Recommending the very best live King Gizzard audience recordings.

Thank You, Tapers!

As creator of the King Gizzard Live Spreadsheet and KGLW.net collaborator, Brent (@Gizzhenge here, /u/(yebrent) on Reddit) has a valid claim to having listened to the most live King Gizzard of anyone (outside of the band themselves and their touring crew). These recommendations are the best combination of complete recordings, in high quality, of the band in their top form.

August 22, 2018 - Manufaktur, Schorndorf, Germany

This is an outstanding recording from John Porno. There is also an archive.org version if you prefer. Prior to 2021/22, there are few recordings of King Gizzard all out jamming. In a rare moment this soundcheck evolves into a wonderful, improvised jam before formally kicking off the show with Digital Black. The rest of the set is dripping with the residual energy from the opening jam. Late in the show, The Balrog, Robot Stop, the ending of The Wheel and the closing 20-minute Am I in Heaven? particularly stand out.

May 20th, 2022 - Agora, Cleveland, OH, USA

This is a high-quality recording from Mystery Jack. The crowd comes through clearly, but it never seems to diminish the performance. A group of hard charging songs kicks things off, and 3 songs in the crowd singing along with Planet B is an early highlight. The sing-along (in a good way) resumes for Her and I (Slow Jam 2) which then launches into one of the best jams of the tour before transitioning beautifully into another crowd sing-along on Sleepwalker. Perhaps just as wild is the Sea of Trees -> Hot Water played later. There are two live debuts with Presumptuous and The Grim Reaper, plus The Dripping Tap closer made it a huge night for Amby on vocals.

October 23, 2022 - The Anthem, Washington DC, USA

This recording by Alex Leary is one of the best sounding audience recordings I’ve heard. It's a solid show too, opening with the live debut of Hypertension, after teasing the song at several prior shows. Leah Senior narrating The Lord of Lightning is an early treat along with the high energy Mind Fuzz suite w/ Alter Me teases. Self-Immolate is monster Fall 2022 version that includes the metal jamming that seems to have led to the PetroDragonic album. The microtonal set is a longer one with outstanding versions of Static Electricity, Straws in the Wind and Rattlesnake. One of the craziest Float Along - Fill Your Lungs closes things out.

March 2nd, 2023 - Zenith La Villette, Paris, France

This is an outstanding audio and video recording from Altered Beast Broadcasting (aka Streamus on Facebook). The European tour opener might be most remembered for the Hells Bells intro to Hypertension, but there are other highlights: The Rattlesnake opener gets pretty nuts, as does Wah Wah > Road Train. The run of Hypertension, Lava, Iron Lung and Work This Time will have jam fans drooling. Work This Time and The Grim Reaper are among the best ever versions, with the Grim Reaper featuring an amazing synth outro jam. Magenta Mountain has loads of synths too. The trio of metal songs are perfect closers to a wild show.

August 29, 2023 - Le Bikini, Toulouse, France

This is an outstanding recording from PH. There is some crowd talking in the quieter parts early on, but fortunately King Gizz doesn’t stay quiet long. This is a no microtonal show. The opening 5-songs from Nonagon are superb, with Robot Stop and People-Vultures extended quite a bit. Mr. Beat has a wild tempo change rare in Gizz jams before transitioning into a Hypertension that Joey subsequently banters “...might’ve been the best Hypertension”. A lively Garden Goblin precedes another huge highlight of the night, the epic “jazz odyssey” of Changes which Joey again calls a best-ever version. The high quality continues with a crazy good run of This Thing, Hot Wax > Slow Jam 1. Saving the heaviest stuff is a great way to end, and this Gaia > Gila > Gaia is nuts.

Links to these and future Brent's Recs, highlighting the very best King Gizz audience recordings will be at King Gizz Live Spreadsheet. Make a recommendation for the next edition in the comments.