Arenas & Sheds Concerts Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective @ Merriweather Post Pavilion

WASHINGTON, DC - July 9th, 2011 - Avey Tare, Geologist and Deakin of Animal Collective perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The band named their eighth studio album after the venue.  (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post)
Ever since Animal Collective named their 2009 album after the Merriweather Post Pavilion amphitheater in Columbia, MD, anticipation has been high for the band to play a show at that venue. Last week that finally came to pass.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 9th, 2011 - Avery Tare and Geologist of Animal Collective perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The band named their eighth studio album after the venue.  (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post)

I didn’t expect much as far as lighting for this show and I was definitely right. The band decorated the stage with all sorts of glowing props and relied on them for most of the stage lighting. There would be the occasional colored wash but those were few and far between.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 9th, 2011 - Geologist of Animal Collective performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The band named their eighth studio album after the venue.  (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post)

The stage props also hindered sightlines, making it virtually impossible to get all four embers of the band into the same shot. Knowing this, I focused more on trying to capture the vibe of the show than to get “action” shots of the band members. The backdrop, a multi-colored, glowing skull, made for a good backdrop and was well lit, so that became the centerpiece of many of my shots.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 9th, 2011 - Avey Tare, Geologist and Panda Bear of Animal Collective perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The band named their eighth studio album after the venue.  (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, DC - July 9th, 2011 - Avey Tare, Geologist and Deakin of Animal Collective perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The band named their eighth studio album after the venue.  (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post)

Full photo set below. As always, click on any photo to purchase prints.
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Animal Collective @ Merriweather – Images by Kyle Gustafson

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