This is ONLY for people who have seen BOTH Stereolab and Animal Collective live...

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These are two of my favorite bands (Animal Collective is the only new band that gets this distinction, so don't think I'm some kind of worthless indie rocker) and I've never seen either live before, and they're both happening to be playing live on the same night.

Which show is better to go see?

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:00 (twenty years ago)

(Nyeh! I haven't seen either!)

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

Animal Collective no question. I saw Stereolab once in France and I remember more about the beer I was drinking (flat Sol) and Tim's outfit (Reeses Peanut Butter cups tshirt and plaid pants..gross) than the music.
AC are awesome live.
Caveat: I am not a big fan of Sterolab's records, either. Though I do like them.

― helperbird, Monday, 19 December 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

i haven't seen AC but Stereolab are totally diminishing returns live.

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:05 (twenty years ago)

"Stereolab are totally diminishing returns live"

What do you mean?

― Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:07 (twenty years ago)

each time has been inferior to the last.. i've seen them three times and wouldn't again. having said that it's probably worth seeing them once..

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:09 (twenty years ago)

see the animal collective. i've seen AC and Stereolab both two times and i'd say AC is more of an "exciting" show. don't get me wrong, stereolab is definitely worth checking out live, but i'd say AC's shows were more fun. i guess it depends on what your poison is. drink among friends=stereolab... mind altering substances on more of an intimate/personal level=AC... but maybe you have more of an emotional connection with stereolab's music, so in that case, go to see stereolab. i'm full of shit. don't listen to me. go see AC.

― Matt Likens (greentypewriter), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:11 (twenty years ago)

Stereolab are an excellent live band but right now, AC >>>>>>>>>>>> Stereolab. AC are making the best records of their career and Stereolab's have been getting steadily worse since 1994. If I were you I would see the band that is great right now, rather than the one that used to be great.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:13 (twenty years ago)

I've seen both bands. I like both of their records but neither made an impression on me live. I'd probably go for Animal Collective.

― [jailhouse tattoo] (nordicskilla), Monday, 19 December 2005 02:18 (twenty years ago)

if you want to see "the hits" I'd see Stereolab. if you want an exciting and "difficult" show I'd see Animal Collective. I've only seen AC once and it was kind of daunting, they don't play much off their records -- usually they play new songs they're working on. In restrospect it was a cool show because they played a lot of stuff that ended up on "Feels" (definitely remember them playing "Grass") but that was a good nine months before that record came out .... I recognized maybe two songs they played and I have four or five Animal Collective records ...

so, I'd say Animal Collective are cool to see but you have to be in a certain mood. Stereolab is more of just a normal good show.

― Renard, Monday, 19 December 2005 02:31 (twenty years ago)

Short version: Animal Collective.

Long version: If you're the sort of person who'll be deeply bored and disappointed if Animal Collective turn out to just crouch down and make long weird noises for an hour and a half, go see Stereolab. (I haven't seen AC since before their whole new "song" phase, but from what I hear the live shows still definitely trend in that direction.) Stereolab I haven't seen since like 1997, but they're quite good live -- you get a whole new sense of how much the songs are live-band creations, as opposed to "just" studio music, and it can almost even change the way you listen to the records in future. But as an exciting creative force they're definitely kind of on the downward curve, and you can get that whole "they sound like such a band" feeling by listening to their radio sessions discs.

― nabiscothingy, Monday, 19 December 2005 06:37 (twenty years ago)

Excuse me for differing, but I've seen Stereolab 3 times....The first was amazing, including a 20 minute mind altering substances on more of an intimate/personal level song....The second time VERY disappointingly dull show with bad sound...The third time (last year), really really good.

I saw AC early on and though they were some local kids who just got high and played the same 3 notes for 40 minutes. There weren't even noises. Maybe they've grown since then.

....so ya....Stereolab

― peepee (peepee), Monday, 19 December 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

I'd say both, but if you can only see one, as of 2005, go with Animal Collective. I saw Stereolab a couple of years ago. It was a good show, but not spectacular, and the band seemed to be going through the motions a bit. But they delivered good music, and I had no complaints, either.

I saw Animal Collective last month, and it was one of the best live shows I've ever been to. The bad played a varied set (including quite a few things I didn't recognize from their albums), the musicians were truly in synch with each other's playing and bringing the music to a high energy level, and, best of all, the audience was responding to the music phsyically -- when AC started playing "The Purple Bottle," everyone in Webster Hall exploded in a dancing frenzy. It was something to see, but even better was being part of it.

― James, Monday, 19 December 2005 14:36 (twenty years ago)

Stereolab

― corey c (shock of daylight), Monday, 19 December 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

Animal Collective

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 19 December 2005 18:04 (twenty years ago)

Stereolab puts on a throbbing show, as dug during Mars-era, but I'd much rather see Animal Collective right about now, though yes, there are mighty fine stretches of guitar-less ambient noise, which are mighty fine. maybe it'll hinge on your chemical level...

― imbidimts, Monday, 19 December 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

there really isnt much sense in seeing stereolabia now is there?

moving right along now...

(don't get me wrong ive realy enjoyed them the times i've seen them..but if you havent seen AC you owe yrself something there)

― bb (bbrz), Monday, 19 December 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

i've seen neither live. stay home.

― O RLY? (eman), Monday, 19 December 2005 19:13 (twenty years ago)

Did I see a different AC???

― peepee (peepee), Monday, 19 December 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

there were shows earlier on that wouldn't appeal to everyone. i've seen a couple "bad" ones...but that was, in certain ways, "a different AC", yeah

― bb (bbrz), Monday, 19 December 2005 19:18 (twenty years ago)

I saw AC early on and though they were some local kids who just got high and played the same 3 notes for 40 minutes. There weren't even noises. Maybe they've grown since then.

I agree completely with this, and I only saw them a year ago. Unless something has changed, liking their records has nothing to do with liking them live, I thought they were awful. Stereolab is always great (maybe slightly less great w/out Mary but still great).

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 19 December 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

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