Has it really been two weeks already!? Whether you’re jonesing for more of those Field of Vision vibes or still nursing a bad case of FOMO, we’ve got you covered. Join the KGLW.net team as we offer up musical highlights and personal reflections from what was an otherworldly weekend of music and community. From the campground to the main stage to the couch and all points in between, we’ve tried to capture as much of the FoV experience as possible. Have your own memories and opinions to put down for posterity? Navigate to one of the festival’s setlists and click “+ Add a Review” to share your thoughts.

Field of Vision: Concept and Execution (recap by @photon.obscura)

The band left us with a myriad of musical highlights to discuss, but I want to focus on what I took away as the overarching theme to this celebration by starting with examining the name of the festival itself and how it tied into their overall intent. As usual, they let the music speak for itself…and it did. For this event, the band had a specific vision to deliver that was focused on all the right things.

To start, examining the festival's namesake song provided plenty of reasons as to why the event was given this title. The song "Field of Vision" is referential to their journey up to this point in time. The lyrics beg the question, “Am I an offering to the God’s in the ring?” To me, this statement goes back to the original reason we worship Rock Stars to begin with: they make numerous, untold, and sometimes the ultimate sacrifices so that we can all partake in the exaltation of live music. The sacrifice is what gives them the god-like status we bestow on them to justify the worship. They quickly follow this by telling us, “All the blood, sweat, and the tears that we put into everything. Year after year we're still here.” This seems to further cement their acknowledgement of sacrifice and work that led up to this event. There’s a touch of looking back throughout the lyrics, but it’s all well-laced with gratitude for their present moment.

Recent interviews conducted with the band while they were in Buena Vista have shed some additional light on their approach for this event. They stated very simply that they wanted to throw a festival that they would want to attend. They recalled their younger days attending their local Australian music festival together and how they took pieces away from that to bring forth their own version of this. They chose a setting where everyone could be as transfixed with the CO mountain terrain as they have been. We’ve heard a lot about set and setting over the years, and this was the right choice as the location was a great primer for everything else to come. Not only did they deliver three of their own marathon shows, they gave everyone the ultimate gift which was to share the artists that they personally enjoy and support with us. In my mixed up world, one of the great joys of life is sharing important music with others and when others share their explorations with me.

The band curated an exceptional mix of artists to perform over the weekend. They also found a way to execute this where the music was not just an afterthought to a larger party. The music genuinely was the party. Sets early in the day gave us perfectly ridiculous experiences such as Jello’s spoken word performance. The main stage acts prior to their shows were well-paced, allowing for the audience to actually digest the performance. The late night acts were absolutely perfect choices for a psychedelic tree-lined stage that glowed in the night as everyone attempted to unwind from the main event. There were not multiple loud competing stages happening, there was focus. To me, this gave everyone an opportunity to actually listen, to breathe, and to most importantly discover something new. It seemed nearly everyone I talked to found something to explore that they were not very familiar with before. For me personally, I left to find myself spinning Babe Rainbow albums on repeat in the days and week(s) following the festival. I also found myself researching Pearl Charles and trying to figure out how I could hear the dripping late night performance again. I started hounding my taper buddy to track the openers’ sets out and get ‘em posted already!....and he did. (In the interest of sharing - check those sets out by @puffanug on archive - if you also want to hear them again.) Everyone I spoke to had some sort of new artist takeaway or something that spoke to them. So for me, well done and mission accomplished. KGLW has been no stranger to packaging concepts and this event was just another example of fantastic execution that combined music and community. They clearly had a vision for their inaugural festival and it was an overwhelming success. The atmosphere was relaxed and celebratory all weekend and I know we all look forward to whatever they have to offer for round two. I’ll leave you with the opening scene to their contribution to the weekend and can’t help but wonder if it turned out looking as they had originally envisioned it.

A Vision of the Real America (recap by Lucid)

For a lot of people, Field of Vision was a beacon of hope during a dark time in the state of our country. It served as a reminder that community is possible if we put in the work to build it. Over the years, the fanbase has grown to become an inclusive community held together by our passion for music, arts, mutual aid, and a desire for change in the world. Field of Vision represented a milestone for the safe space that we came together as a fanbase from all over the world to build. Anywhere you looked, you could find a friend and someone who also had been touched deeply by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. The majority of time in the concert world, there is an amount of escapism from reality where everything is love and light, all the atrocities are nonexistent, and there’s no mention of our privilege. Yet, King Gizzard fans don’t shy away from speaking up and using their voices for those who cannot speak. Every night of the festival ended with a Free Palestine chant. In a world where saying that you think every person deserves the right to live is considered radical, it felt reassuring to be surrounded by people who believed in the same thing. Sometimes this world has a way of making you feel crazy for believing in justice and peace, but the fans at Field of Vision reminded me that there were thousands of people out there fighting for the same cause I was. Even though I’ve been to protests before, hearing people use their voices to shed light on tragedies (despite it being in their free time of celebration) demonstrated how there are people out there standing strong in their values, regardless of whether it’s convenient for them or not.

One of the moments that stuck with me the most was Jello Biafra‘s spoken word set. It was a mix between stand-up comedy, poetry, and a rallying speech. He said: “The hijacked unconstitutional government of the people by corporations for corporations must be overthrown… must be over-fucking-thrown !! We’re not fighting against the constitution. We’re fighting to keep it. Somewhere out there is what the late folk singer, Phil Ochs, called the real America and I agree that there is something in this land, in us, that is worth trying to hang on to. It ain’t all gone in the past with the old school or the summer of love. Go out and find it. Feel it. Touch it. Create it. We are the ones who refuse to knuckle under and become militantly stupid. We are the ones when people start saying culture war, that they can’t have us and they cannot defeat culture, especially our culture.”

I found the spirit of the real America that weekend at Field of Vision and I will never forget it. Surrounded by mountains and beautiful people, I found the America that is worth protecting. I believe everyone that weekend found something to be inspired by and take home with them to keep them going through the tragic unprecedented times that we’re in.

For me, I found my glimmer of hope not only in the values of our community, but also in the creative expression prevalent throughout the fanbase. There is a reason they call it the weirdo swarm. King Gizzard has provided us with a place where we can truly be ourselves and let our freak flags fly.

We mirror the creativity of the band. We can choose what we want to be whether that be a drag queen, gnome, wizard, dragon, cow, or just ourselves!

I feel so blessed with having the opportunity to capture the essence of the scene through photography. Field of Vision motivated me as an artist to believe in myself. It reminded me why I started taking photos in the first place, to show my perspective of the beauty all around us. Now I know it’s also so we don’t forget what’s worth fighting for.

A Tribute To Heaps Keen (recap by TimelandIsWacky)

I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it to Field of Vision. I really thought about some way of making it happen but it just wasn’t in the cards for me. I can’t complain, though, because the streams ended up being incredible. I could go on and on about how fantastic all the shows were (and how much I need Jay Weinberg/Argus and King Gizzard/Jello Biafra collaboration records), but I want to give a shout-out to Heaps Keen and the rest of the stream team that made the three days possible.

Heaps Keen has really been a welcome presence since the 2024 US tour, and over time I’ve noticed how much they’ve honed their craft. The first streams were rough, as to be expected, but as the year went on we saw new cameras, great cinematography, and experimentation through their pre-show reels. 2025 kept building off of that, and while some venues certainly made it difficult with bad internet connections, it was clear throughout Europe ‘25 that they had gotten it down. I forget what stream it was, but they hinted that they were planning something big for Field of Vision and they weren’t lying. It’s one thing to pull off just a two-hour show, but it's a whole other thing to cover two of the three stages over the fest’s three days while also creating pre-recorded segments the day of for intermissions. Having a larger team certainly helped but I can only imagine the tribulations the stream team had to go through behind the scenes to show everything essential. The sound was dialed in, the video was crisp, the added visual effects were trippy. Each artist had a fantastic spotlight and while there would sometimes be an unavoidable scheduling conflict preventing one set from being shown, you would most likely see it during the GizzTV segments. It never felt like I had missed a big moment which was fantastic.

Everyone worked hard to bring this entire thing to fruition and it shows. It all paid off. I would have gladly paid to watch this but we got it all for free. That’s unheard of for a band of this size, and it shows how lucky we are. Not just to have Gizzard, but to have a crew of talented people who continue to build upon what they had already done to give fans an amazing experience. Thanks Heaps Keen and everyone who helped these streams happen!

A Whirling Recollection of N3 from K.G.L.W. (Outro) to the Finish (recap by AlteredBeef)

All of FoV was worth a note, when the band was onstage or off. But for my part of this omnibus, I’m focusing on the latter half of Night 3 when Field of Vision felt most like home.

As "Billabong Valley," a jammed-out version, ended and I heard tinges of "KGLW (Outro)" and then, yes, it was indeed "KGLW (Outro)," I had to leave my spot in the woodchips to wander. DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN. I stomped it out. Trudged it out. Let that sludge swallow me. I moved among the crowd feeling like an uncaged giant.

On Night 1, I was locked in 15 yards in front of the board. I didn’t leave the spot to empty out or refill all three-plus hours. But by Night 3, the whole crowd felt cozy. The whole place felt like the best spot. Whirling through to Sense is when I became a dust city dust devil. Where would I go next? Let the world decide. Ambrose’s side felt right and I spun in closer for table time. There, everyone was dancing.

By "Daily Blues," I’d found a spot behind the board open enough to frame the show. The people there danced harder than in any other spot. I let go of all possessions and flew through clouds of love. And truly it was.

All weekend long I found familiar faces, friends old and new, connections, ecologies of love and life worth whatever it took to be there together. No cellular signal meant I followed my heart, trusted I would find my people, and I did. The beauty of going back and forwards at once struck me during "Float Along" and "Tap." Hold tight to those you love but also freely let go, reach, writhe, allow yourself to fall or to fly.

FoV recap by Yoshigem

From August 15, 2024 to August 17, 2025 I attended the lion’s share of concerts that King Gizzard played—60 out of their last 67 to be exact. Why, you might ask? Well, I saw them for the first time at Red Rocks in 2022, and while I wasn’t necessarily late to the party, I found a wealth of incredible recordings of shows and really began to dig deep into the live side of things with Gizz. I had discovered them in 2018 after hearing legends of their fivealbum year, but remained a pretty casual fan until I finally caught them live over four years later. While at those first Red Rocks shows, I met some gentlemen from Oklahoma City who encouraged me to stay with them on Halloween for that upcoming show. I live 15 minutes from Red Rocks and while that alone is pretty awesome, it wasn’t much of a journey to get there, so feeling impulsive as ever, I bought two tickets at the show and told my girlfriend at the time that the next day we were going on a road trip for Halloween.

I have no jam band history or background whatsoever—I thought my dad liked the Grateful Dead growing up because his ringtone was “Touch of Grey” but when I circled back about it years later, he made clear that that was actually the one Dead song he did like—so diving into fan recorded tapes was a pretty new thing to me. From November 2022 to June 2023 just about all I listened to were fan recordings of King Gizzard shows (I had fully exhausted the studio discography and ‘official bootlegger’ releases in the time from the first to the third Red Rocks marathons in 2022) and that last month I hit the road following the band from CO up to Washington state for their residency at Remlinger Farms and down to Los Angeles for the marathon show at the Hollywood Bowl. This experience really cemented the direction I had begun to go in and I pledged two pretty crazy things: follow the entire next US tour and go to Europe to see the band perform in 2025.

On June 20, 2025 I returned home from following the band around Europe and with that (and the exception of three shows in North America I didn’t really want to make it to) I had completed those big lofty goals I had set for myself in 2023. But it didn’t really feel like the closing of any chapter. The reason for this is that while on tour in 2024, I started hearing King Gizzard were going to host a festival in Buena Vista, CO where Billy Strings held Renewal. Maybe my Colorado bias is showing, but that idea is ten times cooler than going to any other state or country to see King Gizzard to me. It was game time as I scrambled to put together any last money I could and pump out as much tie-dye clothing to sling on Gizz lot come August. Preamble out of the way, Field of Vision was everything I ever wanted it to be and more, and the greatest King Gizzard weekend ever and all of that. But there was one part of the weekend I treasure about all the rest: the performance of “Her and I (Slow Jam 2).”

It felt like the band had been building to an epic performance of “Am I in Heaven?” all summer with the constant trickle of teases throughout the Phantom Island tour, beginning with the first intermission jam in Philadelphia. However, in a move of classic Gizz misdirection, the longest performance of the weekend was a different song from I’m in Your Mind Fuzz. Probably playing on that expectation, the intro sees the band playing around primarily with the two songs’ shared riffs, with only Lucas firmly in “Her and I” until Stu begins singing.

The band quickly launches into familiar riffs and major key jamming. Not too far into the jam, Joey begins launching bluesy leads, prompting Stu to play sharp, cutting leads of his own. The jam settles into a groovy, wah-heavy section before growing into a funky, danceable beat that sees Joey once again take the lead. A second verse breaks through and resets the energy as the second jam veers in a more deliberate and trippier direction. Joey’s soloing still drives a lot of the jam here but more complex rhythmic ideas from Stu and Cookie build to a cacophony as Stu calls for the “Amby bit” key change—played a little more distorted than usual here. A final verse and then a delightful outro jam with teases of “Monkey Disco” (Babe Rainbow) nails the finish on the first Field of Vision’s premier performance. And that was the moment it all came together for me, the moment the journey I set out on in 2023 closed. I wasn’t even sleeping in my bed but that was when I returned home, never to be the same.

FoV recap by Andrew Reitz aka Pieces on Discord (Gizz Tapes Android App)

My summer began with an unexpected layoff, which immediately put all my music-related plans on hold. My new, strict budget meant that a major festival like Field of Vision was out of the question. My focus was on enjoying the nice weather while spending as little as possible, until the fall when I’d start looking for a new job. That was, until a friend texted me, he had an extra spot in his glamping tent. I immediately jumped at the chance, only later realizing the offer didn’t include an actual ticket to the shows. Already committed, I started planning how to make the journey affordable. I decided to drive, allowing me to pack a cooler and a camp stove to avoid the exorbitant food and drink prices.

The Tuesday before leaving, I came down with a terrible cold and seriously considered bailing (I’m so glad I didn’t). I’d already packed the car, so I pushed through the long drive from Minnesota to Colorado on Wednesday, masked up around my friends, and hoped for the best. It was absolutely worth it. The festival grounds were stunning; a creek ran through the entire area, which was a complete game-changer. At most festivals, I feel like I’m just trying to survive the heat until evening, but here, I could actually enjoy the entire day lounging in the water or relaxing in the shade. Entering the venue was simple, and I found great spots to listen: on the hill to the right for the first two nights and behind the soundboard for the last. The sound was fantastic, the light show was incredible, and everyone I met was genuinely kind and respectful. It was such a positive experience that I’ve been telling all my friends about it and am already planning my return next year.

FoV recap by rsprochaska

What an inaugural year. What a community. I have never felt so many positive vibes at one show/festival. The crowd, the acts, the whole setting. Everything was amazing. The weather was picture-perfect. The chance to meet multiple kglw.net site members in person was incredibly gratifying. Night one saw the “Mind Fuzz” suite that I was chasing for close to a dozen shows. All three nights of synth sections were some of the absolute highest peaks of the Gizz shows. Night two would bring out “Empty,” the final song on the Mind Fuzz album that I had yet to see live, something I never, ever expected to say. The weekend would gift us with both “Slow Jams” and “Float Along,” three songs that wrestle for my top five favorites of all time. Night three was the peak for me, almost like each night got progressively better. Everything about night three was quintessential Gizz through and through. Acoustic, metal, synth, microtonal, awesome psych jams, all done in drag… wow. The crowd dynamic and a recognition of tragedy in the community were things only a band as genuine as Gizz could provide. The culmination of the weekend came for me with the synth performance of “Sense,” my white whale, the greatest of the great that is sorely underappreciated and under-performed.

Hannah Cohen announcing her last song “Draggin’” brought back memories of mishearing Stu at Salt Shed 2023 say ‘try again’ and everyone in the crowd heard “Dragon.” I thought she was about to do a pop cover of “Dragon.” The next night was further déjà vu when Gaye Su Akyol announced their song called “Anatolian Dragon” and I immediately believed this would be the time we get a microtonal “Dragon” cover. Neither occurred, but the guest sit-ins of Jello Biafra and members of King Stingray were far more unexpected and far more enjoyable.

The true MVP’s were the water refill stations. The coldest, freshest water always streaming at the drop of a bottle, scattered everywhere around the festival. The biggest drawback of the festival was the lack of sound at the Timeland stage. I thoroughly enjoyed the acts and setting of the stage, some more than most of the rest of the weekend, but standing just on the periphery of the crowd made multiple performances inaudible from lack of decent amplification.

Hopes for 2026 include more of the other acts Michelle manages! Ty, Mac, Osees, any of them! The primary hope is for the no-repeats rule to continue at Field of Vision. The list of songs to pull from untapped in 2025 is monumental. I hope next year is as monumental as what we were gifted in 2025.

What Field Of Vision Means To Me (recap by Rattle)

Field of Vision was a sublime experience on a variety of levels. From hassle-free travel, to excellent camp neighbors, to incredible music from KGLW and their roster of guests, it was overall an ideal trip, which makes it really hard for me to pull out some highlights!

My crew landed a camping spot just a quick walk from the main stage's west entrance, from where we could clearly hear Thursday’s soundcheck as we assembled our tents. "Superposition," among other Nathan-centric tunes, really caught my ear. I'm one of those weirdos who mostly prefers the band's studio output to the live shows, so I'm always hungry for deep-cut debuts. Before the European residency tour, I would never have imagined "Superposition" making it to the stage, but there I was a few months later staring at beautiful mountains, chatting with neighbors, and soaking up the amazing FoV vibe as the band worked on the song just a short distance away. (Another soundcheck highlight was a brief run at Neil Young's "Unknown Legend.") I deeply wanted to catch "Superposition" and was rewarded on night one of the fest.

Fast forward to the final songs of the third night, and my second wish was granted. On my plane ride from Detroit to Denver, I remember thinking: "All I really want to hear is "Float Along - Fill Your Lungs." Little did I know the sorrowful circumstances that would surround its performance. To hear 9,000 concert attendees go breathlessly quiet as Stu paid tribute to a fallen fan, and then to hear those same 9,000 voices chanting "Matt" in unison, over and over, well, it still gives me goosebumps, and damn it if I'm not tearing up a little. Which brings me to my byword for the weekend: community.

Everywhere I went, I found friendly faces, some familiar and some brand new, but all of them smiling. I brought 100 Planet B stickers with me to hand out and it became the highlight of my trip. If you did something nice or polite for me or someone in my vicinity, I probably handed you a sticker. If you had extra-fly dance moves, I probably handed you a sticker. If you complimented my less-than-fly dance moves, I probably handed you a sticker. If you stood in line near me at the p(doom) record fair on Friday morning, I probably handed you a sticker. If you handed me a sticker, that's right, I probably handed you a sticker! All weekend I noticed everyone getting along. I didn't hear an unkind or rude word exchanged. I saw people working together and helping each other out. I saw the world I want to inhabit: a place where all feel free to celebrate their individuality, to speak out for justice, and to express both joy and grief collectively. The challenge now is to bring that spirit back with us: to our blocks, our neighborhoods, our cities, our counties, our states, our countries, and the whole fucking world. I'm doing my best to wake up every morning and remember that temporary but sacred and special place we all built together. I can see everything we can be in the music.

FoV recap by Birds

Jeez, what a fun weekend! It felt absolutely magical to get out into the mountains and just relish in so many moments together. I felt so lucky to be able to spend the majority of my time there with a loving partner, old friends that gathered around from across the country, new friends that joined the fun, and the wonderful folks I get to collaborate with for kglw.net. My weekend was jam-packed with… well jams, but also just unending social love, cheeky antics, many laughs, a few scares, insatiable excitement, long-awaited meetups, constant smiles, dusty eyes, delicious food, and a sore back!

After coordinating plans for months, seeing everything come together and unfold into what was clearly to be an unforgettable weekend was nothing short of amazing. All of us had certain ideas of what King Gizzard could deliver, but I really think no one expected it to be like that! I personally remember each show feeling like a true marathon and always wondering how they could top what they just performed. Yet, they still found a way. Even after the festival, they still left so much on the table to foster excitement for 2026…

One of the festival side quests I decided to take on was to utilize the recording equipment I had been slowly gathering for the past year or two so I could tape the shows. With the gracious guidance of a few of the more experienced tapers, a generous father who had spare microphones lying around the house, and a thirst for archiving media, I made the plunge into the tapers’ section.

My setup consisted of a Zoom H6 Handy Recorder, a pair of Rode NT5 microphones, my old backup cellphone (Galaxy S10+), a 20,000ma battery bank, a rats’ nest of charging cords & XLR cables, various clamps/mounts/stands/unions, fluffballs, and smiles. You can check my audio recordings for each show on tapes.kglw.net under the taper name ‘Birds’! I had brought out my old cell phone so that I could try and get a single still-cam video of the whole event. As much as I love seeing Stu’s blackheads up close from six different angles, sometimes it's nice to see how Galea unfolds the magic behind the band! You can check my feeble attempt to do this with the following videos which I have synced to the audio I recorded:

Night 1:

Night 2:

Night 3:

While I am very happy I was able to actually execute on achieving my goal of capturing still-cam footage each night, I was a little disappointed with how grainy the videos were. Maybe this is just the motivation I need to drop a bit of coin on a video camera with a real lens for next year…

FoV recap by Listening Wind aka Drew Savage

Field of Vision. What can I say that hasn’t been said already? In my 49 years on this Earth I’ve seen and heard a lot of live music, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything quite like this. The joy of being part of a community of like-minded people for a few days is something that I will never forget. The experience has changed me as a person; I feel more like myself than I ever have and more able to meet the challenges of the world with confidence and a level head. I feel a profound gratitude for the experience and its effects on me, for the band and the fans, for friends old and new, and to be alive when all this is happening.

After spending the days leading up to the shows thinking of what they might play, what I wanted to hear, and what I wanted to cross off my Most Common Not Seen list, all such thoughts were instantly wiped away as soon as the music started. I could go over musical highlights, but the true highlight for me was being able to truly surrender to the flow and feel the joy of the experience. I felt the opening song by Roberto Mukaro Borrero tie the music to the spirit of the land, which was a feeling that recurred intensely enough to bring tears to my eyes several times throughout these three days, then the opening notes of “Gamma Knife” tore open a portal to a realm of unknown joys and fears; a realm of pure creativity. The place where music comes from, if you will. The legendary Carlos Santana has been quoted as saying that music is water and he is the hose it flows through. This was like a tap directly into the wellspring. I knew beyond doubt at that moment that we were in for something special, and I was not disappointed. From that point on, any thoughts of specific songs were gone for me and I felt a pure joy in the music that has come to me at times over the years, but never quite in this unique way. Being in that place, at that time, with the people who were there with me, was something very special that I don’t know if I can ever truly express sufficiently in mere words. It was an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. Beyond that, all I can really say is SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!