, the group has confirmed extended European and North American treks for spring.
The new itinerary picks up with a 22-city European jaunt that runs from March 4 at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway, and ends March 28 at Stiff Kitten in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The avant-garde group will take some time off before beginning a 24-date run across North America, slated to begin May 11 at 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, and wrap June 10 at Club Firestone in Orlando, FL.
Highlights include a May 14 at the new House of Blues venue in Boston, MA, a May 29 session at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA, and a June 5 gig at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin, TX. Three shows in Canada are booked, as well: May 15 at Metropolis in Montreal, QC; May 16 at Sound Academy in Toronto, ON; and May 24 at Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, BC.
Animal Collective is supporting the group’s eighth studio album, “Merriweather Post Pavilion,” which was officially released on CD today (January 20). A follow-up to 2007’s critically acclaimed album “Strawberry Jam,” the record will spend its first week of release at the No. 38 position of Billboard‘s Top Independent Albums chart.
The record’s title comes from the concert venue of the same name, which is located in Symphony Woods in Columbia, MD. Merriweather Post Pavilion was designed by architect Frank Gehry and opened in 1967. The outdoor space impacted Animal Collective’s members and has influenced the type of music they endeavor to make.
“We used to go to shows there while growing up and have fond memories of times spent on the lawn,” the Baltimore-based band explained in a note accompanying the LP version of the album. “For most of the time we’ve been playing together, both in Animal Collective and the years before, we’ve tried to make music that would be deserving of an amazing outdoor listening experience. As both a name and a place, Merriweather Post Pavilion represents this for us.”
Animal Collective is comprised of musicians Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Avey Tare (David Portner), Geologist (Brian Weitz) and Deakin (Josh Dibb), though albums released under the Collective name can feature contributions from any or all of the members. Since the release of “Strawberry Jam” and the subsequent tour, Deakin has been on hiatus from the group and is not expected to participate in the 2009 trek.
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Animal Collective itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| March 4 | Oslo, NOR | Rockefeller Music Hall |
| March 5 | Lund, SWE | Mejeriet |
| March 6 | Copenhagen, DEN | Amager Bio |
| March 8 | Cologne, GER | Gloria |
| March 9 | Heidelberg, GER | Karlstorbahnhof |
| March 10 | Fribourg, SWI | Fri-Son |
| March 11 | Lucerne, SWI | Konzerthaus Schuur |
| March 12 | Florence, ITA | Viper |
| March 13 | Rome, ITA | Teatro Studio |
| March 14 | Milan, ITA | Rolling Stone |
| March 16 | Strasbourg, FRA | La Laiterie |
| March 17 | Amsterdam, NET | Paradiso |
| March 18 | Brussels, BEL | Ancienne Belgique |
| March 19 | Lille, FRA | Aeronef |
| March 20 | Nantes, FRA | Olympic |
| March 22 | Bristol, ENG | Trinity Centre |
| March 23 | Nottingham, ENG | Rescue Rooms |
| March 24 | London, ENG | The Forum |
| March 25 | Leeds, ENG | Woodhouse Club |
| March 26 | Liverpool, ENG | Static |
| March 27 | Dublin, IRE | Tripod |
| March 28 | Belfast, NIR | Stiff Kitten |
| May 11 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club |
| May 12 | Philadelphia, PA | Electric Factory |
| May 13 | New York, NY | Terminal 5 |
| May 14 | Boston, MA | House Of Blues |
| May 15 | Montreal, QC | Metropolis |
| May 16 | Toronto, ON | Sound Academy |
| May 18 | Royal Oak, MI | Royal Oak Music Theatre |
| May 19 | Milwaukee, WI | Turner Hall Ballroom |
| May 20 | Minneapolis, MN | First Avenue |
| May 24 | Vancouver, BC | Commodore Ballroom |
| May 25 | Portland, OR | Roseland Theater |
| May 26 | Oakland, CA | Fox Theater |
| May 27 | Big Sur, CA | Henry Miller Library |
| May 29 | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern |
| May 30 | Las Vegas, NV | House Of Blues |
| May 31 | Tucson, AZ | Rialto Theatre |
| June 1 | Albuquerque, NM | Sunshine Theatre |
| June 2 | Boulder, CO | Boulder Theater |
| June 4 | Dallas, TX | House Of Blues |
| June 5 | Austin, TX | Stubb’s Bar-B-Q |
| June 6 | Oxford, MS | The Library |
| June 8 | St. Petersburg, FL | The State Theatre |
| June 9 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Culture Room |
| June 10 | Orlando, FL | Club Firestone |
Last Updated on January 21, 2009