5/5 THIS SHOW WAS ABSOLUTELY KILLER! From the microtonal opening of Minimum Brain Size and Doom City through two of my absolute favorites, back to back, Static Electricity & East West Link. Right into a Daily Blues/Hot Water jam... I mean come on?! This is primo gizz and we're only 7 songs in! All the new tracks were terrific, Le Risque was a treat to hear live since I've been JAMMING out to that song lately. I also have to mention the sound was fantastic at this super cool venue I'd never even heard of before. The River was probably the show's highlight. Almost 30 minutes long, actually the longest version they've ever played, which was a trip to witness as the sonic vibrations melted my face off. I’m In Your Mind Fuzz is the album that got me into Gizz, so when they went from The River into a Mind Fuzz suite I lost my mind. The songs were just flowing through me at this point, then we get to the metal section: Planet B, Dragon, and one of my personal favorites, FLAMMMMMEEETHROWAAAAAA. This show was fucking awesome, I'm really glad I took a proper dose of edibles before they went on. Gilgamesh and Set were great, but don't make the highlight reel compared to the rest of this absolutely KILLER SETLIST!!! Amazing show. Long live King GIzz 👑 🦎 5/5

I was present at this show, and to see it as the highest-rated show on this site (as of 27th of September, 2024) is absolutely astonishing - my one regret is not picking up a poster while there, but I still have the complementary wristbands handed out by the Brighton Dome staff, as well as two LPs purchased there. Grace Cummings delivered a fantastic set, only two days after returning from illness. When the band came on stage, a huge grin grew on my face, as I eagerly awaited their first tune - I vividly remember the lightbulb switching in my head when I realised that they were strumming 'Iron Lung'. 'Mirage City' was announced as a debut, which had me very excited, as was 'Time = $$$' - it was only after the show that I learned that 'You Can Be Your Silhouette' had ALSO received its debut at the show. The performance of 'Silhouette' changed my view of the song, which I had previously seen as the worst from Sketches. They brought out classic acoustic tunes like 'Most Of What I Like', 'Let Me Mend The Past' and 'The Bitter Boogie', which I had expected, as well as performing 'Raw Feel' and 'Sad Pilot', neither of which I was familar with at the time. Sitting in the seats towards the top of the Dome, I had a fantastic view of the pit, who I remember being extremely rowdy during 'Hot Water' and 'Trapdoor'. 'Sense' and 'Slow Jam 1', both ten-minute-plus jams, came and went like a breeze - I hardly remember either of them, but I do remember them launching into 'This Thing', which I had originally recognised as 'The Bird Song' from the riff played just before-hand. Finally, as the night came to a close, they did something I never thought they would do, especially ironic for me as I had been joking all week about them playing a metal song at the acoustic show - they played 'Witchcraft'. My world turned upside-down, my grin returning once more (who am I kidding, it never left) and I was completely gobsmacked. 'Witchcraft' is now my favourite song from PDA, and potentially one of my favourite songs of theirs overall. This show was truly life-changing and I feel blessed to have been present.

First show my wife and I ever saw and it was incredible! Setlist is just perfect and The Indepenent is such a dope and intimate venue. Our ears were ringing for days. Mind Fuzz Suite followed by the River and Head/On Pill closer... just such an amazing first show and we had no idea they were recording a live album. Was awesome to relive that experience. 5/5

Excellent show on a hot September afternoon. The second of three shows in a residency, it comes on the heels of an underwhelming — but sold out! — Sunday night set. Sparsely attended, no doubt due to it being a Monday afternoon, there was ample room to spread out, have a picnic, dance, and get wild. The show opened with a healthy microtonal segment featuring five songs from three albums, including the year's first Anoxia and a highly enjoyable Billabong Valley that saw Amby scale the famously steep Red Rocks steps up to about Row 45, where he sang the first verse surrounded by the Swarm. Following the Microtonal segment, we were treated to an array of relative rarities played in a relatively rare way. The band was loose and goofy, cracking jokes and quoting Queen for no particular reason. We got a very nice Plastic Boogie, then Joey grabbed his acoustic and proceeded to lead the band in this year's first Tetrachromacy. He kept the acoustic out for, among other songs, this year's first It's Got Old, Myster Jack, Silhouette, and only the second God is Calling Me Back Home since 2015! We were then treated to a Mirage City sandwich, piled high with this year's first Dirt (only the sixth ever!) and healthy dollop of Work This Time. They finished the show fully electric, running through three new songs in quick succession to finally close it out with a choice Hot Water, full of quotes and teases as the very best renditions usually are. 

The majority of us stuck around for the late set that evening, so we had a chance to make some friends while the band treated us to the new Pipe-eye and Heavy Moss records played over the PA. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon! Even though the set clocks in under two hours, it features a well-curated setlist full of rarities and fan favorites. The relaxed atmosphere lent itself to some excellent performances and Red Rocks at about two-thirds capacity is just lovely. Couldn't have asked for a better day!

Elbow, Muddy Water, and Dragon were highlights. No microtonal songs. Not much jamming. Only one garage rock song that should have gone on a lot longer than it did. Too much unrehearsed material. Too much Jay Weinberg. WAY too much of the table without much payoff. Red Rocks is a beautiful venue, but a sold-out show there can be a bit of a headache. Hoping for less disappointing scene and less disappointing set tomorrow.

This was a killer show!!! My first Gizz show and I got to bring my dad with me!! He was a bit hesitant from me showing him gizz iver the previous few years, but from the moment the Dripping Tap kicked into high gear, he was grinning and dancing the whole time. Such a special night for me because of that. My dad is a fully converted Gizz-head now.

Incredible set list, incredible jams - LOVED Grim Reaper, them ausie boiz need to do more stuff in that style (carrying the beastie boys torch like no other act these days) Down the Sink was crazy too, everything was crazy, spectacular time!! Thanks Gizz!!!

This was an insane concert 11 out of 10, such a good time

Had seen the show in Rochester in the spring earlier in the year, which was an awesome show, but it felt like Gizz got 100x better as a band between this and now.

This show made Gizz feel like a jam band for me and I fuckin love it. Didnt think the set would mostly going to be songs from Ice Death but now those are my favorite tunes (+ the dripping tap, c'mon)

Magma was mind meltingly good, Sleep Drifter/honey are my two favorite Gizz songs to just throw on and they did not disappoint. Love yall

 

p.s. no idea how this show only has a 3.8 rating on here, this was an insane level up for the band

More pure magic!!! Attended the show the previous night too- when Gizz took the stage it was like i had never even left the venue from the night before.

Geese had an increopening set, wven threw in an Invisible Face tease during one of their jams.

Hot Water is the gift that keeps on giving, loved how it made a come back after Robot Stop and Am I In Heaven?

Murder of the Universe suite was mind blowing... given me much to think about even now a few weeks after the show 

Pure magic!!! Absolute joy of a time. Crossed so many songs off my bucket list. Loved the microtonal portion of the set. Gabby crushed the Nuclear Fusion intro!!!! Rattlesnake continues to run circles around my mind

This one really transported me to another place in (in my head at least). Absolutely gorgeous weather for the show, great vibes in the crowd

Incredible show from the band, my third of this tour and on my 25th birthday!!! Loved catching the electronic tunes at the end of the set.

There were some fans behind my partner and I and they bullied us and made us sit down, told us we shouldve spent more money to get better seats - not cool... we eventually found another space to stand and dance at the back of the venue. 

Her and I (Slow Jam 2) was absolutely incredible. Top Tier rendition that was full of tease's including Iron Lung, Ice V and Am I in Heaven. Song ended in a beautifully blissed out mayhem of climax. This is a must listen to rendition of the song. Whole show was damn solid with other highlights being The River which topped out at 20 min which Her and I also clocked in at.. I also really loved the combo of Shanghai, Blame it on the weather and Cut Throat Boogie all back to back to back.. go listen to this show. It's a great one for 2022.

This was my first KGLW show. I had been listening for a few years and had a ticket to the final Ref Rocks show in November 2022, but sold it to a friend whom was leaving town for the show. I had just started a new job a few weeks earlier which took away any energy and thought of actually attending a marathon show. I swallowed my pride and then something interesting happened, that winter my wife said she started listening to them while snowboarding and like that, new favorite band status. Fast forward a few months and here we are at the arrival of PetroD and my first show. I didn't know what to expect as I only had a few records and only heard a bit of them live. I had no idea the treat that lie in store. What a roller coaster of a ride this show was. Started off very metal and I thought my wife wouldn't like it, but she was digging it.  They took us on a ride with a pyramid behind them and they must have played all of the notes that night. Astroturf is my favorite song, so that was a major treat along with Hate Dancing. What can I say other than that was one of the greatest sets of music I have ever heard in 4 decades of consuming music, particularly live music. Here I am a year later having just witnessed the greatness again on the rocks. This time, Jay from Slipknot came out for LeRisque and more. Holy B'Jesus these guys are amazing. To top IT all off, Trey was feeling out at this show and was presented with a Phish inspired Gizz shirt taboot. What a night for live music! 

Forest Hills II was the third show in three nights to start the tour, and the second consecutive marathon show. In some senses, these first three shows can be grouped together as the launching pad for the tour. Things began to shift a bit (perhaps two nights later in Boston, for sure the night after that in Portland) but these still lay down a marker for King Gizz's ambitions for this tour. For my money, the opener in D.C. is the best pound for pound show of the first three, but this night in Queens is also jam packed, so let's get into it.

The flutter of Stu's flute gets us going, and there's an extended lead-in to Hot Water, with the band in playful mood. In fact, the Hot Water riff itself doesn't materialize until the 4:00 minute mark (I'm listening to the Bandcamp recording directly from the band). From there you get one of the honest-to-goodness best version of Hot Water you're likely to hear. It's blows right through it's 12 minute runtime, and lands in an equal not Robot Stop. It's a tease-heavy version, throwing in quotes from at least five other Gizz songs, and segueing into the tour's second version of Ice V.  Like the D.C. version from a couple nights ago, this Ice V focuses more on chunky guitar riffs than dancey grooves, but it smokes nonetheless.

After a great Bitter Boogie, we get a suite of Flight b741 songs, which is a feature of these early shows on the tour, and that's chased by the always enjoyable Hot Wax. 

The metal set follows, and that peaks with the Dragon > The Great Chain of Being pairing. Dragon is such a wild song to play live, and I'm always sort of just impressed that they can pull it off. And The Great Chain of Being is a treat in a metal set.

After a supersized Motor Spirit, the band hangs out in Slow Jam 1 for a bit, which unspools slowly and delightfully. The Billabong Valley features Ambrose crowdsurfing on an inflatable gator and quoting The Clash, which sounds awesome when I type it out but no doubt was a thousand times better to witness in person, and an unfortunate drawback of reviewing shows only through the audio and/or YouTube videos. Remember, kids, nothing beats being at the show in person. 

I consider the Han-Tyumi suite an absolute treat, and I hope to catch in person one day. Not sure how to review it other than the band absolutely sizzles all the way through. Am I in Heaven? could be one of the best Gizz closers. Such a great way to end the show. 

All told, this one is a heater of a show, and a nice cap to the opening three-show run. I'm excited to listen to the evolution of the band over the coming weeks, too, since I know what's coming. Nonetheless, it's quite a start to a tour. 

Highlights are Hot Water, Robot Stop > Ice V, Dragon > The Great Chain of Being, Slow Jam 1, MOTU suite, and Am I in Heaven?

After a hot opener in D.C., King Gizz moves to the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens for the first of two straight marathon shows. Would they bring out the synth table for its first North American appearance? Would there be a special guest?

Well, how about a straight-up banger of a three-hour Gizz show?

They open with the debut of Field of Vision, and then Daily Blues, a true blues-rock stomper that promises to be a live staple for a long time to come. Cut Throat Boogie then brings us back almost to the beginning with this fan favorite from 12 Bar Bruise.

The Nonagon Infinity suite that follows gives us Gamma Knife > People Vultures > Mr. Beat, with my favorite part coming in Mr. Beat, with a swirling organ section that twists it's way graudally into... Boogieman Sam! Great transition, and Boogieman Sam sees Amby get to play blues frontman over some great guitar work by Joey, before landing in Work This Time. If anyone wanted a break by this point in the show, the opening notes to Work This Time are about as close as you are gonna get. Because from there, the let the slow build of Work This Time crescendo with some acrobatic, Zappa-esque soloing from Joey. In fact, the whole band is a runaway freight train at this point. 

Are you tired by this point? If so, what were you expecting from a Gizzard marathon show? Because they follow it up with the Mind Fuzz suite and This Thing, all great versions and much what you'd expect. 

The next section is metal, and Self-Immolate leads off with Cavs being something a show-off. It's a typically heavy version. They chug through Organ Famer and Venusian 2, and close out the section with Gila Monster and Flamethrower. It's intense but fun. My only gripe is I'd love to hear that ending part of Flamethrower in concert at some point, but small potatoes. 

The show ends with some microtonal songs. I say "ends" but it's damn near an hour of music left to play, starting with one of the show highlights in Straws in the Wind, the vocal showpiece for Amby. The back and forth between Amby and Stu (with his throat singing) is fantastic. It's an excellent version that you should check out. Pleura through Nuclear Fusion really scratches the microtonal itch, for those who love these songs. To bring it all home, we get Rattlesnake and K.G.L.W. to send the assembled Gizzheads home with dazed smiles on faces. For those who were planning to return the next night, Gizz had another three hours planned. 

Personal higlights are Daily Blues, Mr. Beat, Work This Time, Self-Immolate, and Straws in the Wind. 

 

King Gizzard doesn't do warm-up shows. There is no gradually settling into a tour, getting their feet under them, feeling things out. No, King Gizzard will punch you in the face from the opening drum roll and not let up until you're stumbling out into the night, trying to collect your wits.

The Anthem is the opening show of the 2024 North American tour, and it's a statement of intent. The Dripping Tap is quite a way to get things started. This 21-minute version is all about the energy. They drop into a loose jam around the 6:00 minute mark (coming out of Ambrose's second vocal section) that really simmers, with some excellent interplay between the guitarists and Amby's harmonica soaring above. This verison of the Tap is well worth taking a drink from.

Iron Lung continues the jammy feel to the evening, and leads into a run through several of the new tunes from the recently released Flight b741 album. It features the debut of Antartica, and run-throughs of both Raw Feel and Sad Pilot. Although not technically debuts, for most in the crowd this was the first chance to hear songs they'd just gotten a taste of from the studio album. As a sign of things to come, the Flight b741 section is pure rock n' roll fun. 

Somehow, the best stretch of the show is still to come. Kicking off with a fiery version of Evil Death Roll (though when isn't is fiery?), the band really hits its stride with the Ice V -> The River pairing. Ice V is guitar heavy, with all three guitarists adding color to the middle section, and some Amby sax fills for added color. This bleeds into the jumpy opening notes of The River. Any show with The River is going to be a good one, and this version doesn't disappoint. Stu and Joey traded licks, while Cookie hooks into the rhythm section for a propulsive blast of energy. To top it all off, we get Crumbling Castle -> The Fourth Color.

From here, the show reaches its homestretch, and that means it's metal time. Supercell, Mars for the Rich, and Motor Spirit all combined to scare of those in the audience who were faint of heart. If that wasn't enough, Gaia, complete with drum solo, bring the show to its logical conclusion. 

As this tour rolls along, the band will try new experiments, play acoustic shows and marathon shows, and find a space for a synth table. But as a tour opener, this D.C. show encapsulates everything you could wish for in a Gizz show. 

Personal highlights would be The Dripping Tap, Evil Death Roll, Ice V -> The River, and Gaia. But honestly, you should listen to the full show. 

This may be as close to a 'missing show' as this band has for the rest of their careers. Its unfortunate the cost to license the HBowl name means there will likely never be an official release for this show. I also heard the fact that Gizz went 'non-leased' and allowed the fans to bring in their own booze and food makes it extra expensive. But being able to bring in your own food and booze...

Hands down this is the best concert I've ever been to. My two friends and I brought in about 30 beers in a couple coolers, and each got our own sub from Ggiata's in West Hollywood. We handed out beers to the people we sat next to and got the vibes up. 

Eyes Like the Sky was raw emotion. You could feel how bad Ambrose wanted his dad on stage with him there, how much it wouldve meant for him. It also being one of the only times theyve ever played it special as well. Then they were like 'heres a song called Rattlesnake'

This was the first point you could sense the size of the crowd. Such a massive roar when they started this up. Pleura is my favorite microtonal song. Gaia>Gila>Gaia is a new classic for them to do. I was playing Witchcraft for my friends a bunch in the days leading up to the show and that was great to see live. 

Magenta Mountain set the stage for the cheeky Down The Sink and then a monster Astroturf. To this day no version of this song has come close to this one. All the different sections are tight, everyone has the keyboard parts down. Stu on thr flute. Cavs has a great drum solo while the band takes a group piss. Even by his standards this is a top one. Then the band comes back out and picks up in a speed metal-y jam for a bit. Really wish there was quality audio of this song especially. 

Iron Lung, Hypertension, Magma, Dripping Tap is basically just a massive victory lap for them at the end of their US residency tour. A showcase of the complex, high energy, genre spanning rock they do that makes them so special. They are so locked in through all 4 songs, Iron Lung->Hypertension is highly technical, swirling guitars around each other. Magma hits with the fury that the versions from RR and Chicago have. And Dripping Tap is the friendly wave goodbye until next time. 

I remember turning around and handing a beer to someone during Iron Lung. And I made eye contact with a guy about 5 rows up. The crowd had thinned at that point, for sure a lot of LA scensters who just wanted to say they were there. Anyway, I had a pretty clear shot to him and we connected on a toss five rows uphill, and its one of my very favorite memories in my life. 

I was there. It was an awesome show (my first). Our entire crew are now bound to the agreement that any time the band is within a three hour drive of Toronto we'll be going to the show. I was floored by the bands ability to flow between musical genres. The mix was perfect. One of the best shows I have been to in a long time!

5/5

In this field of chicken, we don't need no chicken, but we might have needed misters, fans, and ice packs. Amazing show despite the sauna like conditions. Excellent synth table start with Extenction > Theia. Such a seemless transition from electronic to straight up guitar raging by the end, punctuated by the extremely close train blowing its whistle at the very end. Amby was eating a bag of rotisserie chicken (bachelor's handbag?) the whole time and incorporated it perfectly into Field of Vision (chicken) and Bitter Boogie (chicken, chicken, chicken...). Incredibly cool to get a Super Cell (fitting based on the huge T-storm up until doors opening) and Gila Monster as a late set explosion. Closer was an awesome Head On/Pill that drifted into Dripping Tap territory a time or two. Hell of a show, Brown's Island was very cool, need a Mothership stop next time they come to VA! 

Long time fan, finally got to see KGLW play in my home state, woo!  The boys had a little more energy than usual throughout the show with the day before being an off day for the band.  Stu seemed to be bouncing around more this show than previously on this tour.  I saw both Forest Hills shows last month and the acoustic Detroit show too.  I loved the Mystery Jack bustout, was hoping for Intrasport, but I did get to see the Frankenstein board roll out - first time seeing that in person.  You could almost hear them learning from each other as they made the original beats, etc.  Lots of face melting guitars for sure and they gave us 2 1/2 hours of brilliance and fun for a very decent price.  What's not to love?  Fans were respectful on the floor too.  Great set.

This show was excellent. The opening Boogieman Sam into Hypertension with Ice V teases back into Boogieman Sam was such a great jam to open the set. The new songs were great live and made me appreciate the album even more. Loved Ice V > Antarctica > Flight b741.  The metal section did not disappoint with Gaia, Witchcraft, Mars for the Rich, and Converge! Pit was on fire! Inner Cell > Loyalty > Horology is always such a good suite! One of my favorites off Poly and they sounded great. The synth table made me appreciate TSC more and was fun, but FAFYL to close it out was epic. The dragon section was fire! Great setlist and show! Thank you KGLW for touring so much and the livestreams are so amazing! Gizzard Gang for life!

How grateful I am that they had the streaming experience dialed in for this show. I attended both nights of FH, and Im basically waiting for Stu to release the official SBDs from those shows to relisten to them because the streaming was rough at the beginning. Not so here. The Northerly Marathon also flows like the DMB shit laden waters of their river, where FH had some awkward pauses and general rust they were working through. 



dont get me wrong, the FH shows were great and I'll get to writing a review for them eventually, but after a couple relistens I am ready to put Northerly at least at the level of RR3 in terms of their marathon shows. I want to give it the edge simply because of how expanded the music selection has become even from Nov 2022. PDA, Silver Cord, b741, all of those albums shine in this show and work seemlessly with staples and long time favorites. 



Nonagon now has a fantastic place alongside the b741 stuff, with Mr Beat making for the perfect launching pad into their other bluesy tunes. Iron Lung, CC, 4C is just crushing. Dragon>Flamethrower I mean come on. 



MOTU suite, Silver Cord table jam and a Head On/Pill thrown on the end to make the full show 3h15m will go down in legend.

Very fun opening night at Forest Hills. Some of the songs seemed like they needed some rehearsing (particularly All is Known) but overall a great night nonetheless. Work this time Joey went to town. Rattlesnake and KGLW sealed the deal for a great night.



Faves of the night:

Boogieman Sam, Work this Time, This thing, Im in your mind series, Flamethrower, Rattlesnake, KGLW

 

 

What an awesome show! Band felt a lot tighter than the first night at Forest Hills. The new album songs played made me appreciate them so much more, they were incredibly tight and took them for a walk. You can be your silhouette was gorgeous. Amby riding the alligator during Billabong was so fun. Truly an amazing show.

Faves from the night:

Hot Water, Antartica, Silhoutte, Converge, Slow Jam, MOTU

For the nth time this tour, year, or whatever other metric of time, I found myself walking out of a King Gizzard show with my jaw on the floor. This show had a lot of tour debuts and rare gems but as always it's the places they took these songs that left me in awe. Plastic Boogie -> This Thing is all time. I love the way Slow Jam I and Sense teased each other even outside of the transition. Cavs was fired up and gave a super inspired Gaia solo and ridiculous The Book drum break. The b741 block was my favorites of the tour so far save for Detroit save for Detroit and the final sequence really speaks for itself. One for the ages, shows like these are why I end up in places like Newport, KY. Don't sleep on Fayetteville this November.

I really dug the acoustic set but from Straws on I wish it would have been electric. Setlist was outstanding. They are really kiling it this tour. Theia was a lot of fun and I really like Ambergris. The new songs are starting to work their way into my subconcious.

It cracked me up watching the security try to keep up with the boys as they randomly made their way through the crowd. It was like they thought someone was going accost the band. I guess it would help if the venue staff had a bit more information on who it is that is playing. 

They made that kid's day (and night) when they let him start off Nuclear Fusion. 

Can't wait for Edgefield and the Gorge!

 

My 17th and favorite King Gizzard show so far. The most intense and intimate night of music I've ever experienced. Theia was 'peak gizzard' in a classic way but Crumbling Castle was what this band is all about. The moment when Stu gets all shy and the show almost ends only for him to go 'No come on guys we got this' and for them to pull together and finish the setlist. Unreal. A band that never stops challenging themselves and is creating a work of art bigger than anything I've ever seen. It's no single song or album or performance or show. The work of art is the band. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, forever.

This show had magic beyond your typical show.  The weather was looking iffy all day.  The venue was located just north of the Logan Airport resulting in planes flying over behind the audience, a fitting backdrop for the new album released a couple weeks prior (Flight b741).  The band kicked off the night with the US tour bust out of the Table.  Gondii->Change->Extiction were played and jammed on with a lightning storm rolling behind the stage, but making no ground.  As the band played, the clouds kept rolling in.  After the tabel was rapped up with Grim Reaper, the band went into Supercell and as if they fought off the lightning lord on the horizon with the Table, they called down the rains with Supercell.  The rain didn't dampen any spirits, if anything the spectacle of the song with the rain energized the crowd even more.  Perihelion was a surprise with a fan named Timmy taking the stage and playing the song on Joey's guitar in tribute for his recently deceased friend (also named Joey).  Hell and Gila Monster were great, and the band once again struck magic with Magma.  Magma was performed with its usual ferocity and as they played the Super Blue Moon (no joke, that was the name of the moon that night) broke through the clouds of the horizon behind the audience.  The band comented on the light show the moon provided with planes landing over the audience at near by Logan airport.  All of the Flight b741 tracks were performed great, and Wah Wah was jammed on the River into Road Train to the crowd's delight.  The night ended with Hypertension and a FAFYL with a heavy metal jam that left the audience cheering and thrashing their heads.  This show with everything that happened weather wise, the fan participation with Timmy, the quality of the bands performance, and the excitement of the crowd made for a truely special King Gizzard concert. 5/5 and one that shouldn't be missed! 

A show that starts at the peak of a mountain but ends on a bit of a sloppy note. The opening Theia might be the greatest acoustic performance by the band thus far.  It was a surprise, played well, and had great jams that went to Wah Wah and Motor Spirit.  All of the tracks from Flight b741 were also fantastic.  After that the band really started feeling loose like they usually do with their acoustic sets, goofing off and cracking jokes.  From "You Can Be Your Silhouette" through "Minimum Brain Size" the band played a number of microtonal acoustic debeuts which were exciting and fun with lots of crowd interaction and banter.  From Rattlesnake onwards though the show took a turn for the worse.  The band kept up the goofiness and fun with the crowd but started really showing signs of inibriation with sloppy playing and singing, with songs coming to a complete full stop as the band got lost from one another resulting in confusion and breaks in the music.  An unfortunate ending to a show that started on such a high peak.

Instant Classic. This show is legendary and it is less than 24 hours old at the time I am writing it. Of course Stu crowd surfing and then diving into the nearby river and crowdsurfing back was outrageous and hilarious, but the whole show is quite energetic. The band was clearly having fun with each other and the crowd. Great versions of many of their classic songs... but new songs also were performed quite well. Amby's verse during Le Risque was a particular highlight. 

After a long and tough journey through what's considered some of the most flat and repetitive-looking land in the southern hemisphere, the sight of Deniliquin's Festival Site appeared on the horizon to my relief. A pilgrimage, if you will, made by only the most daring and excitable of Australian KGLW fans.

The day was hot and dry, 39C to be exact at around 12pm. This didn't stop the weirdo swarm from getting down and sweaty, by the time King Gizzard were taking the stage (9:30pm) the temp had dropped to about 36C - somewhat manageable without the sun being out. After an awesome day of other artists' entertainment and a fireworks show preceding the boys arriving to the stage, it was time to enjoy what we were all here for.

Something notable worth mentioning was the gear setup; many of the usual staple instruments used by the boys were replaced during this set: Stu’s iconic blue Yamaha SG-2A Flying Samurai was replaced with a white Yamaha SG-7, Joey’s usual flying V was replaced with a black Solidbody Holy Explorer and Stu’s Explorer was replaced with a Gibson SG of his own. The amps were also brought from home, with Joey telling the crowd he was using Ambrose’s old amplifier – this was the amp that failed during The Dripping Tap which saw Joey switch over to Ambrose’s keyboard.

The set started off with a groovy rendition of Boogieman Sam, which contained a bluesy jam speculated to include some riffs/motifs from the upcoming ‘classic rock’ album that’s been talked about recently. This opener went on about 8 minutes longer than the studio version and is worth a listen! After that, the boys launched into a face-melting version of The Dripping Tap, coming in at 20 minutes and including teases from Motor Spirit & The Funeral, and it also contained a jam section. As mentioned previously, Joey’s amp that he borrowed from Ambrose ‘blew up’ during this song, leading to those two switching places and Joey jumping on the keys. Something different compared to a usual performance of this song!

Up next was a very special performance of a song that was spiritually very close to this show’s location. Willoughby’s Beach was played pretty much bar-for-bar as the studio version is. A classic song for long-time fans of King Gizzard, this song was introduced with some banter from Ambrose about the smell of the water down there (“like Stu’s butthole”). Joey also teased the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Can’t Stop” riff just before this song to test his new amp out. Stu said it sounds like a Marshall Stack + Joey said it sounds like he’s in The Vines. At the end of the song Joey jokes “the good old days, when our songs were easy” and “we still fucked it up though!”

Straight afterwards, the boys slowly fade into the next song, jamming with a brief ambient soundscape until the intro chords and drum beat for Iron Lung are played. This was an awesome performance of a fan favourite which was played very accurate to the studio version and included some high energy vocals from Ambrose during the “frog breath, steam tent” verse.

Next up came the heavier section of the show, containing favourites from PetroDragonic Apocalypse, Infest the Rat’s Nest and Omnium Gatherum. This section of the show begins with Joey jokingly explaining to Stu the guitar tuning – “So you gotta drop the G# to an F#” and then some banter about how Joey taught Stu finger-tapping. Joey tells the crowd that his guitar idol is Steve Vai – this makes a lot of sense considering Joey’s intricate guitar solos that are reminiscent of those played by Frank Zappa/Steve Vai during their tours.

Witchcraft and Mars for The Rich got the heavier section going, both played with a lot of accuracy to the studio recordings. Joey shouted out Baker Boy (another artist playing during the festival) after Mars for The Rich and was praising his prolific songwriting abilities in relation to his new album – “he’s got 80 songs to choose from, he’s cut it down to 60”.

The boys then launched into a classic Gaia / Gila Monster / Gaia sandwich – with a HUGE drum solo to get the crowd cheering loudly for Cavs, the hometown hero. The other boys were sitting down on the stage during this solo, really allowing the spotlight to be on Cavs while they relaxed and played some chuggy riffs under his solo. This performance of the two songs together lasted just over 14 minutes and was met with a loud cheer from the crowd.

Next up was the Australian live debut of the classic single from PDA, Dragon! The crowd were singing the riffs + lyrics and getting into the moshpit with the infectious energy this song bleeds. Played very accurately to the studio version, including Joey’s fierce latin verse, this was a perfect way to conclude the heavier section of the show.

KG’s set finished up with one Microtonal cut, Billabong Valley, which was started off with a shoutout to Ned Kelly by Ambrose. Stu was shredding out and dancing while playing Ambrose’s keyboard as they did the classic keyboard/flying banana switcheroo. It had a nice little jam halfway through to lead up to the next section of the song which also saw Ambrose put down the flying microtonal banana guitar, removing the microphone from the stand in preparation for his descent into the crowd. That he did, as he came to the front of the stage before jumping off to be right in front of everyone after the chorus. Somebody threw a hat onto his head which he donned like a champion while belting out the rest of the song.

The show ended with Joey saying “that’s it from us, get home safe, don’t hit any roos” while Stu messed around with some trippy synthesizer sounds. Stu also said “we’d love to play more but they told us we have to go home now”. Rattlesnake was cut from the setlist after Billabong Valley, and Slow Jam 1 was also meant to be played after Iron Lung. Cavs came to the front of the stage at the end to throw out his drumsticks which was met with a huge cheer from the Deni crowd. That puts a wrap on the awesome performance which was well worth the journey. 

My first King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard show and on my 18th birthday! This set was full of energy and passion, from the moment they were on stage, to the moment they were saying goodnight. I listen to the MysteryJack Recording of this show A LOT. Probably way more than any other Live Set they have. This being my first Gizz show I had no clue what to expect but I went in hoping for a good time and I left with the biggest smile in my heart. The crowd was engaged for all of Gizz, but also for the incredible opener, Amyl and the Sniffers. I received many birthday wishes and as it turns out I wasn't alone in it being a birthday show! As Joey points out during the recording "This Dude turns 21, TODAY!" I couldn't help but feel so excited knowing I shared the experience of seeing a dope ass concert on my our birthday(s)! But that's enough of the fluff, now it's time to talk about the setlist itself. 


Opening strong with Digital Wax and a very fun twist into Hot Wax, back into Vomit Coffin! “Woah, did they really just link a song from Oddments into the MOTU suite?” This blew my mind all the way back in 2018. Back then I only really listened to the studio albums, so blending from album to album really was a treat. The Lord of Lightning was one of my friends favorite moments from the shows, and I knew it would be because they requested that I play that segment off of MOTU at least 3 times on the drive up to ATL. 

Cellophane/IIYM/Alter Me I/Alter Beast I is another one of those album to album blending moments. These 4 songs smashed next to each other really creates an interesting juxtaposition of mind control and becoming something that you aren't. I wouldn't have thought these songs flow into each other very well, but the band is full of surprises and this was the moment in the show where I really knew I could jam out and trust that Gizz does what Gizz does best: Play Music. (Fun Fact: I did bring a pair of 3D glasses in case they did play Cellophane, and I tried to wear them for the entire song but it was very difficult because of how much I was jumping and moving with the crowd. Still worth it, I got to hear the song about 3D glasses while wearing my 3D glasses for a good 30 seconds before I had to take them off.)

After Altered Beast I they took a brief break to grab THE MICROTONAL INSTRUMENTS!! As a huge fan of FMB and the other microtonal moments throughout their discography at this point, I was so happy to see the titular guitar itself. Rattlesnake shook me to my very core, fast and frenetic, the song really does sound like a snake about to murder you out in the wastelands. Then Billabong Valley... oh sweet lord. Ambrose really gave it his all for this performance, I managed to grab a few seconds of (very shaky) footage on my phone of this one. Sleep Drifter was a nice slow moment for the crowd to breathe a little bit, and looking at it from a modern perspective, it is such a treat hearing that Honey tease two years before the song was officially released. All Is Known, one of my all time personal favorites, comes in after Sleep Drifter to close out the microtonal section. I thought that this had to be the crowning moment of the show but I couldn't have been more wrong.

Because next was a suite of songs so great, so amazing, that it completely blew me out of the water. Crumbling Castle/The Fourth Colour/Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet/The Castle in the Air/Muddy Water. This section made me ascend. I really don't know what to say here other than go back in time and get a ticket. While they have done this set of songs on one of the 2019 Bootlegs (Paris), I personally feel like this performance was fresher and had more energy. This version of Muddy Water made me realize how much I love that song. I always enjoyed it, but this and the KEXP version may have helped push the song into my top 10. So maybe this is the crowning moment of the show?

For the last section of the concert I was hit with so much anticipation. As soon as they started to play The River I had one thought and one thought only. "Holy Shit! What if they play Wah Wah next....." Wah Wah is easily my favorite song off of Nonagon Infinity. Something about the simple chorus while the verses are full of arcane and sinister lyrics really gets me going! This was the actual crowning moment of the show for me. Honestly, they could've ended the show at Wah Wah and I would've been so happy, but instead the show kept going! Right into a fantastic rendition of Robot Stop. Even towards the end of the show the band is putting each and every ounce of their energy into their craft. Relentless and heady, they seemed to never stop for more than a moment before jumping right back into the groove of things. Finally, the last proper song (not counting the People Vultures/Some Context tease at the very end) was Gamma Knife! A real crowd favorite to end the show on. The setlist was non-stop, balls to the wall BANGERS.

This show changed my fucking life. Not only did it cement KGLW as my favorite band, but it really cemented that I wasn't alone in that feeling. Four days after this show I got the Nonagon Infinity symbol tattooed onto my left arm. I had wanted a tattoo for years before this, but something about seeing my favorite song off of Nonagon helped me realize what my first tattoo should be. I love this band, and this concert will forever be one of the most formative experiences I’ve ever had.

I’m fairly certain that this review isn’t very coherent, but I had to ramble about one of the best experiences in my life.

What a show! After a cancellation years prior, this show was, against all odds, worth the wait. A perfect first show hitting so many hits, old and new and not a single beat missed. This is King Gizzard at the top of their game and at full sprint on the first "normal" show of a legendary tour.

The boys had traveled north from their epic 3-hour marathon Berkeley set and were ready to rock. Roseland is a smaller venue in Portland, comparatively at least, and couldn't fit the larger screen they brought out for the rest of the. The tighter stage, minimal effects, and hungry crowd brought an energy from the early days and they kicked the night off hard with Gaia into Predator X - echoing the heaviness of the Infest the Rats Next album release party from previous visit to that same stage.

The heavy riffs of the openers continued into Magenta Mountain, showcasing an excellent example of how their live shows can improve and build on already great songs. I never knew Magenta Mountain could rip so hard. This nearly 10 minute version peaks with a shredding guitar solo and synth jam that kept the energy in the room electric.

Following was a slight reprieve with a tight and psychedelic Poly trilogy, Inner Cell > Loyalty > Horology. Caught in a trance, the crowd was transfixed and transported into Polygondwanaland. This, Rattlesnake, and Garden Goblin (LOL) were my biggest requests for the night and hearing those first few bars of a less-than-likely request solidified this as all time show for me.

Next up was a new one, Ice V, one of two singles released so far on Ice Death. This was most of our first forrays into the new "jam era" and they delivered. These jams are relatively new in the rotation and you can hear the fun they're having on stage playing together with such ease.

The hits continued with Blame it On the Weather and Hot Water leading into a crowd favorite (or..my..favorite?) - Garden Goblin. Cookie mentions how much he misses his dog, <3 , and Cookie provides a perfect 3 minute soundtrack for the room full of dancing goblins.

We then get a (nearly) double debut with Iron Lung - the single having been released earlier that day - and Magma - previously unheard. Two absolute bangers back to back. While this debut of Magma sounds closer to it's album version than the sprawling heavy jam epics it has grown into, it was truly a special treat to have been in the crowd for the debut of one of a now all time favorite. The energy in the room from the subtle start and throughout the explosive build was like nothing I new sleepy Portland could bring on a Tuesday evening.

But they weren't done there. "This song is about snakes" sent the room into a frenzy as the opening riff to Rattlesnake rattle rattle rattled us to our very bones. The official count is 7 teases in the absolute magnum opus of a Rattlesnake medley. I beg you, dear reader, take a listen to this nearly 16 minute monstrosity of a song (as of writing, the longest and potentially most tease-heavy version to date). 

I send all my love to Mystery Jack for his excellent recording of this show and others. Give it a listen - you won't regret it!

That sure is a way to start the tour. "Am I In Heaven?" is a pretty reliable jam but this one was really something else with about a twenty minute runtime. So much going on in that one. Then we get to the metal stuff (specifically PDA) and right out the gates is the debut of "Flamethrower." While I'm somewhat disappoitned they cut the outro, the rest of this was great and as heavy as you'd expect. I like how Ambrose's vocals back up Stu in it. There's nothing too unique about "Witchcraft" and "Supercell" but they're strong as they usually are, minus a lyrical flub in there somewhere. The highlight of the night (for me at least) was the "Crumbling Castle" > "The Fourth Colour" at the end of the first half. While these are often very strict in regards to how the band plays them (due to the progressive rock nature of these tracks), the band ended up jamming these a bit, especially "The Fourth Colour" which goes way longer than the three minute blast that it usually is. It's such a fun listen. "This Thing" is where our second half starts and there's a jam here too, taking influence from ZZ Top. It's cool. I remarked this when watching the show but usually "Iron Lung" is a highlight in a show, a peak even, but here it actually feels like the low point. I think that says a lot about how wild this set was. There's a great transition into "Hypertension" which is pretty good but the way we end up in "Work This Time" is crazy. This version is great and takes from what was heard on the previous tour. It's the last big peak of this show IMO. "Magma" is good but pretty much what I expected and "Float Along - Fill Your Lungs" is cut short before it can spread its wings. Good version that isn't given the time it needed.

While both "Doom City" and "Minimum Brain Size" were on the setlist, I'm ultimately happy with what we got. This was a great start to the tour with a number of key jams that will be worth revisiting.

This was my first show. It was in a paved lot adjacent to McCarren Park that was housing the Northside Music Festival that year. For whatever reason, this show was free (maybe Northside was always free?) and included an opening set by Gizz, another band with Mac Demarco on bass, and the Oh Sees. We got there early because we wanted to see Gizz mainly because the name was so funny. We had never heard any of their stuff. But my friend had a freezer bag full of canabis cookies that we had acquired from a former cancer patient who had recently gone into remission - so they were some strong ass cookies. Anyways, the day gets a little fuzzy but Gizzard rocked hard, although I remember us thinking that they were a bit repetitive (an aspect of their music that I now appreciate). Anyways, it was one of those perfect days in Brooklyn - great weather, great tunes, great edibles, and great friends. We must have given out half of the bag of cookies. The crowd was feeling it. This show has become one of "those shows" that I reference when talking about "the good ole days." Shows like that don't just happen in NYC anymore. It harkened back to the beloved McCarren Park Pool days. Anyways, I didn't see Gizz again until Baby's in 2016 when the ceiling was collapsing on Stu. The band's sound was sticky raw and fierce back then. The vids of this show prove it. 

First time seeing the boys live! Was such a wild night. Got crazy close to the front - was clutching onto the barrier to save myself (and my spot) from everybody going nuts behind me while they played heavier stuff from Infest The Rats' Nest at the start of their set. I'm writing this five years later and still have a vivid memory of being at the show. Couldn't stop myself from smiling even after I got back home. Truly one of the best moments of my life!

In my mind it's hard to beat 2016 Gizz just out of energy alone. Sure, sets aren't as wild as they are now but there is such a hard edge to it all that makes it wildly infectious. This show at the Independent is a great example. High octane psychedelic rock that kills time and time again. It's flawless. Glad that they filmed and released this one, it's one of those that you just crank up and lose yourself in.

Cabaret Vert '16 is a band firing on all cylinders. One after the other, each song builds and builds with intensity leading to some of the most powerful moments this band ever had on stage. The show is largely focused on Nonagon Infinity material and it rips all the way through - occasionally taking a break for "The River" and "Hot Water." It is fierce. 

There's many shows that could be the best they ever performed. We could argue about some sloppiness here and there. That said I can't think of another that melts my face like this one.

This entire show smokes, and the recording is top level.  Came in to write this review just because of the Head On Pill.  30+ minute monster that is destroying me right now.  totally forgot it was still the same song halfway through then comes the cellophane.  Am I In Heaven quotes, even though I keep thinking Altered Beast.  Stu takes a seat for some great improv, this segment is fantastic.  Rattlesnake tease is kinda predictable but no one is complaining.  Great flute work adds another dimension, then Joey takes over but it doesnt last nearly long enough.  There was a great lepreuchan dance type jam going.  Ate the Wrong and back into Pill, and Cavs with the drum machine from hell beat to peoperly rip the head off this monster performance.  Outstanding show

(Copied from my Weirdo Swarm Profile)

 

Truly phenomenal experience seeing one of the longest sets of the tour in the midst of the October 3 album run. The boys kicked the door down with Perihelion and the vibe was awesome, you can tell Stu just wanted to rock out for his bday. His costume was insane and continued to get wilder as people passed him weird shit to wear lol. Jason's "happy birthday stuart" graphic lives in my head rent free. Hypertension was a highlight for me as well. The Eastern is also RIGHT next door to my apartment so I was able to WALK! So sick. A night I'll remember forever.

(Copied from my Weirdo Swarm Profile)

 

The only good band that played Shaky Knees 2022 but the set was excellent. Great to finally be able to see the boys after having tickets to this one for 2 years. I'm not a fan of music festivals but it was a treat to get to see KGLW in my city and for a first show getting to hear the Nonagon Suite was a real treat.

(Copied from my Weirdo Swarm Profile)

 

N4 was a chaotic mess - Kamikaze Palmtree got booted because of lightning evacuation which sucked because every night they grew on me a little more and I was stoked to get that final set. Since this was the Sunday lawn show and tickets were more widely available this was definitely the show with the most casual fans which sucked because it was deep-cut acoustic jam night and many fucked up 40 something dads were not having it. Everyone we got shuffled out and back in with during the evacuation with was obnoxious as fuck and when the show was over and we were on our way out down the foot path people were so blitzed they were making me and my wife miserable. Lots of ignorant comments about Kamikaze Palmtree too - even if they aren't your thing, do you really need to slander them loudly to the 40 people who you're shouting around? We had good spots on the lawn behind reserved seating and these tall motherfuckers posted up right on the slope in front of us so we couldn't sit in our lawn chairs and vibe. Don't get me wrong, I threw my ass the 3 nights prior but this was supposed to be chilllll. Everyone in front of us was being distracting and obnoxious and I heard a few folks behind us make comments like "that was the song of all time" and "was that long enough or what?" like, dude. I paid hundreds of dollars to see these shows. Sorry you weren't quick on the trigger to preorder ANY of the other nights. This is what you signed up for coming to an acoustic lawn show on a Sunday evening. 

The set was fantastic, Stu was def fucked up and just waving his arms around having a good time and acting silly. Heard some bucket list songs like Muddy Water, Trapdoor and The Wheel and closed out the night with Her and I which was super special to my wife and I since we played it at our wedding. Han-Tyumi the Confused Cyborg acoustic was so fucking weird you couldn't help but scratch your head but it was exactly the kind of extra special treat you'd never expect but totally worked. Ambrose dedicating Let Me Mend the Past to his dad was very sweet and Cavs came off the kit to give him a big hug... a very special thing to witness. Loved the set, the boys were on fire - but get better, gizz fans.

(Copied from my Weirdo Swarm Profile)

 

This was an unexpected highlight of the weekend and prob my favorite set of the weekend. Before the boys even came out the amphitheater was buzzing (I would describe it as beautiful, serene, picturesque). Kamikaze Palmtree killed it outdoors and the Saturday crowd seemed to vibe with their music much more than the Thur/Fri folks. As the Strawberry Moon crested the trees in the distance the whole crowd started howling at the moon. It was a beautiful site. We were with some friends and their 3 kids so we were comfortably sat about 3/4 back from the stage but still had great spots and the sound was incredible. Gizz came out dressed like beautiful southern belles to celebrate the recently overturned drag ban which was thoughtful and meant a lot to my friend's 14 y/o nonbinary kid who said to me before the set "If Ambrose comes out in a dress I will literally ascend out of my body right here". They lost their mind! Amby of course had an outfit change because if 6 gizzards wear dressed you know 1 of them will wear TWO dresses. Though I'm not as deep in on the microtonal catalog it was immediately electric as soon as Rattlesnake started. I danced my ass off for almost the entire set. Straws in the Wind was the highlight of the microtonal portion of the set for me but they boys were tight and sounded great from the moment they played the first notes of the set. Witchcraft debut was insane and even outdoors on the lawn the crowd was engulfed. It was purely electric and the by the end the entire crowd was going nuts. I got to hear a personal grail, Boogieman Sam, which kicked off the back half of the set which was alllll jam. Closing out the night, the first lick from Head On/Pill sent shivers down my spine. I could have cried. A perfect end to a perfect night.

(Copied from my Weirdo Swarm Profile)

 

Where as N1 was the Nonagon night, N2 was all Mind Fuzz. I've been waiting 4 years to hear Cellophane and it did not disappoint. Though initially my wife and I didn't have tickets, we lucked out and a friend got us on Lukey's guest list so we enjoyed N2 from VIP which was a once in a lifetime experience as well as TOTALLY different from seeing the show from the rocks in the back. Both equally awesome experiences but I'm glad we got something totally different. Converge ripped the room apart and Astroturf deput into Garden Goblin was an unlikely highlight and much needed moment of respite from the intensity of the rest of the set. The crowd in VIP was a bit mixed but what can I say, I have never felt at home among the bourgeoisie.

(Copied from my Weirdo Swarm Profile)

 

Night 1 in the cave did not disappoint. Kind of a "greatest hits" of the heavier catalog, I would give it 4/5 if not for the fact that this was a PERFECT set for the setting. I sat on the rocks in the back with my wife and made tons of friends. We prob had the best view in the house outside of VIP and really got to take in the cave ambience. Super Cell debut had my brains on the back of the cave wall because that shit blew my mind. Gila killed as well - I thought the cave was going to implode from sheer chaotic energy. A night I will not soon forget.

audio/video could be better, but the show is complete.  I think my aud matrix is an improvement over the 2 sources singularly.  Strong opening with Mind Fuzz Suite, Cellophane gets this set where it needs to be and Planet B keeps up the intensity.  We hit a lull for a bit, but this Sea of Trees is great, it just grabs you, hot fire, love it., the background drone is the moment where something forms out of nothing, primordial, the oozing backdrop to greatness, all thoughts of audio issues are resolved, this was worth the wait/chompers from earlier, enter the clappers right on que.  shakes head and sighs.

 

An interesting jam develops toward the end of dripping tap, then we even get a Fame (David Bowie) jam.  Even after that the end of Tap is fantastic.  Dedicated to Cat Stevens?  

The Sea of Trees > Am I In Heaven? is really the high point of this recording, it really stood out to me, but the entire set is top notch.  There should be a few more  >'s in the setlist.  The audio quality could be better, but once you accept it for what it is this show is a pleasure to listen to.

Man, looking back at this setlist, there are so many great songs that I would love to hear again. To date this was the only time I heard Plastic Boogie, This Thing, and Beginner's Luck, and Stressin' and Cyboogie I've only heard one other time. Too bad the sound was absolutely terrible at this show. I have no idea what circumstances led to the band being booked at this awful venue, but you could hardly pick a worse place to host a King Gizzard show than this big empty concrete room. It's not even really a music venue - Setlist.fm shows that there have only ever been 2 other total shows hosted at this place. 

Before the show the next day (also at this venue) the band signed records at Amoeba in SF, and my wife and I were the last fans to meet the band. They asked if we were at the show the night before, and I took the opportunity to mention the bad sound. They said something like "Yeah, we know it's shite. We're about to go down there and do everything we can to make the sound better tonight." They had some success but it was like putting lipstick on a pig. Luckily I don't think we ever have to worry about them playing this place again.

Excellent show that suffered from some mean rain and winds which fucked with the sound arrays, at least where I was standing. Good thing we have the soundboard release now. Highly recommend the Gaia sandwich. Opens with Stu saying "try again" and the crowd goes wild because we all thought he said "Dragon" lol.

The Salt Shed run came on the heels of Dead & Company's last 2 shows in Chicago at Wrigley Field. The band attended the Saturday show (as did I, and it was astounding), and it sure showed in this River, with parts that sounded like Dark Star, Fire on the Mountain, Space, you name it. One of my favorite songs they've ever performed.

The Magma and EDR are also expectedly killer. Not a bad moment in the show, just bad venue sound due to weather.

I was happy to have the opportunity to head to Lille for this show, which is my only chance to see the band on this tour. Saw a bunch of Gizz fans cruising around the city in the afternoon, had some beers with some French and Belgian fans who were randomly at the same bar before the show. The bartender was curious so he threw on some Gizz as we were pre-gaming... a fun moment.

On to the show. L'Aeronef is a big box, almost feels like a giant shipping container. A bit strange as a venue, and very, very crowded (maybe 1500 to 2000 people crammed in there?). Very intense start...the front of the place exploded as they started playing and kept the energy high for the entirety of the I'm in your Mind suite. Cellophane was a highlight in that opening segment for me. Supercell and Converge seemed tight to me, although hard to totally tell when engulfed in the chaos. In fact, the first 50 minutes or so were non-stop and rowdy as hell, I stayed in the pit for most of it but had to evacuate when a crowdsurfer landed on me a bit funny during Witchcraft. Recovered with a beer and went to the back of the smallish room as Magenta Mountain was heating up. Ambrose summoned the powers of the Beastie Boys during Grim Reaper. L'Aeronef did not seem to be the best venue acoustically, so I spent a good part of the microtonal portion of the show trying a couple of different spots in towards the back. For me that part of the show didn't "pop" as some of those microtonal jams have the potential to do (perhaps I'll have to relisten if a recording pops up), but Billabong Valley was a treat. Ice V brought the jammy goodness. Finally found a sweet spot for the sound for the extended Boogieman Sam which was a ton of fun which finished with a huge "a wop bop aloobop a wop bam boom"! Then I couldn't help myself and had to get back into the pit for Dripping Tap, which was drawn out and intense. A circle pit formed and the crowd was in a frenzy. I was completely drenched with sweat (and flying beers) by the end! Super high energy in the front of the room. I hope that Gizz keeps playing these medium size rooms in Europe, but given their growing popularity I'm afraid they might be soon focusing on the Zénith Paris and Alexandra Palaces of the world.

Tldr: It was rowdy, I'd do it again.

Absolutely amazing night! We had the return of the Yo-yo mosh pit, Rowing down the muddy river, the river of people crowdsurfing during the river. The boys were kickass starting off with a sludge sandwich, Her and I was amazing and by the time we got to the end of the river I didn't think the night could get better until they finished with Float Along - Fill Your Lungs. Fantastic night!

 

Catch ya at Dusk or Dawn!

Set 1 of this show has keyboard technical difficulties.  Hot Water through People-Vultures isnt great.  The Microtonal Segment (KGLW Intro through KGLW Outtro) is the best part of set 1, Venusian 2 through MFTR is solid.  Set 2 is well played, but lacking in uniqueness until Dripping Tap.

Crumbling Castle gets the ball rolling, but the show hits liftoff during an unrelenting Venusian 2.  The fifth live version of Predator X is heavy, but short and acts as an intro for Mars For the Rich.  The crowd is amped and the band is into it.  The blow up alligator stands no chance as Amby climbs up on the speaker stack and poses like a gargoyle taunting the crowd.  Hot Water has an extended intro, and softens the vibe considerably, coming to an almost complete stop at one point, this might be due to a keyboard issue  It never really recovers, and just peters out.  Its noteworthy that Joey tries out the flute during the outtro, which is replaced by an extended spacey Shanghai intro.  The monitor feed addresses a keybaord issue which likely results in the abbreviated Shangahi, as they quickly move into People-Vultures.  Setlist should read People-Vultures > Mr. Beat > Persistence.  Mr Beat has Joey playing something unusual (I think its Joey)

A spacey segue into Persistence likely has more to do with attempting to remedy the keyboard situation, but once Persistance finds its groove we are back in business. We are at the 55 minute mark and this set still hasnt found its spot.  Enter Microtonal portion of the show.  KGLW (intro) > Oddlife acts as a reset of sorts as the band recovers from equipment issus, and gives it another go.  Oddlife is fairly standard, but gets Amby warmed up (Its an Oddlife, til you get it right) for Billabong Valley (which contains a Sleep Drifter tease).  Billabong recalls the energy that opened the show, as Amby is front and center with banana in hand while Stu retreats to keys.  Nuclear Fusion shifts Stu back to banana, and Gasbar is summoned for the intro vocal.    Consider notating Nuclear Fusion > Pleura.  Pleura is standard and well played, the crowd begins clapping and the band starts  KGLW outtro to conclude the first set of tonights 2 set marathon show.  

Time to suck some flourdie.  The Mind Fuzz Suite sounds great, there is a Dripping Tap tease before Cellophane. Stu plays flute before I'm In Your Mindfuzz, I'm not sure if this is typical.  Mind Fuzz Suite comes in at 13:00 in length, the entire thing is phenominal.   Plastic Boogie is concise, standard.  Amby works the crowd before Magenta Mountain, this version is well played, I didnt notice anything unusual.  Planet B is well played but fairly standard as is Gaia.  The River is dedicated to Ambrose's ass, it feels like an extended version. Blame it on the Weather and Work This Time both sound pretty standard.  Dripping Tap is an atypical, unique version

Setlist should read: I'm In Your Mind > I'm Not in Your Mind* > Cellophane > I'm In Your Mind Fuzz, 



*Dripping Tap tease

3rd ever Maraton Show according to Joey, although something about Venesuela 

Robot Stop > Hot Water > Big Fig Wasp > Gamma Knife, People-Vultures, The Garden Goblin, Let Me Mend The Past, Trapdoor, Sadie Sorceress, Static Electricity, East West Link, Honey tease > Sleep Drifter tease > Rattlesnake tease > Sleep Drifter > Rattlesnake tease > Honey > Sleep Drifter > Billabong Valley tease > Honey,  The Great Chain of Being, Planet B, Digital Black > Han-Tyumi el Ciborg Confundido> Soy Protein Munt Machine > Vomit Coffin > Murder of the Universe

Robot Stop opener (6:00), high energy clean transition into Hot Water (11:15).  Full speed ahead transition into Big Fig Wasp, this is killer. Flawless. clench teeth bang head! GAMMA! (15:40) stop in music before People-Vultures (20:00), audio degrades substantually during People-Vultures.  Trapdoor is extended, 2 flute sections, the latter seems unusual to me, but it might not be. Ole, Ole, Ole chant from crowd before sadie Sorceress, 37:00 start Sadie Sorceress  42:43 start Static Electricity, fun version wish the audio was better. East West Link takes us to a a whole lot of teases.   All Han-Tyumi narration is in Spanish

Audio and video of the entire show exist, audio degrades quite a bit during People-Vultures, but is still worth checking out for Tease Extravaganza after East West Link. length 1h 32min 34sec

LSSF First known appearance in 4.5 years, shelved since 12/11/17.  How can you not like this song? and this version is a monster at 15:20.   Gotta love the Lets Go Crazy (Prince) quotes before Dripping Tap.  This version of Tap hits all the right spots, upbeat, hyper focused, comes back around for a dirty second half, it just keeps going, and going, and going.  clocking in around 15:30. Woo Hoo Hoo!   Excellent version

 

this video cuts to Bitter Boogie. Sexual Healing quotes from Amby, 20:00

 

there is video of 50:51 of this show

my first show, most of it hangs out on the dark side

Starts off with the rare combo of Venusian 1, Venusian 2, this show comes out of the gate swinging, both are well played standard versions of under 5 minutes each.  Slow Jam 1 softens things up a bit and develops nicely with some Iron Lung quotes as a jammy vibe develops, stretching the song out to 15:30.  The band is patient, as they work their way back from the Iron Lung quotes, Amby provides a little Chicago shoutout, which gets a crowd response, but straight back into the earlier patient groove.  

Time to cash those cheques.  I was blown away by Grim Reaper at this show, its the first live lasting impression I have of Gizz.  Amby channels his inner Belushi and has the crowd in the palm of his hand.  White pants Aussie power move on full display, and the crowd is BOUNCING, led by Stu.  Oddlife, I really like this one, my live introduction to the banana.  Just forbodding enough to make it dangerous and enticing.  Amby on vocals and the pace quickens and ends in setlist malfunction.  Jimi Hendrix shoutout > The Book.  I appreciate the Oddlife, The Book combo immensely now, at the time, not so much.  The drum solo doesnt do much for me, but it is fun to see the band all get down and watch Cavs.  The drop back into The Book is amazing.  That was nice.

Doom City switches the vibe, but just for 30 seconds. Doom City is such a great song I forgot to make notes.  The debut of Lava, sticky like peanut butter.  starts off with an inspired and meandering opening, i cant remember if the album version is like this.  There is an eerieness to this entire show that is pretty well summed up in that Lava intro.  Its that fine line between danger and excitement, and the risk of getting caught, but just squeaking by, knowing that if you arent hurting anyone and you mean well then its fine.  And it builds, the cycle begins, and the light grows brighter, and its mysticism, and its progress, and its the inevitable. Wrapped up with Stu and Joey facing Cavs, always a good sign.

Ambergris, like a satanic lounge act playing on a cruise ship in hell, on a lake of Lava as mentioned previously in the setlist.  Joey nailed that solo, btw. They tell a story about Woodstock 99 before Preseumpous, but I cant tell what is being said.  The lounge act on the boat from hell is morphing, think caterpillar to butterfly, but who the fuck knows with these guys.  The most danceable groove of the night develops, and Joey summons some 1970's funkateers playing in double time.  Ambys vocals hit just right, the morphing is almost complete, enter the Lord of Lightning .

Leah Senior melds perfectly, and that eerie vibe is back in full force, only to enter a torrential rain, complete with a guy in the sky launching nonagon lightening bolts down on anyone unluckey enough to be below.  Lightning!  Woooooo!

enter The Balrog, the guitar lick before they go into it proper is great.  I really disliked this song at first, but its grown on me alot.  Well played version, Stu gets some nice guitar moves going.  This is 1 of only 2 with Narration by Leah, and its a fairly rare song to begin with.  A little trapdoor tease before it ends?

Iron Lung, only the 7th time played but already well on its way to being a setlist anchor, clocks in at 11:32, and just when you think things are back to normal, the eeireness is back curtesy Amby's vocal delivery and surrounding chaos, slowly workling its way back to the chorus? like the chaos of the last 4 minutes never happened.  great ending, great earlyish version of the song

FAFYL - The longest song of the night at 15:51, brings a finality with it.  Its a recap of the eerie and bizarre story we just witnessed.  But the perspective is of hope for the future, and is undoubtedly uplifting, in sharp contrast to almost everything else played tonight.  This is all the sunlight pouring out at once, its the final effort, twisting and turning, convulsing.  The translation of some deep cosmic stream of information, needing to be refined and translated.  Twisting knobs, pulling leavers, knowing you are not in control, and being unable to say no. Float Along Fill Your Lungs.  Breathe a Deep Breath.  the spaceship has landed.  done.

This is a masterfully written setlist, but I could definately see why people would avoid this show.  There is a multicam video of this show, and 2 audio sources.  I had this video on youtube, it is no longer there 

watching this one right after 8.19.23

06.17.08.19, no such thing as coincidences.

Robot Stop opener, sets the tempo, spurred along by some exceptional flute work from Stu, into Hot Water.  Although the playing is exceptional the confidence just isnt there, but the crowd is into it.  Hot Water just sort of collapses, but Stu tries to resusitate it with a flute outtro.  Some brief banter with the crowd, loses the momentum we had, but Amby's delivery on Grim Reaper lyrics quickly sets things back in motion.  This suffers from too many members trying to talk over each other, its muddled but we thankfully get back on track quickly.  Grim Reaper just sort of ends, enter Mars For The Rich.  The band is starting to gel, its impossible to not bang your head at this point.    Well played MFTR, but short, leads to a false start into Hell.  Hell is solid, perhaps brief, but leads into some vibe killing banter, take a step back people. 

Excellent opening to Planet B, gets the vibe right back where it needs to be, open your eyes and see!   32 minutes in and although the playing has been solid, the flow could be better.  The maybe 5 minute Planet B could have been stretched a bit.  The crowd needs some convincing about Tool it sounds like.  

Unpopular opinion, Gaia Isn't one of my favorites, and the band feels disjointed, everyone is playing well, but something is missing.  Cavs drum solo is well executed, and the second half of Gaia is superb, but leads into more awkward banter.  Magenta Mountain starts at 42 minutes in, so far flow is seriously lacking but the playing has been great for the most part.  Maybe its Stu's guitar, I guess that is the Holy Explorer replacement?   This Magenta Mountain is nice, its light and airy, and it rolls.  Maybe what has been missing is that this set has too much variety.  It feel like a bunch of songs rather than a set.  I am comng to appreciate Joey on keys much more than I have in the past, the band is giving each other room, but again with the banter.

Enter the Garden Goblin, 51 minutes in. and its over by 54:30, not nearly long enough for the Goblin to get into trouble.  Work This Time acts as the anti climax, slowing the pace to a crawl, its a great song, but only adds to the collection of songs being played tonight.  The Dripping Tap comes in around 11 minutes, and the band finally may have achieved cohesiveness, gotten over nerves, whatever.  The crowd is having a great time, Dripping Tap is getting the job done and the band is definately ending on a high point, but the path here was indirect and meandering. 1h 15min, great audio and video available of this one

Rock Music and Heavy Metal For Ya!

This is the set by which all other festival sets should be judged, a high water mark for appreviated sets.

Gila Monster is balls to the wall from the get go,  but a fairly standard 5 minute version.  Converge picks up right where Gila Monster left off, straight ahead, and in your face, the crowd is noticeably responsive, a nice change from previous festival sets this tour, its hard to say no to the relentless pounding of Converge and when it seuges into Witchcraft there is no turning back.  By the 16 minute markthe crowd is going full bore, pretty remarkable for a festival crowd.

Cavs builds tension as the pit expands and Joey looks on approvingly, Michael Cavanagh is a machine.  This Self Immolate makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, at the 21 minute mark the band is destroying everything in sight, Venusianly.  Auto cremate, self immolate. Like a bird in a cage; airostat-habitat. To motion I am slave. Give Me Hell I Want That!  Light em up Terry indeed.

Its only a matter of time before we get a Hendrix cover, but until then a heavier than normal This Thing just keeps the freight train rolling, Harmonica blaring, and hellish vocal from the conductor.  There's no stopping what this is and the crowd is clapping in unison still hanging on for dear life as this pause is only temporary.   30 minutes into the set and this is the set dreams are made of; and right on que, Dripping Tap quotes, fuck yes!  Absolutely rediculous, Joey screaching away on the V, The train whistle is a harmonica, and This Thing is back on the tracks after the drip Tap detour, no one misses a beat, all members firmly working in unison as the tempo keeps increasing, but then, drip, drip drip.  Fuck Yeah Mates!

Into Garden Goblin, pulsating ahead, and dispite being a massive change from the last 35 minutes, the attitude is still there, Amby is feeling it, and Cookie is boppin like a man that has located his dog.  Enter Hypertension, ok lets do it.  This is a band locked in, each of them look it, this video is fantastic, move over Bonnaroo 22, you are a child compared to this.  Stu and Joey face Cavs and they are both ripping it, see through backwards facing eyes.  Sticky red death, Woooooooooo!

This is an unrelenting Hypertension, and the crowd response to Stu, "Alright lets turn it down."  Enter guest Saxophoneist Oscar Carls.  and it ends, this crowd is 100% on board, a total 180 from 48 minutes ago.  "You Guys Keep Showing Up and We'll Keep Playing!"

 

Magma, a song that just keeps getting better every time it is played will close the set.  Cavs locked in, Stu arms in a V, victorious, they all know this set has absolutely destroyed, and this is the Magma on the Cake From Hell.   Oscar Carlos fits in perfectly, from a band that almost never has guests, this is an amazing treat.  As Stu screams "Immmmmmooorrrrrrrtaaallllll" the pistons continue pumping, and the six headed beast has grown a seventh head.  The final verse is reaching the crescendo of a set that has consisted of an incredible energy; the band crowds around Cavs , and they bring it to a close.  This crowd knows they have just witnessed something truely exceptional, 59 minutes and i'm left speechless, its that good.  

Seek out the proshot video, great sound and the editing on this is supurb.  It really doesnt get any better

 

Festival Set opens with a solid, high energy Dripping Tap, a great version, but fairly standard.  Iron lung slows things down and is a solid but fairly straight forward version.  Energy returns with Evil Death Roll, dark and dirty, although it heads into a rather bright jam on The Dripping Tap theme, EDR jam settles back into its dark aura, with a mighty howl by Stu, the way life should be, grinning ear to ear.  a pretty standard Ice V makes way for an uplifting and airy Magenta Mountain, which turns slightly ominous setting the stage for Amby's lead on The Grim Reaper "i want to smell your French sweat;" there you have it.  Grim Reaper is peppered with Amby quotes, as he channels his inner Mike D? Intergalactic Planetary.

The second Mars For the Rich of the tour puts us squarly back in EDR territory, which I kinda wish never left.  This is the hard pounding, nose to the grindstone Gizz that never fails to bring the heat, but this suscinct version pairs nicely with a powerful Planet B, which makes baby Jesus cry because its not nearly long enough, festival setlist, sigh.

The eighth live version of Supercell, makes me feel bad for Amby's little cymbol which is thrashed relentlessly as usual.  At the end a minor drum solo from Cavs leaves room for a brief five minute version of Gila Monster to end the show.  The entire set is just under 88 minutes, and proshot video of the entire show exists

 

 

 

This was my first King Gizzard show ever. I'm from Bulgaria and last year I managed to miss the Greece and Croatia dates for various reasons. I had lost hope and seeing all the reviews of the band's shows online was really bittersweet.

 

I had a really tough year in a personal plan and was crushed again when I missed the opportunity to go to the Milan date. When I saw the Padua date I was set - that's it, it was now or never. I've planned a trip through Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to get to Italy and see the guys for the first time. My plan was in jeopardy multiple times for another set of various reasons, but after half an year of bad luck - it finally turned around.

 

I can't believe that I just came back from my first KG show an hour ago. It still feels surreal. I love all King Gizzard albums but I always slightly leaned toward their heavier side a bit, so tonight's setlist absolutely melted my brain. Opening with Mars for the Rich was dope, following with Converge was just insane. Witchcraft and Self-immolate almost destroyed me and then a much needed breather came in with non other but Satan Speeds Up, which was a highlight for my friends who joined me, who were pretty new to the band.

My personal favorite of the night was Straws in the Wind - I like listening to this song from time to time but for some reason it never clicked for me. Until now. Amby absolutely slayed with his performance! This is a new high for me, when it comes to "songs being better live than on an album". 

 

Closing with the MOTU suite was just incredible and so unexpected. There were a couple of guys infront of me who almost detached their heads from headbanging and almost threw up from singing the lyrics to this whole section of the setlist. 

 

I went around before the set and handed out PDA inspired stickers. I met a lot of cool people, who love the band, which was also surreal as I live in a small city and don't really know any other fans there. Thanks to everyone for the positive reactions of having a fat guy, that you don't know, come to you and hand you free stickers, haha. 

 

Overall a magical experience that I will never forget! I wish I could attend more shows during this tour but unfortunately that's not possible at the moment. I am definitely looking forward to another European tour with dates close (even closer) to me next time though!

 

10/10

 

 

Note: originally posted on a blog as part of my series or reviews for the Residency shows I attended, noy necessarily aimed at just Gizzheads. Check out myampmusic.co for the full write up as well as others. 

 

The week of work between The Caverns and Salt Shed shows was the longest of my life. But before I knew it, I was on a plane to Chicago to meet my lone friend who decided to join me for the run. We had sprung for VIP tickets, which gave us an excellent view of the stage from our perch on the covered balcony.

The six musicians took to the stage ready to lift constant rain with some killer music. We got a quick flurry of mostly Covid era microtonal hits, with “Pleura, “O.N.E”, and “Minimum Brain Size” as the K.G. and L.W. picks. For “Nuclear Fusion”, Joey Walker (Vocals, Guitar, Microtonal Guitar, Synth) will pull someone from the band or the crowd to do the throat singing intro. This time it was Seb from the audience and honestly, not bad dude: good volume and reverb.

The microtonal instruments were retired and “Gaia” was up next, dedicated to John Mayer for some reason. Like at The Caverns, this version broke half way through into new track “Motor Spirit” before crashing back into the second half of “Gaia”. I enjoyed it just as much the second time. McKenzie’s guttural chanting clashes well with Michael “Cavs” Cavanagh (Drums, Gong) breakdowns during the quieter sections.

“The Great Chain of Being” came next and it was just hard and heavy, giving way to “Witchcraft”. I was still as pumped to hear this song, as they threaded it well into the set coming after deeper and slower “The Great Chain of Being”. For only the second time since 2014 (they played it at Red Rocks a few days before), “Satan Speeds Up” was the deepest of deep cuts that few expected this tour. This lighter song off hard krautrock album I’m in Your Mind Fuzz is neat to catch as a “song collector” but certainly not a standout.











If you don’t like repetition, “Trapdoor” isn’t for you. Like its microtonal buddy “Rattlesnake”, this sharp, fast little song features backing vocals from Ambrose Kenny-Smith (Vocals, Keyboard, Synth, Percussion) repeating the track title A LOT. Still, McKenzie’s flute and the crashing yet consistent playing of the other members makes this a weird song that’s also weirdly danceable.

Next, it was time for a float on the Chicago river. “The River” is a personal favorite of mine, so I’ll just say: go listen to this song already. Not much to write home about on this one however: just a good steady “River” with not many twists and turns in the form of teases or covers. This version very heavily featured Cavanagh on the drums, with percussion dominating many of the breakdowns (no complaints from me).

“Evil Death Roll” was the next 13 minutes, nearly double the usual length. It’s hard to describe what Gizz came up with on this one but wow, I was blown away.

“Magma” was back solo with no “Lava” this time. More upbeat than The Caverns offering, this “Magma” came with heat to drive off the rain. Huge guitar from the trio Nicolas “Cookie” Craig (Vocals, Guitar, Microtonal Guitar, Synth, Keyboard) Joey Walker (Vocals, Guitar, Microtonal Guitar, Synth, Keyboard), and McKenzie gave this “Magma” a more funkadelic feel.

To conclude the show was another favorite from The Caverns, “Boogieman Sam”. I know I said the last one was massive but apparently it was all just a warm up for the Salt Shed. Gizz crammed a dangerous amount of quotes and teases into this version. Its seem they are breaking tradition and playing more covers; perhaps we can start getting full song covers as they embrace the jam band feel.

At just 14 songs, this show was a jam slug fest. Once we hopped on “The River”, songs didn’t fall under ten minutes and I was all about the second half of the show. Microtonal openers can be hit or miss for me but when King Gizzard is just on it and they’re down to jam, it makes any show magical. At shows like these, some fans can leave feeling unsatisfied when 4 songs are nearly half the set but a Gizzard show can contain anything, love it or hate it.

 

Note: originally posted on a blog as part of my series or reviews for the Residency shows I attended, noy necessarily aimed at just Gizzheads. Check out myampmusic.co for the full write up as well as others. 

 

The week of work between The Caverns and Salt Shed shows was the longest of my life. But before I knew it, I was on a plane to Chicago to meet my lone friend who decided to join me for the run. We had sprung for VIP tickets, which gave us an excellent view of the stage from our perch on the covered balcony.

The six musicians took to the stage ready to lift constant rain with some killer music. We got a quick flurry of mostly Covid era microtonal hits, with “Pleura, “O.N.E”, and “Minimum Brain Size” as the K.G. and L.W. picks. For “Nuclear Fusion”, Joey Walker (Vocals, Guitar, Microtonal Guitar, Synth) will pull someone from the band or the crowd to do the throat singing intro. This time it was Seb from the audience and honestly, not bad dude: good volume and reverb.

The microtonal instruments were retired and “Gaia” was up next, dedicated to John Mayer for some reason. Like at The Caverns, this version broke half way through into new track “Motor Spirit” before crashing back into the second half of “Gaia”. I enjoyed it just as much the second time. McKenzie’s guttural chanting clashes well with Michael “Cavs” Cavanagh (Drums, Gong) breakdowns during the quieter sections.

“The Great Chain of Being” came next and it was just hard and heavy, giving way to “Witchcraft”. I was still as pumped to hear this song, as they threaded it well into the set coming after deeper and slower “The Great Chain of Being”. For only the second time since 2014 (they played it at Red Rocks a few days before), “Satan Speeds Up” was the deepest of deep cuts that few expected this tour. This lighter song off hard krautrock album I’m in Your Mind Fuzz is neat to catch as a “song collector” but certainly not a standout.











If you don’t like repetition, “Trapdoor” isn’t for you. Like its microtonal buddy “Rattlesnake”, this sharp, fast little song features backing vocals from Ambrose Kenny-Smith (Vocals, Keyboard, Synth, Percussion) repeating the track title A LOT. Still, McKenzie’s flute and the crashing yet consistent playing of the other members makes this a weird song that’s also weirdly danceable.

Next, it was time for a float on the Chicago river. “The River” is a personal favorite of mine, so I’ll just say: go listen to this song already. Not much to write home about on this one however: just a good steady “River” with not many twists and turns in the form of teases or covers. This version very heavily featured Cavanagh on the drums, with percussion dominating many of the breakdowns (no complaints from me).

“Evil Death Roll” was the next 13 minutes, nearly double the usual length. It’s hard to describe what Gizz came up with on this one but wow, I was blown away.

“Magma” was back solo with no “Lava” this time. More upbeat than The Caverns offering, this “Magma” came with heat to drive off the rain. Huge guitar from the trio Nicolas “Cookie” Craig (Vocals, Guitar, Microtonal Guitar, Synth, Keyboard) Joey Walker (Vocals, Guitar, Microtonal Guitar, Synth, Keyboard), and McKenzie gave this “Magma” a more funkadelic feel.

To conclude the show was another favorite from The Caverns, “Boogieman Sam”. I know I said the last one was massive but apparently it was all just a warm up for the Salt Shed. Gizz crammed a dangerous amount of quotes and teases into this version. Its seem they are breaking tradition and playing more covers; perhaps we can start getting full song covers as they embrace the jam band feel.

At just 14 songs, this show was a jam slug fest. Once we hopped on “The River”, songs didn’t fall under ten minutes and I was all about the second half of the show. Microtonal openers can be hit or miss for me but when King Gizzard is just on it and they’re down to jam, it makes any show magical. At shows like these, some fans can leave feeling unsatisfied when 4 songs are nearly half the set but a Gizzard show can contain anything, love it or hate it.

AWESOME AWESOME AMAZING ICONIC SHOW.

hearing the river, sleep drifter, nuclear fusion, and honey live KILLED ME. however i was revived by ambrose kenny smith's insanely powerful straws-in-the-wind swagger and also probably from the food he threw all over us. it's okay, i forgive him because he was super cool doing it. 

when the sun wasn't behind the enormous mountains, it attacked us so relentlessly that joey(and later stu) had to go shirtless. amby was visibly melting.

i couldn't see cavs well but he fucking KILLED it on the gaia solo and just in general. i love him. cookie and lucas were kinda in the shadows but they were visibly acing it. 

stu seems to fuck up the trapdoor flute solo a lot these days. i forgive him.

even though they apologized about it beforehand, it was hilarious to see them all forget the lyrics to crumbling castle and laugh about it on stage.

some amazing variety in the songs! magma was a super cool closer choice.

the ONE thing i didn't like was all the smoking around me but you can't help that lol.

OVERALL THE VIBE WAS AMAZING. they thanked us a couple times through the show and it was very nice :) unforgettable show!!!

Show no.10 from the 2022 American Tour.
April 24th 2022 - Live at the Alex Madonna Expo Center in San Louis Obispo, CA, USA.

The band gives an absolutely blistering and evolutionary performance at SLO.
Highly recommended tape for people wanting a solid early 2022 show.

The previous shows of this tour are quite interesting because while the band is going through the motions of updated setlists.
(with a slight emphasis on K.G./L.W., and soon to be released: Omnium Gatherum material)
There is a slow emergance of jam elements that would later go on to define their larger sound later in the tour and onwards.
It seems like many of the staples they used to play just like the studio versions, now have to be relearned and somtimes that comes with some expansions.
This show to me, is a key example of that force at play, as it contains two particularly brave extended jam versions that was nothing like we had heard before.
Those extended songs being The River and Slow Jam 2, and the explorations on both elevate this tape from most of the earlier 2022 shows in my opinion.

Robot Stop is an absolute rager as usual, this was the tour debut of the Nonagon Medley and they eld nothing back it seems.
Big Fig Wasp has some smaller mistakes that lead into some slightly improvised guitar runs and leads to a unique version.
Gamma Knife plays out as expected with a Some Context outro, Eric's lack of presence is seemingly not a deterrence.
Shanghai and Blame It On The Weather are just as bouncy as the album versions, if not more.
An energetic Cut Throat Boogie is present as a tour debut but was played earlier on march 5th in Melbourne.
The River here is a cut above the rest from the ones before it, it shares similarity with the bombastic Chunky Shrapnel version but amps it up with some light improv in the middle as the rhythm section plays a particularly tribal sounding beat that launches into one last rebound into the coda.
Static Electrcity and East West Link delivers a perfect chaser with it's intense swagger here, a very very solid version.
Ataraxia here has it's grime levels set above normal and delivers a lot of deserved feedback.
Predator X is still relatively new at this point but it still provides a fantastic start to the metal suite.
Self-Immolate ramps up the energy and provides a powerful drum solo intro by Cavs into a tight main song.
Hell is the big climax of the metal suite and feels like it is going off the rails in all the right places, we are in the homestretch now.
Slow Jam 2 starts off very subtle with some ramping into the jam and eventually a smorgasbord of teases from songs like Iron Lung and Ice V, there is also a heavy electric piano and synth presence which gives this version even more uniqueness and turns it into some really great freeform funk at places.
The final climax is among one of the most cathartic in the whole tour and it'll never get old for me as they explode into a raging inferno before finally coming down for an outro.

GILA! GILA!: An Experience At The Big Top.

Hello, guys! My name is Saxon, and I’m a professional musician. I loved music when I was a kid, and even discovering this band made me so curious and intrigued as to what they will do next! I got into King Gizzard around 2017, I believe when they started putting out the 5 albums that year. I was incredibly hooked after listening to Rattlesnake. Then, I saw my first show at The Enmore in ‘22. And now, this was my second time seeing them! 

It’s really hard to describe what I felt during this particular show. A feeling of euphoria, pure joy, anything that is perceived as a positive emotion. So, I’m going to tell how it all went down at The Big Top, to the best of my ability.

It was a normal Thursday, I was lurking around the city in Metropolitan Sydney, with nothing to do but wait for the big show. I had an intention of getting there early, to miss the long lines and get to the front as quickly as I could. I started the trek from the city center to Luna Park, took a couple of wrong steps, but I got there in the end. I got there around 3pm or earlier, there were already a few people there, so I started conversing with like-minded Gizzheads about music and what we hope they’re gonna play. I also saw familiar faces from when I saw them at Black Midi, two days before King Gizz! (Best of both worlds, I would say.)

Now, here’s the part where things get pretty damn exciting. Myself and some other people saw a greyish car pull up to the gates of the venue, and saw…KING GIZZARD!! We were throwing up the metal horns, giving them positive energy for the show. I mustered some courage and walked over to the car. 

I shook Joey’s and Stu’s hand and said to the band, “Cannot wait for the show tonight!! Rock on!” They showed a lot of high spirits when I saw them, and I was just so elated that I met them!! Last time when I saw King Gizz at The Enmore, I only met Ambrose briefly, which was sick as well. I was just really honored and humbled to have even met them.

Myself and some other fans moved to the particular gate that we were supposed to go through, and started talking about our favorite King Gizz albums, favorite bands, favorite shows we went to, anything that I could remember from the multiple convos I had with the people that showed up early. 

Whilst we were waiting, I was hearing music from inside the venue, and called out all of the songs that KG were soundchecking. The list of songs that they sound checked were; Shanghai, Crumbling Castle (STRAIGHT INTO) The Fourth Colour, Hell and then the new track Gila Monster.

Everyone was really kind, and really open to make new friends. I saw my friends arrive at the venue a bit later, and hung out with them. I told them about meeting the band as well, and they were just shocked. I was shocked as well. But I think, what’s even better is coming up.

I think King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard as a band has influenced me a lot as an Australian musician and inspired me that I can do more than just metal or rock music. I can explore different genres and sounds and make it sound original. The boys are just fantastic. And I thank them for the countless inspirations from listening to their albums. :)

I got inside the venue, didn’t bother getting merch because the line was so long, so instead, I got to the barricade on the right side stage, right in front of Cookie’s keyboards. The support bands RMFC and The Prize were really cool, not usually my kinda thing, but they set the vibe pretty well to kick off King Gizz. Even seeing the boys on the side of the stage was pretty cool, not gonna lie. The music playing on the PA was so good, from Judas Priest to Television, it got everyone hyped up. Me, especially! 

Now… the lights shut off. The crowd goes absolutely wild. I said to my friends, “See you on the other side!”, as the band walked on stage. The show starts. They started playing a very smooth jam of The River, which quickly turned into Wah Wah! First time opening a show which is really sick! Then a seamless transition into Road Train! Hearing some Nonagon tracks to kick off the night made me really excited! They slowed things way down, and flowed into the serenity of Ambergris. An excellent start to the show!

The next three songs were just perfect. They strapped in the Laminated Denim, and started to play Hypertension to get it up and going again! They absolutely crushed it, and it’s definitely one of my favorites from the set. Then what I would consider to be a fantastic segue into the next song, Iron Lung from Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava! Fairly jammy, really tripped out. Cavs laying down the grooves, Ambrose screaming the words FROG BREATH STEAM TENT, NECK PARALYSIS, the band was truly on fire! The next song was another incredible transition into Ice V, another favorite from the set. The funk, everyone singing the song, seeing everyone sway to the addictive grooves, I’m just loving it. Everyone was loving it!

Now, the next song, I was really disappointed hearing it for the first time on the album Butterfly 3000, Shanghai. I didn’t like it, I didn’t like the music video as it made me physically uncomfortable. I was really not happy with it, BUT, when I heard it live for the very first time, my outlook on the song changed. I may not like the studio version as much, but hearing it in a live setting brought a feeling of euphoria, happiness, and an out of body experience. I was getting real high, touching the sky with butterflies around me. Nothing else can ever make me feel that way ever again. I wouldn’t even care if I heard it again. I would love to hear Shanghai again, live. Probably the best song of the entire show. Enough said.

The Grim Reaper came to collect his debt, Ambrose said in a very swagger way. I wasn’t a fan of the rap songs as much when Omnium Gatherum came out, but man! It sounded so good in a live setting! I was really vibing with the whole song, even singing “ROTTING FLESH ODOROUS, THE GRIM REAPER CASHES THE CHEQUE.” Overall, killer performance.

The last 3 songs were just perfect to cap off the night. I’m very bummed as Predator X, and Hell didn’t get played cause of stupid fricking curfew, but nonetheless, I’m happy enough to hear Crumbling Castle go straight into The Fourth Colour! Those songs sounded really tight, the visuals were spellbinding, the whole thing. Too hard to describe the awesomeness of those tracks from Polygondwanaland.

They finished the show with one more song, a new one by the name of GILA MONSTER!! I had heard of it before in recent live footage before this show, which has sparked my excitement for their new album Petrodragonic Apocalypse; Or; Dawn Of Eternal Night: An Annihilation Of Planet Earth And The Beginning Of Merciless Damnation! Singing along to the chorus was the fun part, obviously! I was having so much fun. My first thoughts hearing it live were that it sounds fun, the riffs are sick, the lyrics are awesome, and made me really excited for their next album, at the time!

The show finally finished, when I didn’t want it to end! I managed to grab the setlist, which made me really excited! But then, POP goes the band, with multiple vinyls handing out represses of their past albums (a week or so before the Gizzverse drop). Stu handed me Fishing For Fishies, and everyone was cheering for me, which was crazy! As I caught my mate as we are starting to walk out the venue, everyone went up to me and asked for photos with the vinyl and setlist, and I obviously said yes to everyone! It was such a blur, but man. I was so frazzled at the end of that show. I took the train from the venue to my hotel. I had to walk a bit of the way, but it’s worth it.

It was definitely a show to never forget. I’m so going to see them again.

Thanks for reading, my fellow friends.

Revolutionary show. I remember when they played Sexy Aliens. Makes you really wonder how someone couldn't have gone to this show, nevermind forget the setlist??? Insane. I personally loved Sexy Aliens > Gila Monster 2 >Life Isn't Cool >Well-Intentioned Death Roll > Super Duper Cell. Revolutionary stuff right there. Bravo Stu.

The chance to see King Gizzard live in Australia feels rarer than ever, and due to personal circumstances I had resigned myself to not seeing them here. That was fortunately able to happen thanks to several people reading this that know who they are, thank you again.
No recordings have surfaced from their previous shows that I have seen, I thought this was likely to happen again so I was determined to capture the whole thing, and I am infinitely glad I did.
I’ve never recorded music before, so I hung around the stage for a few acts earlier on, scoping out a spot and doing some short tests with the setup. Recording was forbidden at the event and stealth was on my mind, luckily I found a good spot where I could clip the mic and leave the spare phone hidden while I enjoyed the show in the crowd and hoped for the best.

 

The Flying Microtonal Banana was out (as well as someone in the audience in a banana costume), and I quickly spotted Cavs’ Ferrari vest that indicated things might get heavy.
For a festival like this with tightly controlled one hour sets most acts were playing their older hits, so Rattlesnake as opener made probably the most sense. I felt it gave a good idea of the split in the crowd between fans (who tended to stick out) and people just interested in the name enough to show up (this seemed to be the majority). It seemed pretty much everyone was into it very quickly, and while this song is very well worn-in, it's still a great time and makes for a good warm up, in this case it was also freshened up in arrangement with some extra keys from Ambrose.

I had been trying not to overhype myself for particular songs or styles, trusting that it would basically be impossible to be disappointed in the setlist. Any worry I did have was wasted, as the rest of the songs were all released in the time since I last saw the band in 2019.
While Pleura is fairly low in my preferences for microtonal songs, it still went to show how tight the band are in learning and playing newer songs that never had the benefit of being in every setlist for years on end. It was still chill enough to properly start to scope out the crowd, seeking out gaps in front of me to slip through while everyone geared up for some more energetic music; we were immediately satisfied.

Self-Immolate was the first peak in crowd energy, but I still hadn’t quite reached the mosh pit and was focusing on the stage. This was a great song to appreciate Lucas’ enhanced ability and live emphasis since the pandemic, he overall was doing a fantastic job holding it down and keeping it cool during an undeniably scorching song.

Everything stepped up a notch with the segue into the PetroDragonic Apocalypse songs, which of course represent another leap in technical ability for the band, but most of all Cavs, who quite clearly has been maintaining a level of performance fitness that might be equal to the rest of them combined. It became clear that his powerful intro solo for Self-Immolate was merely a warm up. I finally realised that the vest in all the PDA promo is actually a necessity, allowing just that bit of extra mobility around the shoulders that he completely maximised.
It is worth mentioning that it was freezing cold (by our standards), and so Cavs was probably keenest of all to get warmed up, which the band eagerly helped him oblige the crowd in doing.

Now that the most intense moshing was done, the tone and the crowd shifted enough for me to finally make it up to what turned into more of a floor than a pit in preparation for things to get positively mediterranean in temperature.
Deep down, I had been hoping that we would get some jamming; I knew with a short set this would be diminished, so the pacing they managed for the next three songs was incredible.
Really only with DJs in nightclubs have I ever had the space and impetus to dance properly, so it was an absolute joy to get to do the same here at Joey’s instruction. With most of the moshers taking a break, this was a moment that many other people seemed to have been waiting for, and we all emerged to seize it. Never have I been so unified with a whole crowd as during all of Ice V. I really have no idea where all the space came from for us all to be able to move so freely and synchronised for so long.

Twelve minutes of The Dripping Tap was up next, which felt about as long by itself as the whole rest of the set had. Probably something to do with totally giving myself up to the flow and the whim of the mosh pit, which was not the most aggressive I’ve seen, but easily one of the largest and most energetic. I didn’t go all-in as I was trying to conserve energy, but letting myself get swept up was about the most fun I’ve had seeing live music that I can remember.
People all around were quite literally slipping on the drip (and being helped up), and I felt lucky to not lose any of the pins on my jacket and stay on my feet. At least until one of the several rowing circles formed surrounding me, and we all involuntarily, simultaneously fell back on to the ground. It is a very strange group-think phenomenon that I always thought was meant to signify Vikings (and done in Scandinavian metal crowds), but this was more spontaneous and not at all aggressive. It seemed it was no particular person or groups’ idea, but just somehow something that happened to whole segments of the crowd at the same time; perhaps necessary to navigate the puddles formed by all the dripping from the stage.
After most of the song alternately being tossed and spun around by the crowd and rowing on the ground, I made my way back to the edge to catch my breath and cool down where two things caught my attention. One was someone hunched being helped out to the side (I never found out what happened there, but it looked like they were getting the space and attention they needed), the other was a guy standing motionless, still on the edge of the pit, deep in the crowd, motionless, staring at the stage and eating an apple.

Magma, I would have been happy with any other jam-style songs, but this is my favourite track from Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava. It really is a monolithic song, and never as much as when you are seeing and feeling it for an extended duration right in front of you. If TDT was shockingly short, in hindsight I sort of can’t believe that Magma actually went for longer, giving it three minutes over its studio version, while TDT was shortened by six.
I think I mostly stood swaying and got a bit mesmerised alternately watching what the band was doing on stage and closing my eyes to see if it made a difference. All I really remember from this song is a lot of very bright red light with my arms around my partner - who I had miraculously found after making my way back a few rows.
Most of the detail I am appreciating from being able to listen back to the recording, such as the siren-like guitar at 54:00. It sounds a bit like the world ending while all we can do is skip straight past panic and stand around watching. But not in a chaotic way - the volcano rises constantly and consistently out of the ground at a moderate distance, its base widening one increment at a time while the magma oozes out into lava that flows steadily down the slopes, bathing us all in warm light.
A few times through the set I made sure to truly take the moment and live in what was happening around me, and this was the most immanent of those. I was totally struck by how unusual it was for an outlier band like this to capture all these people with what is essentially prog-rock at Australia’s closest equivalent to Coachella.
The finale just kept building and building and building, I still can’t really understand where all the sound was coming from, or what would have happened if the band weren’t able to regain control and stop it.

But they did. We reconvened with another friend, a true gizz-head who was seeing the band for the first time, and had a blast even having lost his beanie and jacket after getting as close to the front as he could.
The weird, massive hour the band had carved out of the festival was over, and we followed Joey’s suggestion to go see Marlon Williams, Little Simz, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flume, and several others that remained totally eclipsed by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

Note: this was posted to a blog and not necessarily aimed at just Gizzheads.

Forming the traditional King Gizzard powder keg, metal songs “Mars for the Rich”, “Organ Farmer”, and “Supercell” opened the first night with a bang. “Organ Farmer” was a little short but “Supercell” continues to deliver, officially released that day along with the rest of the songs from PetroDragonic Apocalypse.

The “Mind Fuzz Suite” was back once again and King Gizzard continues to add improvisation to this collection of four songs to keep it fresh. Several people have asked me “Why would you see the same band so much?” and catching live re-creations of old classics is near the top of that list. An electric “Sense” with plenty more teases and covers continued the jam session. I much prefer this album, Paper Mache Dream Balloon, acoustic but “Sense” makes for a great jam base with the amps plugged in.

“Grim Reaper” was back once again, only skipped this tour in Chicago. Homage was paid to their supposed influence, the Beastie Boys, with “Intergalactic” quotes throughout the song. We may never get a full King Gizzard rap/hip-hop album but at least for now, “Grim Reaper” scratches the itch. Wanting to keep the momentum from the last show Chicago show, “Change” graced our ears once again. This song will be played fairly vanilla until they incorporate it more live but it was just as emotionally moving as the world debut from Chicago.

After the usual soft synths and “lets get real high” electronic hit “Shanghai”, funk rock “Ambergris” this time was introduced as a “song about Free Willy”. Bringing the funk I was expecting, Joey Walker’s (Vocals, Guitar, Microtonal Guitar, Synth) soft tones complemented the electronic key playing of Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s (Vocals, Harmonica, Keyboard, Sax, Percussion) and Nicolas “Cookie” Craig’s (Guitar, Keyboard, Synth, Vocals) “G-funk” style support.

“Hot Water” was once again a hit with Stu McKenzie (Vocals, Guitar, Flute Microtonal Guitar, Synth, Keys) on the flute. Lyrics halfway through changed from repetition of “Hot Water” to “Joey Walker”, honoring the co-creator of the song in the classic tongue and cheek King Gizzard style.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, King Gizzard has multiple albums that tell a sci-fi fantasy story within their songs. “Altered Beast I” -> “Alter Me I” -> “Altered Beast II”, tells a horrific story of a man changing into an “Altered Beast”, complete with narrative breaks. This is Gizz at its weirdest. It’s also their most technical material and a strong rock saga resides underneath the horrifying tale.

Shifting into “Robot Stop” should have meant relentless energy all the way to the end of the show but this rendition gave us a little breathing room. After a quick tour of the stage by Kenny-Smith with a tequila bottle and a slower tease of “Witchcraft”’s main riffs halted the pace before catapulting back into the refrain of “Robot Stop” for the finale. This was one of the most creative “Robot Stop” jams I’ve heard to date, bringing an interesting variance to a classic hit.

The weather did little to keep this show from being a set to remember. An explosive metal start gave way to extended funk and jams, only to be sandwiched by an even more explosive finish in “Robot Stop”. No microtonal songs and lack of an extended heavy offering was no problem for me, with “Sense”, “Change”, and “Hot Water” as easy highlights of a funky focused set.

Note: this was posted to a blog and not necessarily aimed at just Gizzheads.

The second evening started off with a reprieve from the rain and the first microtonal music of the Seattle residency. “Static Electricity” had its tour debut and I would love to hear this more often. This haunting song keeps things interesting with verses that do in fact crackle with static.

Next, Gaspard, the band’s sound tech, was wrenched from backstage to do the throat singing intro to “Nuclear Fusion”. Sorry bud, you’ve got to work on your length and sustaining that vibrato. Still, he did it in French, so that was cool. No break in the music saw the transition into “Honey”. Kenny-Smith’s harmonica was the highlight of this love song, with the sweetest guitar and bass licks a King Gizzard microtonal song can provide.

Then it was time to yell, with live favorite “Gila Monster” back on the menu to start a quick flurry of metal songs. “Witchcraft” impressed as always, with McKenzie’s haunting punctuation of the title at the end of every verse and King Gizzard’s return to two drummers with Kenny-Smith on crash cymbal.

“Self-Immolate” continues as the chosen drum solo song and, even though I had seen it before, it can’t be overstated how impressive it is watching Michael Cavanaugh play. Maybe I just have a soft spot for sweaty drummers but the crowd formed a circle pit to encourage Cavanaugh on, exploding into chaos at the conclusion of his solo and the true intro of “Self-Immolate”.

I was happy to catch prog-rock combo “Crumbling Castle” -> “The Fourth Color” for the first time live, as it’s probably my favorite transition in all of music. The duo is played seamlessly together but splits the narrative thread of polyrhythmic album Polygondwanaland in exchange for some of the most mind melting psychedelia breakdowns the band has to offer. The creeping buildup and release of “Crumbling Castle” into the drum roll of “The Fourth Color” was transcendent and are the only songs I would make mandatory at every King Gizzard show.

Transitioning genres but keeping a similar pace, blues rock favorite “This Thing” turned out to be one of the few tracks played at every stop. The mosh pit changed to a dance pit as Kenny-Smith wailed on harmonica, only to give way to the expected Walker guitar solo (although I’m still wishing for more length here).

“Astroturf” continued to get its live reps in. The confidence and animation of the band had improved substantially since the debut at The Caverns, with McKenzie leaning into his usual vocal improvisations and strong flute solo. Cavs also plays expertly on this track, seeming to restrain himself from a second drum solo.

Walker had another chance at the spotlight during “Work This Time”, keeping his streak alive of soulful lyrics accompanied by a guitar that speaks for itself. A higher authority seemed to shed tears of approval as rain returned to the farm in the middle of Walker’s solo, finally giving me some of that sweet shredding I so desperately desired. The conclusion of a quick “Garden Goblin” from Nicolas “Cookie” Craig brought us to one last song to end the show. And what a finale.





“Dripping Tap” joined the other handful of songs played at every Residency location but this rendition was one for the history books at just over 30 minutes. During an extended intro that seemed to channel AC/DC and Tool simultaneously, Kenny-Smith left the stage, walking into the crowd before anyone could rouse from their jam trance. An inflatable raft and intrepid crowd member floated above the mosh pit as Kenny-Smith led the crowd through his vocal intro.





I always think I’m going to get sick of this song but the energy “The Dripping Tap” has as a closer is unbelievable. There are those who might say that taking 30 minutes for a song can exclude others and jamming can be “noodly” but the six piece balances these issues well. Pace stayed varied throughout the song, with features of four other Gizzard songs throughout for a killer jam medley. Any pace lost from stagnation during improv was regained simply by turning “The Dripping Tap” back on.

This show polarized me more than any of the others. Oddly the first half of this show was near the bottom of my Residency picks, while the second half is at the top. A microtonal and metal section with limited personal highlights was recovered by some of my favorite 2023 performances from the group. “Crumbling Castle” -> “Fourth Color” and a legendary “The Dripping Tap” were highlights to remember not only from Seattle but the whole tour.

By this stage most of my friends knew I'd gotten into the band heavily, and so when they found out I was going to see them, a few came along to see what the fuss was about. All had a good time, but none were converted by what was in hindsight a fairly strange show with an experimental setlist. This showed the band trying to break away from their older more rigidly structed sets, into a more flexible and diverse regime in preparation for the jam era. 

The main thing that struck me as different was the amount of time Stu spent sat at a keyboard, and the number of his songs Joey took lead vocals on. I imagine this was due to a health issue, so I feel lucky the show went ahead at all; but must acknowledge it threw off the pace and energy a bit.
We were right in between the releases of Fishing For Fishies and Infest The Rats Nest, and got a healthy dose of both, mimicking the whiplash of singles that came from rolling out both starkly different albums at the same time.
One interesting aspect of this was that the boogie songs maintained a much harder edge than their studio versions, but apart from that, the set was all over the place. The Inner Cell trilogy was as impressive as ever, but the highlight had to be the run of songs from Cyboogie through to Acarine. Just a weird mix that surely peaked with This Thing, that Joey really took the spotlight for and cranked it up for a euphoric, nearly trance-like finish.

Ambrose looked to be tripping hard, and seemed to be as caught off guard as the rest of us by Tezeta; immediately after it finished Joey asked him something that he replied to with a confused shake of the head. Joey then had to walk across the stage and apparantly remind him where he was, and that he was due to take the lead on Billabong Valley, which he killed anyway.

I remember an abrupt ending, and then it seemed they wanted to clear the room quickly as they put on the PA what sounded like Joey covering AC/DC in an obnoxious, high-pitched grating vocal.
A quite fun, raging at times, but strange show. Thinking back, it makes me chuckle at what it must have seemed like to my friends who had barely listened to the band at all, to hear the Polygondwanaland songs, Cyboogie, Acarine, Murder Of The Universe, Tezeta, in the same show, and then Organ Farmer to close.

My third show, and my first in a post-Pandemic (and Eric) world. I held on to this ticket for 3 years, having bought it late 2019 for a March 2020 showdate... that was moved to October 2020... that was moved to October 2021... that was moved to October 2022. A seated evening at Sigur Ros a few months prior had opened me up to the idea of being in a crowd of people again, but Radius would be my first big proper show in 3 years.

Radius, like Salt Shed is a reconverted factory turned venue. Radius was a steel mill and they've chosen to keep that vast cavernous interior largely unchanged, adding red lights to give it this demonic night club look that worked well for Gizz. The sound is also crystal clear, with the more intimate act of Leah Senior sounding crisp and clear, as if she was about 3 feet away instead of 60. I found myself front of soundboard with some lovely people who had just come from some other tours this show (whom I kept bumping into as I found myself being slightly pushed back by the crowd all show... if you're out there, sorry!), and a friend from a Phish discord. The live jams from the '19 bootlegger sets, The Dripping Tap and the first two Gizztober releases, the statement from Stu that they were "in their jammy period" all lead to big expectations for me. This would be my first jam band show.

They did not dissapoint. They started things off by following the '19 tour standard of opening with Rats Nest songs, then moved on to Slow Jam 1.

Oh. Man. This Slow Jam 1. It's a must listen. A 15 minute jam that takes the relaxed tone of the composed song, adds some grit to it, and lets it soar. Amby comes in clutch, acting as their Pigpen equivalent with Stu to throw some vocal quips to spice things up. That slowly warps into the lyrics for Iron Lung, but still on the bed of this gritty Slow Jam 1 jam base. Once the quote is done, we dissolve back into the jam which floats along effortlessly before coming back to that core Iron Lung chorus chant... and back towards this jam, which is almost perhaps approaching Type 2 territory, drifting between chill and purposeful to dark and menacing at any moments notice. Switching things up, a return to the chorus for Slow Jam... and back into the jam which builds to a peak, and then smoothly back "doownnnnnnn" into Slow Jam 1. My Phish friend turned to me and said "They're *definitely* a jam band now." I agreed.

It's strange to then say that The Grim Reaper, a fairly energetic track is then the "cooldown" but it acted as such. Oddlife followed up for even more Amby Rap action. The Book, one of the Sketches songs I didn't get at my Sketches Release Tour first show was a welcome addition with a drum solo added on. More Microtonal business follows with Doom City and then we get the debut of Lava, gently jammed out. Joey gets to shine on Ambergris, Amby gets to shine on Presumtuous, and Leah Senior gets to shine on a fully narrated Lord of Lightning suite.

Calling back to the Iron Lung teases in the monster Slow Jam 1, we get Iron Lung, much like Lava only mildly jammed out. And then one more monster jam for the road, a near 16 minute Float Along - FIll Your Lungs that much like Slow Jam 1 gets into some dark, evil menacing soaring territory. Another must listen jam.

One heck of a show.

My second show, final with Eric in the lineup (ignore my review for my first show, I dun goofed!), and my first to get a audience tape (from Mystery Jack no less!) So you can listen yourself. I went with a friend from work and we ended up a little bit in front of the right most corner of the soundboard, so what you'll hear on the tape is close to what I heard.

First off this show was the first time I realized that the band really could be something big. I got into Gizz about 2 weeks before Murder of the Universe came out, and was lucky tou catch them a few months later at Lincoln Hall, a 507 capacity venue. Now I was walking into Aragon Ballroom which was 700-4500. I'd estimate it was closer to 2000 on that night, but of course I don't have the numbers, or stats beyond the fact that it did eventually sell out. We walked up at time of doors... to a massive line that wound through a gravel parking lot, down the block, and across a street... then down the block again. And by the time we got in, the double bill of openers Orb, and Stonefield both had already largely finished their sets. We got two songs of whoever played last (since I missed it I don't know which one) and found our places.

The crowd was largely all talking about how the previous night in Milwalkee they got "like a 30 minute Head On/Pill", which would later be released as a bootlegger release. This show... has nothing like that. For the most part, each song is played close to album version, and comes down to whether or not you like the setlist. Billabong Valley gets a lil solo stank on it from Amby but beyond that it's a standard pre-jam era show.

I was happy to get the run of Rattlesnake, Sleep Drifter, Billabong Valley, This Thing, The Bird Song, Boogieman Sam, and Cyboogie, all favorites of mine at that time. A non-essential show, though a good one if you want to see what the two drummer era of Live Gizz was like.

Coming around to writing this review late, each time I thought about doing so, something came up, and well, here we are a few weeks later with this show about to be streamed on Nugs the day I write this. Que sera sera...

This Chicago run was the first ever multi night run I have ever done for any band. I was supposed to see Phish's NYE run at MSG this last NYE, but my mom gave me COVID for Christmas, so I had to sit that one out. This is to say, by night 3 I had finally established the lifestyle cadence of a multi-night run. Unfortunately weather had other plans, and decided to muck with the best laid plans of Mice and Men...

I had spent the day at the Adler Planetarium, where I caught the Dark Side of the Moon show. When I went to the food court to get lunch I noticed that the slanted glass windows all had water streaking down them... at... well frankly an alarming rate considering I was about to go to an outdoor show. Getting to Salt Shed from the Planetarium was an adventure, as it was still raining (though downgraded to slightly harder than a drizzle at this point), and Uber/Lyft spun for 20+ minutes as everyone in the city was frantically searching for a ride to their afternoon plans. Eventually I got to the venue after a 50+ minute ride (...somehow) with a very nice driver, and just as I started walking into the metal detector in the security line that "slightly harder than a drizzle" turned into a full on downpour. Well, I guess in the words of the salt company that used to own the venue: when it rains... it pours...

In my continuing reporting on Kamikaze Palm Tree for these reviews, this night I felt sad for them. Basically nobody was out in the main concert area for their set. Those who were, were those getting ready for the mosh pit, the most dedicated Gizzers out there. After grabbing food (and lots of water) from various food trucks and water stations, I found a spot under the "Premium Access" balcony with a small bench, where some very nice people kept my spot for me when I ran to the restroom etc. After 2 nights of standing front of soundboard, I was grateful to get a nice, dry seat, and spent most of the show seated. Highly recommend sitting during shows, 10/10 would recommend.

Gizz takes the stage and gives those Moshers what they've been waiting for with a 4 song metal opener, I can only imagine what it must have been like to be in that pit in the rain, but well, staying dry also was nice. Then, the band changed things up with Plastic Boogie, a song Stu acknowledges is "a bit ironic" considering a good 90% of the audience was wearing plastic disposable ponchos. The band briefly toyed with the idea of "playing synths in the rain" before deciding against it, and moving on to an extra tasty Hot Water that slipped seamlessly into Hypertension, a track I really really wanted to catch, as Laminated Denim has quickly become my favorite Gizz album.

Stu calls for a stagehand to unveil the synths and we slide into a slightly synthier than normal This Thing, followed by a jammed out Magenta Mountain that gets pretty dark and heavy. Someone then says "Now it's time to Change things up" and I go "oh shit" and stand up right and witness the debut of Changes.

I've been lucky with debuts, I caught the debut of Lava in '22's Chicago show, 10/15/22 (if you want to catch a Gizz debut, see a show in Chicago when the day is in the teens... hasn't failed for me yet). The band nervously made stage banter to delay the inevitable "we don't know what we're doing", "we should probably stop telling people that", and kicks in to a version of Changes that differs from the original. Some sections seemed moved around, some parts extended, at one point it seems like perhaps Joey missed his cue and it was silent for a moment, but it was glorious. A 17 min debut of their most complex song. The crowd loved it.

Stu wants to move on to a victory lap with The Dripping Tap, but Cookie reminds them that "they have to do his thing first" and we get a by the numbers Garden Goblin, and then Stu gets his 19 minute Dripping Tap. At this point I leave the friends I've made under the balcony and get out there to party for a bit, and also slowly make my way towards the exit of the venue to catch a Lyft before everyone else (this did not work. The rideshare situation at Salt Shed is dire, they think they're being clever with a special road that acts as a Lyft line but they do a piss poor job directing drivers there, and there's so many people that it's difficult to have a phone conversation with your driver to find them... anyway, rant over). It's a fantastic closer, and another song I really wanted to catch. Worth mentioning is much like The River from N1, and the Drum Solo on Self-Immolate on Night 2, we get our third example of their Dead and Company show on 6/10 rubbing off on the boys. A blissed out very Dead-like jam kicks in around the 6 minute mark and lasts for a while before returning back to the composed parts of Dripping Tap. 

And that's it, a fantastic closer to a fantastic 3 night run at The Salt Shed. I grabbed a hot dog from someone slinging them outside, got my ride to my hotel, hung up every piece of clothing I could on the shower curtain to dry and got some sleep. I'm fairly certain the rain did a number on me, as for the next 5 days, I had a bit of a sore throat, but it was well worth it.

In terms of night rankings, I would say 2>3>1, but they really all do have great moments in each. A run so good it made me consider getting plane tickets and cashing in days off to catch the rest of the tour.

Writing this review over a year later so my memory might be fuzzy at times. Drove from Pittsburgh to see the show as Mr. Smalls was sold out. Big shout out to Katalina's pancake balls which we ate the morning after, one of the best breakfasts of my life. Thunderstorms had been threatening all day and the lawn was a mudpit by the time we got there, but the rain and storms miraculously stopped as the band took the stage. On to the set...

Hell and superbug were powerful and awesome (lyric change to "coronavirus was a flop" in superbug). My first time seeing ITRN material live and it was fantastic and the perfect opener to make the crowd go crazy. Ending section of Hell went extra hard. Guitar tone is all so good.

Inner Cell > Loyalty > Horolgy was something I was hoping to see and never expected them to play. The live version makes you appreciate how complicated and intricate these songs are, the guitar parts are interweaving with different rhythms and it sounds like it took a lot of rehearsal to nail, and they NAIL the whole thing without missing a note, and it still had feel and groove and power.

On magenta mountain the band extends the ending into a momentum-fueled jam that borders on unhinged while coming to a peak. I keep using the word powerful because so far the band has been playing loud, heavy, and super rhythmically locked in, and it's perfect for the big outdoor venue, they're definitely playing to the room. I've relistened to this MM and it holds up for sure.

Cut throat boogie sees the band stretch out with a different type of jam, a harmonica choogle, loosey-goosey jam with a lot of teases of other songs and Ambrose impassionately wailing improvised lyrics about being horny. Lots of fun banter overall from this night, they seemed to be playing around and having fun, taking a little break between each song to hydrate and say something to the crowd. The jam peters out a bit and it seems like some members of the band pause to tune up while others keep grooving.

Persistence bubbles up out of the noodling, a riff suggested by one guitarist and eagerly picked up by the rest of the band. I knew from following the tour so far that this song was becoming a bit of a jam vehicle, so I was excited to hear where it went. I need to relisten but I was a bit underwhelmed in that aspect, great performance of the song but the jam never coalesced into anything and they kind of let it end instead of trying to get somewhere.

The microtonal section might have been my favorite part of the show, despite having thoroughly loved every moment thus far. Billabong valley was thick and slow, and Ambrose earned his spotlight on vocals. I seem to remember a long pause or some other antics in the middle of this one??? Then ALL IS KNOWN felt like it took the whole audience by surprise. I myself had forgotten about this microtonal cut from gumboot soup, and this version had myself and everyone in attendance headbanging visciously. It was like a dump truck full of sludge driving over the crowd. Fuzzed-out microtonal guitars through super loud speakers sound so dirty and massive and the sound on the lawn was excellent. Of course they follow this up with KGLW part II, one of the songs I was most hoping to see live, and it did not dissapoint AT ALL. I loved being taken on the journey of all the different sections of this song, and in a live setting it felt like the riches just kept coming with new and heavier segments. My cup runneth over with heavy riffs.

By this point I really didn't need anything else, this show had been fantastic and I was satisfied, so when they fired up Am I In Heaven it just felt like a bonus - they were playing with house money. And I have to say... it wasn't my favorite jam. Maybe it was my emotional state of feeling fully satisfied and like KGLW II was a great conclusion, or maybe the band was a little spent, but it felt like the jam went on for about 10 minutes after it had lost momentum and they never regained the momentum/found a groove to latch onto. I do remember a cool moment where the band brought everything down really quiet and everyone in the pit/crowd sat down in response, that was really fun. I definitely need to relisten because I've heard there was an Ice V tease and I'd like to re-evaluate the jams, but at that point I was so happy with the show that I didn't need this to be a great jam for it to be the icing on the cake of my thoroughly melted face.

Their jamming does seem to be in a transition right now, and I saw that with the other jams of this show as well (magenta, cut throat, persistence). KG's context is crazy, energetic krautrock jamming where they slam back and forth between teases and snippets of different songs without ever letting up the gas pedal, like a sinister locomotive powered by a double-drummer engine. Single-drummer jamming is something they are still getting used to, jamming on the ideas of one song instead of "jamming" through performances of 4-8 songs in one connected segment. They are still getting used to trying to find creative fusion in a groove or melody versus just finding the next song to tease or following the lead of whatever Stu calls out. You can tell that they want to make this kind of transition though by the structure of the show. Those three jam songs earlier in the show did each set aside ~10 minutes and really attempt to jam based on that song. I'm excited to see the band moving in this direction and I'm eager to see how their on-stage musical communication and collective improv develops.

Overall this show demonstrated the raw power of KG's rock n roll at a great-sounding outdoor venue. It felt like a dream setlist, showing off the best material from multiple eras. This feels like a blueprint for a great king gizz set that doesn't include any nonagon, MOTU, or mind fuzz suite material (i.e. the krautrock that used to make up maybe 75% of their set pre-2019). They have new tricks up their sleeve and an enournous repertoire so you never know what songs you might get. The new trick I was most impressed with is their ability to learn complex songs and execute them PERFECTLY, as on the inner cell suite and KGLW II, the latter of which was probably my favorite moment of the show. It was a delight to see this band at the height of its powers and I can't wait until I can see them again.

Third show I attended in the run from NY>Philly>DC that fall. 



The Anthem seemed to be the perfect size; sold out around 6k, but with plenty of room to be who you wanted to be. The band definitely harnessed that energy. 



A groovier start than a lot of shows, especially cool hypertension debut after teasing it (hard) the night before. 



Leah coming out for the MoTU suite, leading into mind fuzz is a definite highlight of non stop righteousness. Which amps up nicely into the metal and microtonal parts of the show. 



But those last two songs are really what keep me going back to this one. Rattlesnack and Float Along are close to half an hour together, after the band had already raged for 80 minutes. 



Very well executed show with great energy and flow and special moments dotted throughout. Highly recommend. 

6.1.2023 highlights/notes

2nd jam in Tap
-Good stuff w the hot water tease but especially great when the whole band pushes it into the hypertension like jam. Starts off w Stu teasing the intro of hypertension but they veer into more of jam that you'd hear deep into a normal hypertension jam, not just a medley here. Real smooth segue back into drip drip segment of Tap.

Robot Stop through the 2nd Hot Water after Hypertension is an uninterrupted hour + of music (19:10-1:21:30)
-Robot Stop has a nice chilled out, almost deadish jam segment before going into hot water
-Hot water contains a nice, heavy wall of sound build before going back into Robot Stop
-Gamma ending has a nice quiet segment w gong washes, rebuilds into a blasted out Gamma peak before rolling into People Vultures
-Really cool little quiet jam at the intro of People Vultures, bring it back into this same jam extended after the first verses. Highlight of the show jamming wise IMO, very pretty stuff. Love it when they explore this side. Kinda sounds somewhat familiar, think they may revisit this jam later in tour in other songs. Great peak after they bring it back into People Vultures, Cavs blasting it out w double bass
-Mr Beat band brings it into a nice funky groove, some great guitar interplay, lot of fluttery licks. Cut a little short but hit a fantastic space before smoothly transitioning into Iron Lung
-Iron Lung has real great interplay between the band. love Stu's tone in the jam and mix w Amby's sax near the beginning of the first jam. Killer whammy licks from Stu, melty psychedelic goodness. Wavy peaky tones in the second jam, excellent stuff. fires a few lazers before brining it back into the main iron lung riff. nice transition into Hypertension
-Hypertension jam is great, bringing back that wavering/whammy tone from Stu in the peak, almost sounds like a violin at times. Segment around Witchcraft jam meanders a bit, doesnt connect in any big way before bringing it back into caught that hypertension peak, which is stellar, blistering high. Cool hot water peak before segueing very smoothly into it.
-Hot Water truckin along hot right out of the gate. some cool synth work from Amby at the start. the water becomes less hot and loses some of its steam before bringing it all together for a great "everybody standing in" peak, gets real good when stu picks back up the guitar to finish it out.

Gila is a killer closer

Posted this review to a blog I write but I figured Gizz fans would enjoy it here too!

After setup, the boys walked from outside the massive cave to the stage, protected by a Tennessee security force wearing cowboy hats. The band thanked Kamikaze Palm Tree before launching into the classic drum intro signifying “The Dripping Tap” from “Omnium Gatherium” released last year. This song is great for electrifying an audience and that it did, quickly. Mosh pits immediately formed up front and in GA as they launched into the jam.

Next up was the literal first half of the intense psych rock album “Nonagon Infinity”. Robot Stop -> Mr. Beat (5 songs) was played with no interruption. Punctuated by fast guitar playing on shorter songs, massive breakdowns, and some of guitarist Stu McKenzie’s (vocals, guitar, microtonal guitar, synth, keys, flute) famous guitar poses, “Nonagon Infinity” is a live experience that grabs on and doesn’t let go.

Never one to stop good flow, Gizz transitioned into a three song jam of Iron Lung → Hypertension → Hot Water. I don’t know man, “Iron Lung” in the cave hits different and this version was an instant classic. “Iron Lung” gave way seamlessly to the spacey rock song “Hypertension” and the jam was finished with “Hot Water”, signaling Stu McKenzie (guitar, microtonal guitar, flute synth, keyboard) to break out his flute and put Ron Burgundy to shame.

Ending the jam session, the band took a well deserved break to setup before launching into three songs from 2017’s “Polygondwanaland”. The three songs that compose this prog rock trilogy (“Inner Cell”, “Loyalty”, “Horology”) tell a fantasy story and can best be described as sounding like if Tool also throat sang.

Good thing we took that break for three songs, because things heated up immediately with an (at the time) unreleased live debut. Off their latest album “PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation” (still serious), “Supercell” would feel at home at a Metallica concert if they switched time signatures every verse. This was followed by a pair of songs from 2019’s metal “Infest the Rat’s Nest” and concluded with another unreleased metal song “Gila Monster”. I wasn’t 100% set on “Gila Monster” until I heard 1400 people chant “Gila! Gila!” and fist pump simultaneously: this is a frighteningly good live metal anthem.

As shown by the set list, King Gizzard absolutely came to rage Night 1. I thought it had a very solid offering for some of the harder Gizz fans but softer, electronic, and microtonal fans probably left without hearing their favorites. This is one of the down sides of a Gizzard show: no repeats at the same venue and 24 studio albums means you wont always hear what you want.

Night two at the Salt Shed, and the first thing that was one everyone's mind was, "Thank god the weather is better tonight." As a result, the vibe felt more relaxed, and that translated to the stage.

Of course, I say relaxed, but this is still King Gizzard, and they opened with a fiery "Rattlesnake," with quotes of "Sleep Drifter" and "Honey," before segueing into "Honey" with quotes of "Rattlesnake," so it's all relative. 

If you'd been following along with the last two tours, you knew what was in store when they plinking notes of "Shanghai" started up. Like other recent versions, this had an extended synthy jam, complete with some playful "Let's get real high" back and forth from Ambrose and Stu. I was jumping and dancing with so many others and they brought "Shanghai" around for peak after peak. From here, we were treated to two songs off the Changes album, with the duo of "Hate Dancin'" and "Astroturf." This kept the dancey vibe going, and was a real treat to hear both live. Another deep cut, "Down the Sink," followed, which has been dusted off for this tour. 

Then it was time for some Nonagon Infinity songs, but instead of focusing on the first few songs, we got to hear the ultra-rare "Invisible Face" followed by "Wah Wah" and "Road Train." This transitioned into the groovefest of "Ice V," a personal favorite and a version with a little extra edge to it. It's heaviest "Ice V" I'm aware of, and an interesting take on the song.

The Horology Suite came next, and what a great set of music. While it sticks closely to the studio version here, it's a powerful surge of energy. This led naturally into the only metal Gizz of the night, but the metalheads would not be disappointed. "Supercell" and "Self-Immolate" threatened to tear down the walls. "Am I In Heaven?" was given a closing slot, and while note as jammed out as other versions, it's a great way to end the show.

Night two had a different feel but the two shows together really show off the range and versatility of this band right now. I'd call out "Rattlesnake," "Shanghai," "Invisible Face," and "Ice V" as the highlights, but this show is also about the flow from one to the next. Another great night of music. 

This was my first KGATLW show! I flew into Chicago earlier in the day and was buzzing with the anticipation. The Salt Shed is a great venue, but the weather was not cooperating. It was cold, windy, and wet -- a generally unpleasant early June day in Chicago. You could feel the wind gusting through the venue, and more than a few underdressed people were heading to the merch stand to find an extra layer of clothing.

As I made my way closer to the stage, I could see Stu's flying mircotonal banana guitar waiting expectantly. And when the band finally took the stage, it was indeed time for some microtonal music. Stu was wearing gloves with the fingers cut off, and Ambrose looked downright miserable in the wet weather, but the band dove right in, starting with four songs from their mircotonal albums. "Pleura" and "O.N.E." started off things with some good energy, "Nuclear Fusion" featured an unexpected intro from an audience member, and "Minimum Brain Size" is a personal favorite. After "Minimum Brain Size," Joey mentioned how they'd all taken in the Dead & Co. show at Wrigley the night before, and dedicated the next song to John Mayer. Although we didn't know it at the time, the Dead reference was a harbinger of things to come.

"Gaia" kicked off a string of heavy Gizz songs, and it was well timed to keep the energy high. I recognized "Motor Spirit" from its debut earlier in the tour at Red Rocks, and it moved into "The Great Chain of Being" before ending up back in "Gaia." A great segment of music continued with "Witchcraft," another PDA song which was getting just its third appearance.

Now it was time for another change of pace, and this time it came in the form of Stu's flute. "Satan Speeds Up" is a delightfully eerie deep cut that I hope stays in the live rotation. It made for a perfect pairing with "Trapdoor," and the band pushed at the edges of this version.

The show was now set up perfectly, and the band delivered. "The River" opened with a playful jam, one that had shades of Dead jamming, before dropping into the song proper. From here, we were treated a smoking version that drove to a fiery peak around halfway through. Then they dropped into a space jam where the Dead reference truly came home to roost. Whether you heard "Space/Drums" or "Dark Star," this was as untethered as I've ever heard Gizz play. Ambrose got out his sax to do a Branford Marsalis impersonation and add more color to the jam, which grew and swelled, before finding itself back in "The River" for a stunning conclusion. All in all, this one clocked in at close to 25 minutes. It's must-listen, especially for those Gizz heads who gravitate to their jammier side.

Well that may have felt like the peak of the show in the moment, they weren't done. "Evil Death Roll" never disappoints, and they jammed this one hard. "Magma" followed, and somehow went even harder. It's a highlight of the "Ice, Death..." album that grows even gnarlier in a live setting. If you've only heard the studio version, check this one out. 

At this point, the cold, wet audience needed one more song to take it home, and King Gizz didn't disappointed with the blues workout of "Boogieman Sam." If I had one criticism of the show to this point, it was that we didn't get a lot of Ambrose. "Boogieman Sam" solved that, letting Amby play the role of bluesman, and giving him the chance to throw in a stew of quotes and teases. This one was a real treat.

In the end, King Gizzard delivered a stellar show that gathered steam across the first two segments before truly peaking with the final four-song set. Check out the whole show, but in particular pay attention to "The River" and "Magma."

I'll be honest, I feared I was being an idiot, buying tickets for consecutive KGLW shows; how different could they possibly BE? I knew the setlists would be different but the whole impact of this show was completely different than Sunday. I've listened to all their albums but I still didn't understand how versatile a band they'd become. Again I was really in awe the whole night, mostly unable to stop dancing. It's wild how differently they present themselves on their albums; the studio masks come off and here's this bunch of goofy dudes freed from the constraints of getting it exactly right. For a middle-aged guy like me this was a night of frequent nostalgia pangs, the way Gizzard borrows liberally and directly from its antecedants. Normally that bugs me; this band takes it to such an extreme you have to marvel at how they blend it all so well. Almost Ween-esque. Night one had the bigger highlights, night two it's hard to pick highlights because the whole thing flowed so well. (Didn't make it to night three, sadly.) Suddenly my live band priority list is all shook up, I was not trying to let this happen.

My second time seeing KGLW and it might as well have been my first; they were like a completely different band than in 2018. I'm a Phishhead and most jambands bore the crap out of me. It was super cool to see a band of Gizzard's songwriting caliber and with such a killer sense of rhythm stretch out like they did at this show, especially "The River" as others have noted. I'm also a metalhead which lured me deeply into Umphrey's McGee for many years. Nothing against them, they are amazing at what they do, but I got kinda sick of it over the years. Along comes KGLW, who can do all the genres too, only without the endless guitar wankery and dippy keyboard solos and cheesy cover songs. Okay the bands aren't THAT similar; I'm just saying I'm grateful to KGLW for fulfilling anything I may have been missing from that other realm. I can't help hoping Gizzard venture more deeply into group improv, focus on that for another ten years or so, become the greatest band in the world, etc. Should be easily achievable. Whatever happens, this show blew me away essentially front to back; I only had one Gizz show to compare it to but thousands of others.

Tropical Fuck Storm opened this show. 
My first time seeing King Gizzard and it did not disappoint. I was familiar with I'm in Your Mindfuzz and Murder of the Universe (had them both on vinyl).
I believe this was a sold out show. I had a great spot on the right side on the first raised section justb a few feet from the stage.
I recall being particularly impressed with Rattlesnake and then super psyched to hear the Alter Me / Altered Beast suite. 

Third time at Red Rocks in three years and 2nd time seeing Gizz at the Rocks (4th overall), this time for ALL THREE SHOWS! I was so pumped and hearing the sound check trickling while waiting on the steps at stage left me reeling for some Gizz! As expected the crowd was so friendly, tons of people just vibing and sharing stories of their journey to make it to the Mecca of Gizz.

While I loved the set; Astroturf, Down the Sink, Motorspirit were the only new songs to me live. I thought they would try to play something different to last year's set at Red Rocks, they said no repeats right? Maybe just for that city and relevant time... Despite my initial frustration of hearing Magenta Mountain, Grim Reap, LoL, the first three to Nonagon and Iron Lung again, they were still refreshing and not just the same as last time, they were more refined, even tighter and FASTER. The boys are pushing their performances even further than we thought they could. Loved that they nailed Astroturf and hearing Hate Dancin' was so dope though it certainly needs more plays for them to get comfortable with it, loved it and want more Changes! This especially was elevated for the double-header the next day. Magma was soul crushing and made me on the verge of tears! But thats maybe time for another review! Peace out Gizzheads, until next time!

This was my very first King Gizzard show and honestly? I don't think I could have asked for a much better show. I've never been the biggest fan of Ice V, Presator X, K.G.L.W., or Organ Farmer, but this show helped me gain a new appreciation for those songs, plus every other song played was spot on. A mix of all my favourite records from my first show, plus Her & I (Slow Jam 2) became my favourite track after that night. My only regret for this show was chilling at the back for fear of my mushrooms coming up the way they went down, but they stayed down and my experience was enganced accordingly. Leah Senior joining in on the MOTU songs was really cool and I'm glad I can say I saw Leah Senior's narration. Near perfect show with a great ending that included meeting the band a few hours after the show and sharing Stu's cake with other people hanging around. A truly one of a kind night.

my second gizz show. first was back in october in detroit, and since then have been dedicated to finding out everything about this band that i possibly could lol. weather was on the shitty side, but after i got moving it didnt bother me. perfect microtonal selections, the gaia sandwich was great, loved hearing great chain. witchcraft sounds epic as fuck, so pumped for that album. satan speeds up and trapdoor were a lovely treat. love the little flute jam they did before going into trap. and the last segment of the show is the highlight of the night for me. the river was super stretched out with a great sax/dead jam and rocked out that lovely ending groove. evil death roll was super energetic. the magma gets pretty deep and cavs at some point brings the band to a kickass double kick metal groove that lights the place on fire. this one is an all timer. and the finishing boogieman with the ambrose swagger really brought the whole thing together. i was told the sound was bad in some spots due to the wind or some anomaly, but luckily i mustve had a good spot.

10/15/2022 was my first Gizzard show and for what it was I liked it. Was it the best show I heard in person, let alone from my time listening to the band online? Solid no. It was good though.

Radius is an interesting place - an old steel mill turned concert venue. The place was cool though it radiated that industrial vibe. The weather was cold and many in line tried their best to stay warm. Some had even ordered pizza while waiting in line - a strange occurance I've only seen this one time. The inside was dark and loud, even somewhat menacing in a cool sort of way. 

The show was energetic but the thing that holds me back is the setlist which ranges from understandable to strangely obtuse. We start fine with "Venusian 1" and "Venusian 2" - two high energy metal songs. Interestingly and rather unfortunately the Infest the Rats' Nest piece "Perihelion" was left out - which struck me as odd and still strikes me as odd. A missed chance at something truly sepcial. From there the band switch gears entirely into "Slow Jam 1" - a long and slightly meandearing jam follows. "The Grim Reaper" is fun no matter how strange for the band, that's about all I can say. Following this the band got into their microtonal output and we got "Oddlife" which was simply fine. Next was a surprise with Sketches of Brunswick East's "The Book" which once again felt strange. It was a decent performance. Next was arguably the best moment of the show, a good version of "Doom City" with some perfectly timed visuals from Galea. Another surprise followed - the live debut of Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava's "Lava" which was also arguably the best moment of the show featuring a great build up and a truly euphoric payoff. From there the band dipped into Omnium Gatherum with "Ambergris" and "Presumptuous" - both of which were once again just fine. With Leah Senior opening this tour it would be a missed opportunity to not play something from Murder of the Universe so they did precisely that with a decent "The Lord of Lightning vs The Balrog" suite. The band's energy was great, Leah's narration was fitting and the band's build up during "The Lord of Lightning" made me lose my voice. Yet again another contender for best moment. Following that suite the band slowed down and dug into "Iron Lung" which had a smooth feel before going into a cathartic "Float Along - Fill Your Lungs." The show ended there.

I don't get this show. It's composition is understandable looking at it from the outside in regards to flow but the more I think about it - the more questionable the substance is. It's so low in big moments - sometimes alluding to or achieving something huge before breaking it with an honestly lame follow up. For every "Lava" there seemed to be an Oddlife" or "Presumptous." The choice of songs doesn't even feel right. Why "Venusian 1" and "Venusian 2" but not the essential inbetween? Why go for "The Book" and "Oddlife" and not "K.G.L.W." or "Open Water?" It just doesn't sit with me in a way that's hard to explain. It isn't bad and I enjoyed it but this was a strange stop in 2022.

6/12/2023 was the first Gizzard show I saw in person that fulfilled the excitement, energy and variety that I love from this band. It was my third show but by that point it was the best.

The Chicago residency had some funky weather but thankfully 6/12 was a nice Summer day. Not too hot, not too cold, in a gorgeous in between. Perhaps the weather influence their set and the energy that coursed through the band right from the word "go."

Like the night before Gizzard opened with a microtonal set though this time it progressed much better. They started with a rocking "Rattlesnake" that had the crowd moving before making their way into the K.G. single "Honey" which set a mellow tone going for the next tracks. "Shanghai" from Butterfly 3000 was up next and stood out as the first true highlight of the night with it's long, extended jam featuring Stu singing "grow wings and fly" with Amby echoing him, a loud but thrilling electronic jam and some fun dances from Stu. Changes got some representation with "Hate Dancin'" and "Astroturf" - both of which were nice follow ups to the last two songs and once again noteworthy. Cook got a song next and it was the upbeat but slightly off balance Gumboot track "Down the Sink." While there was lyrical flub, it was yet another highlight at least for me. Following that was a tour debut and debatably a live debut - Nonagon Infinity's "Invisible Face." The track had seen some performances dating back to around 2016, they never played the entire track as heard on Nonagon Infinity until 6/12/2023 and while it was seemingly impromptu the band got it down quite well and began to work their way through the end of Nonagon. A slightly weak "Wah Wah" grabs hold of the audience before battering them down with a heavy "Road Train" before spiraling into a fun post-Eric classic "Ice V." Yet another highlight. From there the band grabs hold of their C# tuned guitars for the "Inner Cell" trilogy which was nearly as gripping as it was on Polygondwanaland. The band then dives into their metal repitoire with a loud, thrashy "Supercell" and a crowd favorite "Self-Immolate" featuring a long, tribal drum solo from Cavs. The show ends on a short but sweet "Am I In Heaven?" wrapping up the night with smiles all around.

6/12 isn't the biggest show from Gizzard but it was a fun one and something I have a feeling will be a fan favorite for 2023. It has a little something for everyone with an energy capable of converting listeners into fans. In other words, it was quite good.

When I got out of Gizzard's first show at the Salt Shed, all I could think was "that was good but I think something better is coming." Not to spoil my other thoughts on the Chicago residency but that line of thinking wasn't wrong. For all intents and purposes, the start of the Salt Shed was a good Gizzard show.  Some could even argue a great Gizzard show which is all fine and dandy. For me however it was just the start.

The Chicago residency was plagued with bad weather and it was apparent since the first day. The summer days before the 11th had all but vanished and turned into a chilly, windy Chicago day. The temperture was fine but the wind knocked things down to a tough forty degrees. Some fans hid inside their coats and jackets, some tried to double up their clothes with newly bought Gizzard shirts, others didn't care and stuck around freezing. The band themselves seemed cold as well and one has to wonder if Chicago's windy conditions played a part in the set's energy.

Gizzard started with a set of microtonal songs starting with tracks from their album L.W., those being "Pleura" and "O.N.E.". The mid tempo but entergetic tracks set the stage for the night though sat a bit strange for me as openers. Next was "Nuclear Fusion" with guest vocals from an audience member named Seb who crushed it. The head bobbing jam was a bit rough around the edges however it was a highlight of the show and a whole lot of fun to hear. The band transitioned out of "Nuclear Fusion" into Joey's "Minimum Brain Size" which wrapped up the low key microtonal start just fine. From there the band made it to their metal set and started with a long suite consisting of Omnium Gatherum's "Gaia", the Petrodragonic Apocalypse slow burn "Motor Spirit" and Gumboot Soup's often overlooked godly banger "The Great Chain of Being" before going back into "Gaia" at the very end. This to me was a better start than the microtonal material and while I felt that at times the medley seemed a bit long, it was great to experience overall. Following that was "Witchcraft" from Petrodragonic Apocalypse which faired much better in my mind. So far the set was good but I had a flash of excitement shoot up my spine during the deep cut "Satan Speeds Up." The band got the track down and provided a great counterpoint to the previous heavy moments. "Trapdoor" was next and served as a sinister follow up to the lounge-y tune before it. Afterwards was the highlight of the night. "The River" felt like a fitting song as the venue was actually next to a river and the band pulled a lot of influence from the Grateful Dead (they saw Dead and Company at Wrigley the night before). The jam seemed to incorporate elements of the Dead's "Space" jams as well as their 1978 classic "Fire on the Mountain" but it wasn't too much of a copy as the band played through the average River repitoire with an excellent ending. Driving out of that was a rocking "Evil Death Roll" and a bouncy, crowd pleasing "Magma." Finally we got a bluesy ending fitting for the Windy City - "Boogieman Sam." The jam felt a bit long to me with a bit too little to do but when it hit, it hit. 

In my mind 6/11 was a night to knock out some b-listers. For as many stand out moments there were, there was always another that felt far less important. Paired with the band's less energetic vibe and the weather the end product was simply "fine." It was a Gizzard show more than capable of pleasing but it wasn't a classic - at least in my mind.

Near the beginning of this show Joey - with his eternal cosmic wisdom - stated something along the lines of "this is one for the history books." While I don't know if 6/13/2023 will be a Red Rocks '22 level event, it will certainly go down in history as a very solid and intriguing show.

The conditions of 6/13/2023 were challenging to put it lightly. The Chicago residency's weather was hit and miss and the final night was arguably the worst. Most of the day the Weirdo Swarm was met with harsh rain and a semi-occuring wind. Many fans hid in the Salt Shed's various buildings but the adventurous stayed outside at the stage or hid under umbrellas eating and drinking. In some ways it was surprising that Gizz decided not to move indoors but by the time they got on the weather had begin to pass and they made it clear that they were energized.

We start with a bang with a sampling of the band's metal works with a "Gila Monster" that worked the crowd, a "Converge" that could break some necks and "Planet B" and "Mars For the Rich" giving Infest fans exactly what they were searching for. However where one might guess that another metal tune like "Hell" would come up next, we ended up getting an unexpected "Plastic Boogie" which was as heavy as it was surprising. Following this the band debated whether it was time for a synth set but due to the weather they decided to hold off. Stu grabs his trusty flute and begins "Hot Water" which is a delightful, crowd pleasing romp but as the song winds down he picks up his Yamaha and begins the Laminated Denim banger "Hypertension." This song has always been a highlight in their live shows since it's debut and 6/13 was no different. While Galea worked the visuals giving the band a familiar yet chaotic backdrop, Gizzard shot for the sun and went there with insane highs that stood out during the residency. The Joey fronted track "This Thing" was next and won over everyone especially by it's ending groove. "Magenta Mountain" was next and was a crowd pleaser. Next however was what set this show apart from everything before it - the live debut of their ten minute jazz opus "Change." Admittedly I can't say this was as well performed as the rest of the songs as it felt at times like a true work in progress tune - which is something the band essentially admitted beforehand. It's a long song with many changes. That said it was a big moment of the show and ultimately one of my favorites due to it's gravity. Afterwards Gizzard gets sidetracked and almost plays their final song before correcting and allowing Cook to sing the lovable Omnium ditty "The Garden Goblin" which the band got just right. Finally the band wrapped up with a killer version of "The Dripping Tap" which had fans crowdsurfing throughout its entire duration.

6/13/2023 was a show that might be legendary for those who decided to face the weather rather than blame it. There was no mud like Woodstock '99 but what fans got was a great set that covered just about anything you could ask for on this tour. A perfect, fun yet uncomfy end to the ordeal that was Chicago '23.

The evolution of Jammy Gizzard continues with this grooviest of sets.  The boys waste no time and dive right into the jams with a fiery Rattlesnake, suffused with touches of Honey and Sleepdrifter.  The last "rattle's me" cuts off the rest of the band as Stu continues riffing and the band jumps right back in with Honey proper, and more Sleepdrifter teases.

After only two songs, the banana is shelved and the crew rolls out the synth cart for a rousing rendition of Shanghai.  Ambrose's falsetto verses ring through over the synth loops before the band takes off into a lengthy jam over the main riff.  If this is any indication of the sounds of the second 2023 album, I am very excited to hear more.  Shanghai is followed up by Hate Dancin' and Astroturf.  Hate Dancin still perhaps needs a bit of drilling but Astroturf was spot on, every note landed, and Lukey and Cavs held down the last half of the song with frightening precision.

After the Changes set, it's Cookie's Turn.  Continuing on the funky groovy theme of the night, Cookie Dawg calls out Down The Sink, my personal favorite song off Gumboot Soup, and a welcome return to live rotation.  Cookie's playing and vocals on this track are on point, and towards the tail end of the song, the funk gets even funkier.  The band gets hectic and louder and ever so chaotic, before dropping without warning back into one last chorus.

A long, dramatic pause in the music, as the boys have a brief chat about what is coming next.  Speculation and gossip in the audience grows as listeners wonder what the band is about to drop on us.  "Lucas just asked me what key this is in, that's how prepared we are for this.  Ah, fuck it, Invisible Face."  Massive cheers erupt from the audience as the band plays a song not heard since 2018, and like the rest of the set before it, it is most funky.  The breakdown wove in and out, quiet and loud, as a mesmirizing nonagon played across the video board.  Eventually Stu brought it back to the head for the transition into Wah Wah, although they could scarsely get past the second verse before dipping into the River jam from the previous night.  A few more minutes of swimming in the river before we got back to Wah Wah and Cav's double kick powered the band straight into Road Train, releasing all the tension built up from the previous two songs.

In case you thought we were done with the funk, you were wrong.  A long, drawn out riffy jam eventually grew into Ice V, replete with Stu and Joey guitar solos and sexy saxy Ambrose trills.  The post chorus jam took a turn for the heavy, as the band came back in for the Queen of Ice verse.  Instead of the usual G Dorian riff, the band appears to be playing over a sort of Andalusian Cadence (I, bVII, bVI, V).  Is this a new version of the song, or a hint at something to come later?  Only time will tell.

A brief break in the music as the band breaks out the heavy metal instruments.  Excitement in the audience swells as we are finally getting more metal.  And they the pull the rug out from under us with a spot on rendition of the Inner Cell suite.  Up next is Supercell from PetroDragonic Apocolypse, a fully formed storm of thrashy goodness.  After that, we get a drawn out intro for Self Imolate, but before they can launch into the song proper, the boys sit down and Cavs and Lukey open up a drums and bass jam.  The other members slowly join in, creating a heavy metal soundscape.  Pulsing tribal rhythms lead listeners on a fiery run across the surface of Venus for several minutes, building up the energy until eventually returning to the main song and unleashing that energy back into the crowd.  They're getting good at this.

One last song to close out the night.  A gentle riff starts, then builds, culminating in a lovely, albeit shorter, Am I In Heaven?  The length does not mean the song was a let down at all.  We had gotten plenty of jams that night, and one last banger to round out the set was just what the doctor ordered.  The whole audience screaming the chorus over top the four-on-the-floor drums brought the whole Wierdo Swarm together for one last dance in the rain.

With two incredible and unique shows already finished, the swarm is left wondering what is still in store on night 3.

To quote Stu: "The weather's better today... but it's still rainin"

First off, Kamikaze Palm Tree: way better! They raised their volume and interacted with the audience more. Really went a long way.

But man this setlist. For Fans of Chill Gizz, this is your show. A massive show opening Rattlesnake with quotes and teases for a half dozen other microtonal songs, finally culminating in Honey. 

Then? A massive jammed out Shanghai, possibly the highlight of the show. Hate Dancing and Astroturf follow up, bringing some much needed Changes love to the show.

Cookie Dawg gets to shine on Down The Sink, which gets a lil strange at the end, and then "the first time ever in gizzy lizzy history, wait I'm already wrong", a fantastic Invisible Face Jam that goes into Wah Wah and Road Train.

 

Ice V cools things off and gets a solid jam. Then the Horology suite gives us some Poly action in on the show. The Horology Suite is not jammed, but played close to the studio version.

If things were too chill for you, check out this duo of metal tracks, Supercell, in reference to the rain, and Self Immolate. If yesterdays The River had a Dead style Space, this has a Dead style Drumz. 



Then, as a closer, a nice jammed Am I In Heaven?, not too crazy, but quite nice.

A must listen show, IMO

 

You could call me a new fan of the band- I jumped on the wagon when dripping tap was released as a single- This was my second show, the first being the October 2022 show they played at the radius (although I can't say I was able to zone in on that one at the time, because I was in and out, helping a friend set up a pizza party for the band after the show, but that's another story). I am a huge Phish fan and jam band fan, and I appreciate gizz for being unique in their own ways. All of that being said, this show blew me away! They jammed way harder than I remember them playing at the radius... It's funny because prior to the band taking the stage, I recall talking to a stranger who was adamant that they are not a jam band. After streaming some of the RR shows and witnessing the music that took place this evening, if you can't call these guys a jam band, then I don't know what is. Again, since I'm pretty new to all this, relatively speaking, I am very curious if the level of jammage taking place this tour is commonplace or not- please let me know either way. 

 

Show started out with Pleura and O.N.E, which I was very happy to discover when I got home, are played in opposite order on LW- an album I am yet to dive into, but one of my friends at the show is in love with. Shout out to Woo-Woo. I introduced this skeptical bastard to their music and has latched on to the teet like none other. I fear we will soon lose him to a culture of jam that he has so relegated for years. Considering he has had as much time as me to fall in love, his grasp of their catalog is impressively deep. Anyways, these songs fucked hard and was excited to listen to the studio versions when I got home. Not much jamming happening in these two but as straightforward songs, they grabbed my attention.

They pulled a seemingly random fan up on stage to introduce Nuclear Fusion, and we all giggled at the randomness of it all. Confirmed later on the stream, as the lucky gentleman was right next to the streamer as he was pulled up. Extra shout out to Kobayashi Streamus-- you're a fucking lege, mate. Keep up the work it's greatly appreciated.

Minimum Brain Size grabbed my attention like Plura and O.N.E, not necessarily for how deep it went as a jam, but it's just a song that crushes and is exciting to experience live without much prior knowledge of it. And that was kind of the theme of the night! having seen 100's of jam band shows, tonight was like experiencing the genre for the first time all over again!!!! I went from being like, "I know this!" to, "Wait what the fuck is this?" to "I'm scared and confused" to "idgaf this music is sooooooo glonky it tickles my insides". I was witnessing myself falling deeply in love.

Metal sandwich time!!! Gaia > Motor Spirit > Great Chain of Being > Gaia blew me away. Again I'm familiar with this type of jammery, but being able to relive what it feels like to be lost in these moments was so frickin exhilarating, plus discovering GCOB is very exciting, and cannot wait to learn more about Gumboot Soup. Very Metal, very jammy, very cool. 

 

Witchcraft, Satan Speeds Up, and Trapdoor were a mix of all of the above for me. Metally jammy goodness, the likes of which no other band that I know of can do. Their metal is sooooo demonic, I can't help but giggle and grin with nervous glee (I'm mostly nervous these are actual demonic incantations/witchcraft and they're casting a literal spell). Anyways,  I thoroughly enjoyed being lost in this stretch, but then...

The River went straight up type II. Apparently, the band was at the Dead and Co show the night before and seemed to have been influenced? Again, idk because I'm such a baby gizzard, but unless this type of jammage is commonplace for them, they gave us something special. At one point I had turned to a friend when I thought they were transitioning into another song, saying this sounds super Dead-y. Seems like they may have actually covered Drums>Space?? Regardless, this river ran deeeeeeep. I found myself rocking the fuck out as hard as I have at any other show. These guys are keeping me dancing deep in the set and dancing hard. I still hate dancing...

 

Evil Death Roll was another deep jam that was equally as interesting and boogy worthy and blew me away as well. These two jams are worth many relistens, and feel so lucky that I have another community that rivals the other greats in terms of collecting and sharing live music. (Thank you!!!!)

Besides Gaia and Trapdoor, Magma and Boogieman Sam were the only songs I really knew tonight. Magma also went deep and evil, although pretty much stayed type I. Incredible metal build and Cavs was hammering the 32nd note fills for like 32 measures, and really tied up a wonderful build with explosive energy. Boogieman sam was a nice and much-needed cool down, and included Dripping Tap tease to end the show.

This was an amazing show, but tough to rate given my lack of context of what a typical show is like. I'm giving it 4 ⭐️... for now 

 

See yall slizzards tomizzle!!!!

Haven't given this one a rating yet, as I'm going to all 3 Salt Shed shows and want to rate them all against each other accordingly.

Perhaps the strangest part of this show was the opener, Kamikaze Palm Tree. A lot of internet ink has been spilled about them but they didn't address the audience at all... they just... started playing. Their volume was also maybe 1/4th of Gizz, so barely anyone could hear them. A very strange situation.

Gizz takes the stage and thanks us for showing up on such a "dreadful" day. It was low 50's and drizzling on/off for the whole show. A run of Microtonal songs started us off, followed by a metal jam medley. I'm not the biggest Metal Gizz fan, but I thought it was pretty solid, though perhaps not the highlight of the show (though again, not a Metal Gizz fan, take that with a grain of salt).

After our faces were melted, they cooled things down with a duo of Stu on Flute songs, the second ever live Satan Speeds Up, and Trapdoor.

And finally, the jam portion of the show. I've been chasing The River since my first Gizz Show in 2017, and finally on my fourth I catch a whopper. Seemed to be 20+ minutes, and halfway through they drop the song and go full Type 2, going into a Dead style "Space" Jam, complete with Amby on Sax. Then they went BACK to the main composition, jammed on that for a while, and ended it. They followed it up with an extremely solid Type 1 Evil Death Roll, a somewhat jammed but otherwise by the numbers Magma, and a 14 minute Boogieman Sam (dedicated to Sammy, the sound man) that turned into The Dripping Tap near the end. This jam run section of the show is an absolute can't miss.

Well worth freezing my butt off in 54 degree weather. 2 more shows to go!

 

 

I wish eschew a full show review, but I wanted to make note of the river. It's funny to me seeing more and more phish/dead fans roll to these shows because the energy and nerd like fandom are easily translated to this band. What I didn't expect was the recent comments Stu made about "getting into the dead" to translate so quickly into them 1. Seeing a dead and co show and 2. Literally playing the dead. The river jam is quite literally, to my ears a dark star jam and then a fire on the mountain jam. It's reallly impressive stuff and some of the best playing I have seen from them. Seek this show out. 

This was a special show, dosed right and enjoying some deemsters, the whole day flowed with a level of synchronicity that occurs during truly memorable shows. The boys channeled something here and you can feel it in their playing.

 

acoustics allowed the boys to show off their musicianship. Seriously great stuff went down here

was my first ever gizz show ! was an absolute blast to hear I'm in your mind fuzz suite live and some of my fav songs ! (ambergris, iron lung, and hypertension) it was also at the hype of gizztober, and changes had just been released so I was at a high of energy. was rlly cool hearing some of the gizztober songs live! was never a huge magma fan until I heard it live, wasn't even hight but it felt like I was tripping and I didn't even care what people thought of me and I just kept dancing like nothing mattered. best night of my life love yall it was so kewllllll <3333

This show was BANANAS! 
Show had a perfect start thru PredX. In comes Converge, when it's apparent the crowd is reeling from the first six and processing the new tune. Herein lies the night's inflection point....

This Thing kicked off a dance vibe that I did not know existed. Synthy jazz all the way through until the moment they reminded us that you do now include the first letter of definite articles in abbreviations. KGLW FTW...... wait what?

 

No known recording and a shortened festival set, if it wasn't for the sake of reviewing every show I have attended then perhaps this one wouldn't need mentioning.  
I still had a good time, but my memory of this is dominated by a 15 minute delay at the start while they dealt with technical issues for the stage, with subsequent breaks between songs while the band members frantically tried to get things adjusted and fixed communicating through their in-ear monitors. This meant a very little crowd communication, and a basic setlist with nothing standing out from their previous show that I had seen the week prior.

The best thing about this was their ability at moments to still drum up a lot of high, fun energy in a crowd of mostly non-fans, outdoors, right in the middle of a very hot day. They weren't exactly at home in the festival lineup (Lorde, Vance Joy, San Cisco, Tash Sultana etc. headlining) but there must have been at least a decent contingent there to mosh for Dune Rats, Bad//Dreems and perhaps the DJ tent, and of course King Gizz. Because they really showed up for The Lord of Lightning and Rattlesnake in particular, which the band dished out nicely, even with an abrupt ending for time.

Other random thoughts from the day:
This festival was meant to host the first ever trial of legal pill testing in Australia, which was cancelled at the last minute. There was a palpable sense of dissapointment among attendees, and the police presence came with a strange new undertone of political influence. The trial went ahead the following year instead, and was a verified success in identifying dangerous adulterations in substances that attendees were planning to ingest. Years on, the city is now home to Australia's first permanent drug sample testing facility (showing similar positive outcomes), and it's territory also became the first (still only) place where cannabis is decriminalised in Australia.  
Considering the outcome of this performance, and that it remains the only time they have played in Canberra; I suppose I am just lamenting a bit on the lagging drug harm reduction laws of this country, and the wasted potential of such a progressive city on a struggling arts industry and conflicted culture.

The fall '22 Red Rocks run is already legendary  among the swarm, and here the band returned to the magenta mountain ready to pick up where they left off. Teases, mash-ups, segues, rarities, debuts, and the world's greatest plumber... it's all here (not to mention the face melting jams). This is a must-hear set for any fan, chock-full of what King Gizzard does best.  

What a fun little show! While I wasn't there physically, I watched the show in Gizzcord with a bunch of other people from past Wah Wah. It was very relaxing, and most certainly exactly what I needed then.

 

Would this make The River the first song with a 0 set gap? I'm not sure if it's all of Wah Wah, or just a tease of it, but it was very nice nonetheless. Between Let Me Mend the Past and Trapdoor, they played a little hillbilly jingle, which I found quite funny and nice. 

Along with that, the encore of at the end was a surprise. Her and I isn't my favorite song they could have played, but it certainly sounded great. Stu's ramblings throughout the set were also so very welcome.

 

7.8/10! Could have used a little bit more Omnium. Candles>The Funeral was an obvious pick. Made me lose my prediction even harder.

I got obsessed with this band, started a website about them with some friends, and knew I could not miss this last best chance to see them in the United States before they left my part of the world. A Phish buddy near Philly wanted to go and had a place to stay, so we made it happen. We parked right near a residence of Edgar Allen Poe and edged closer to the Franklin Music Hall. I remember the feel of a small and packed venue, finding a way to get upstairs into a 21+ area that had a good view, and locking down spots far in the back perched over it all. My buddy stood on a bench and had the highest bird's-eye view of the venue out of anyone. We heard some Leah Senior, had a beer, and got ready. 

King Gizz for me is a lot about discovering new tastes and interests, opening myself up to wild new ideas and intense desires. Their metal has spoken to me in ways I never anticipated, and Murder of the Universe drew me in deeper than anything. I listened over and over and over again. Not just that album--I listened to pretty much everything--but I kept going back to their heaviest music. So, up there on the balcony when they opened with Oddlife, then Billabong Valley I got eased in. I felt the energy and intensity. But then K.G.L.W. Outro...it hit (after an emergency string replacement) and I was at my first metal show. My hair was still long from the pandemic for the first time in my life and I let it all go right there. Mars for the Rich. Predator X>Organ Grinder. This would be it for me. An altered future. 

The Her & I jam taught me that I cannot miss any opportunity to see this band live, to listen to this band's live recordings, and that every effort to track the development of their performances is worth our energy. Grim Reaper and Ice V had me dancing so hard, exactly what I want from a concert. 

The Altered Beast we got at this show was one of the wildest concert moments I've had and that continued straight into Evil Death Roll. This Evil Death Roll is on the top highlights list, for sure. I've listened to a lot live Gizz, from the past couple years especially, at this point. That Evil Death Roll...that was ruthless and sadistic and vindictive. This show proves live Gizz is incredibly addictive. 

--AlteredBeef (writing this only days before his next Gizz shows!!)

This show was truly insane and the best I've been to. I got tickets to every show in the whole tour except for the this one and I was going around asking for tickets until the very last group of people helped me getting in with a FREE ticket so I'm super thankful for them but the setlost is what really made the night special for me. Nonagon was my first album I've heard by them so when they started robot stop I went right in the pit and was lost until they played me beat but that was just the start of the night. Hypertension ripped and hot water is always just a powerful song. At the end of the concert they played a new song off of pda supercell and the pit exploded again for another 4 songs until they ended it with Gila monster which got all of us screaming. Loved the show and loved the people can't wait for the rest of the tour.

First Gizzard show I ever went to, having only heard ITRN, Mind Fuzz, and MotU, and the Dripping Tap.

Going to 10+ shows of varying genres per year for over 20 years, this was the best concert I have ever been to in my entire life. It was life changing. I've been obsessed with KG ever since. Can't wait for them to be back at Red Rocks next week!

Gizzfest at Luna Park was the perfect show to see King Gizzard live for the first time. I had been obssesed with them for a year, and was getting deep into the rest of the Flightless catalogue, most of which were also playing along with some new friends of the band.
It was my first time there as a music venue too. I hadn't been into the Big Top before, and being attached to the amusement park made the indoor stage feel almost like a giant circus tent. I'm glad we showed up early as they had most of the park attractions running, ferris wheel and all, and the place was draped in Jason Galea art installations. After a drink at the bar, we headed to the dodgem cars, and to my surprise saw half the band themselves had even taken the opportunity for a go, making themselves very popular targets. Yet meeting Stu shortly after only proved what everyone says about how gracious and kind the band members are with their time for fans.
They weren't the only performers mingling. It was impossible to miss a particular crew cutting through the crowds, who I later realised was Amyl and the Sniffers when I unexpectedly caught the end of their blistering set. I had showed up early to catch the start of Leah Senior's, the polar opposite in vibe but also excellent. There is much to say about getting to see Kikagaku Moyo, La Luz, The Murlocs, and glimpses of all the others at the same event, but this is a King Gizzard show review after all; we'd all put in a big evening already and were plenty worked up by the time their headline set begun.

The hype music on the house speakers included Rockets - On The Road Again, and the crowd started to get excited thinking they were previewing new music, little did we know it forshadowed the electronic boogie that would come two years later. A red nonagon appeared on the back of the stage, and suddenly the show had begun. Polygondwananaland had not even been out for a week yet, they were fully riding the crest of the wave of 2017 albums and so the setlist was comprised mostly of these with a few staples thrown in. A thick rendition of Digital Black was an early impressive moment, but our collective minds were really blown when the bassline at the end of The Lord of Lightning transitioned into Cellophane; just as fans had discovered with the studio versions in the last few months picking through the links planted between the new and old music.
I don't think anyone expected anything from Sketches Of Brunswick East, the energy was not right for this show, but the next surprise was Crumbling Castle. We were all still getting our heads around Polygondwanaland, and from the moment that first song had dropped as a single the question had risen: can they play this kind of music live? Of course the answer was a confident yes, the polyrythms and ambitious arrangement only elevated the performance beyond the familiar realm of the fast and loud energy that had dominated their live show since the earliest punk days through to the Nongaon Infinity tracks they still had in high rotation. This new realm was much headier, and just while it seemed like anything was possible, they blasted us once again with the most intense parts of MOTU and Nonagon Infinity, melting the final remnants of brains and faces with the injection of some Hawkwind into Robot Stop.

I had never been in a crowd like this before. There was a palpable sense of people at ease just being themselves in the dark room, where high intensity moshing, and chilling to the side openly smoking a joint both made sense. A huge variety of different band shirts were on display too, from all the bands present, to the classics like Pink Floyd, to various experimental Hip-Hop artists, to no top at all for one woman who spent a whole song standing (not sitting) swaying on someone else's shoulders.

Into the Flying Microtonal Banana tracks, and I was very satisfied with a perfect version of Nuclear Fusion, the first song to release after I had fully descended into fandom and it had remained my favourite. One of the few to truly utilise two drummers playing out of unison, the panning effect was doubly impressive live, while Joey was still doing the intro with the originally intended throat singing technique that ended up being too harsh on his voice to continue using. Doom City into Rattlesnake made a great peak in the crowd energy, who moshed out the last of it in preparation for the finale, the very unexpected Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer. I didn't understand why it wouldn't have been The River, which was also a favourite of mine (and still their most played song that I haven't yet seen), but in hindsight the rarity of this track made it a real treat to cap off what would be the second last Gizzfest. I allowed the exhaustion of seeing five or six sets to wash over me, and it felt like even the rest of the band did too, leaving Stu front and center with us all in his hands. That was the most I ever thought he looked like a classic rock star, confidently channeling a mellow energy into the atmosphere that I used to start stretching my sore lower back in preparation for the seemingly endless uphill walk to the train station and home. It is a long song anyway, and made for one of those moments that felt like it would go forever, not even in the style of jamming, I have no idea if it was even extended beyond the studio version, but in a sense it feels like Stu is still bathed in yellow light and sustaining some of those chords even now.

Some of the crowd stuck around chanting for an encore, but I had the sense that they were not that kind of band, and I think most of the crowd had also realised the finality; I think it would have probably even spoiled the moment for them to come back out.
I already had tickets to their next show the week later in Canberra, which was another leap for me as I'd never seen the same band twice up until that point. I could never have forseen the value of the investment that this first show established, but looking back I am infinitely glad that this was my first King Gizzard performance.

My first show! 

After about a year of slowly getting more into the band we decided that we really needed to see a show. New Orleans is one of our favorite cities and it was the only show with tickets still available so we sent it. I was intrigued by the amount of different people at the show, primarily metal kids and jam band nerds, but there was several people I met in line who didn't fall into either catagory and some who were seeing their first concert ever. Despite the melting pot of the fan base typical conversations around favorites songs/albums, and hopes for the show were met exclusively with positivity, there was no wrong answer and that felt awesome. The vibe in the crowd was perfect and the excitement was palpable. 

The venue was beautiful, we got seats on the lower balcony in the first row behind the reserved. Apologies to anyone behind us who seemed like they wanted to sit down the entire show but I was not sitting for this concert. I took a brief rest during ambergris and crumbling castle, it was funny to see the entire section sit down right after us in a wave like fashion. 

On to my impressions of the show: EXPECTATIONS WERE FAR EXCEEDED!! The band comes out fully greased mentioning the day drinking that was done before the show (and shown in the astroturf music video) I only narrowly missed running into the band on Bourbon street earlier that day. I was sucked in from the first note, KGLW outro hits so much harder live and I was loving it. MBS is one of my favorties from KG and cowboy Amby put on a show for us in Billabong Valley before the real meat of the show. Evil Death Roll thru ambergris is HOT SHIT, high energy, balls to the wall playing that had us totally losing our minds. Mars for the rich is one of my favorites as well so happy to see that and planet B added in for some heavy flavor. Magenta Mountain closer was perfection, the heavy synth jam had everyone around us totally enthralled. Other songs not mentioned were all performed perfectly I'm just pointing out my highlights.

Overall this show won me over from casual to super fan, everything from the vibe to the music was exactly what I needed. Looking forward to much more Glizzard in the future. \mm/

This was a hometown show, and I was fortunate enough to know the venue staff well enough that they offered me a backstage pass. Thank God for you Riley, the crowd at Waterstreet was absolutely packed in there like sardines, both on the ground level and the balcony. Sight-lines were non-existent, and if you're not familiar with Waterstreet, the sound quality there plummets anywhere behind the pit. I was the guy standing in the front corner in front of the speakers with a grin on my face a mile wide, with plenty of elbow room, and access to the bar whenever I needed a fresh beer.

 

Sweet baby Jesus was I pumped to hear the opening notes of The Dripping Tap, a tune that I had obsessed over since it's single release earlier in the year. The long-form composition and jamming that this tune showcases boded exceptionally well for the future of a phish convert, and 2022 would further cement KG's prowess as a quasi-jamband (minus all the wooks).

 

I like ITRN, but it's by no means my favorite subsection of their ever-growing genre hopping capabilities. Venusian 1 & 2, however, are two of my favorites from their metal catalog, so I was thrilled, knowing that they typically showcase the metal tunes at the beginning and end of their sets. While ITRN may be a bit too much thrash, Mind Fuzz is the perfect mix of their earlier aussie rock chaos and melody. The Mind Fuzz suite was just perfect, but it didn't just end as expected, we were instead treated to a seamless transition into our only MOTU of the evening, a flawless Balrog, which then went straight into the only Nonagon sighting of the night with 15 minute rendition (!!) of Evil Death Roll, which was packed with teases and really superb jamming skills from a band that up until 2022 hadn't really done much jamming at all (outside of Head On/Pill, Am I in Heaven? and FAFYL).

 

The rest of the show was a bit of a jukebox, which really encapsulated the  Omnium Gatherum feeling in a nutshell. Presumptuous got a nice jam, with Amby taking the lead vocals for the first time that evening, after which Stu busted out his Flute for readings of Trapdoor and Grim Reaper. One memory that particularly stands out from this show is being in the basement (private bathrooms were particularly clutch!) during Trapdoor and hearing the floor above me creaking and bouncing under the weight of the fans. It was an awesome moment, everyone was moving. 

 

Cookie got his moment next, with a surprising Down the Sink, a tune I was not at all expecting to hear, but as Gumboot was my intro to KG, it was a welcomed treat. Amby took center stage again for Straws in the Wind, which featured lots of crowd call and response (perhaps a bit too much in my opinion, but Shrimp Boy gonna shrimp!) including a call-out for low crowd energy. Our only dose of microtonal writing closed the show out with a monster Rattlesnake, filled to the brim with teases (Automation, Minimum Brain Size, O.N.E, Nuclear Fusion, Sleep Drifter, and Honey) and furious guitar shredding.

 

I've seen and performed a LOT of shows at waterstreet, but this one tops them all. The energy was just massive. You could feel that everyone in the room was on the same wave length, and that we were sharing the same thought: that this band is one of the greatest bands on earth right now.

My first time catching KG, and I had to cross the border to do so, but it was worth it!

 

The sound at The Rebel was subpar at best, but the band was firing on all cylinders this night. Starting out with the ITRN tunes is always going to get the crowd going, and the screen behind the stage provided awesome pixelated and evil visuals. Being a huge Polygondwanaland fan, I was elated to hear Crumbling Castle and Fourth Color, which was followed by a nice cool down pairing of Bird Song and Work this Time. Joey really shreds on the latter, which was a nice surprise, as I hadn't heard any live versions at that point.

 

Next up the boys switched over to their microtonal instruments for a triple dose of FMB. Little did we know KG & LW were just around the corner, but back then, this pairing of Open Water, Doom City, and Nuclear Fusion felt like one of the most unique concert experiences I'd been fortunate enough to witness.

 

I've come to love how they group their tunes, and a FFF pairing of Cyboogie & Real's Not Real was an awesome follow-up to the surreal microtonal section of the show. A quick dive into Nonagon got the room moving again, before another ITRN pairing really brought the roof down. People were going nuts. After following the ever-docile Phish around the country for the last decade (sup fellow phish.netters!) this was a much needed shock to the system of energy and mayhem.

 

As we had a long drive back to the states that night, we dipped during Am I in Heaven? , a tune that was fairly unknown to me at that time. Shoutout to Toronto Parking Enforcement for the parking ticket, which I finally just paid last week to ensure I'd be allowed back in Canada next month after the Thrice show in Niagara.

It's been literally 5 years since the show, and no recordings, sadly exist, so I'll do my best to remember as much as I can.

This was my first Gizz show, having gotten into them in my last semester of college that same year. Becoming a Gizz fan in 2017 felt like winning the lottery, there was so much new music coming out and the early great classics. 

The show had an opener, Mile High Club, Chicago natives. At the time I had not heard any Mile High Club beyond the collaboration album that was released just a month prior to the show, and that album was my favorite of the 5 album run at that time. There was no indication just yet if they would ultimately sit in during the main show to play Sketches songs, but luckily they did on Countdown and Rolling Stones.

Lincoln Hall is not an especially large venue, for Phish fans the best comparison may be Higher Ground in Burlington, VT. I was up close for Mile High Club, but once Gizz took the stage it was apparent that a mosh was happening and I am not much of a mosher and worked my way towards the back. The set followed a fairly novel "album section" style format. We opened with the full Han-Tayumi suite from MOTU, with narration from the robot himself, the projection system was beaming the video for the suite on the screen behind them. Once that was done, there was some stage banter as they switched over to the microtonal gear for a block of tracks from Flying Microtonal Banana. Then they switched back to their gear and Amby said "it's time to chill the fuck out" and they went into Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer. At that time, my favorite track off of Quarters was The River, but in this performance Steel Sheet won me over and now it's my favorite track off Quarters. The version played was looser, and felt shorter than the album version, but I don't know if that's just me remembering it in hindsight. 

Once we got a Quarter of Quarters, we got another quarter of MOTU, bringing our MOTU quotient to 2/3rds, with the full Altered Beast suite, sans narration. After that, they kicked into Robot Stop which transitioned smoothly into Hot Water, Stu got on the mic and half spoke half sung something of "building a world", and "I create this universe"... though to be clear, I couldn't quite make out what he was saying. A tease of Masters of the Universe near the transition tied together what I could make out from what Stu was saying to be an acknowledgment of a "Gizzverse", though stopping short of outright saying "Gizzverse". The Nonagon Infinity section of the show continued as Hot Water flowed into Gamma Knife, which in turn flowed into People-Vultures, which was ended. The band brought out Mile High Club for the Sketches of Brunswick East section of the show. This was still the Eric era of the band (and the only show I was able to see of that two-drummer era), so a whole additional band (sans third drummer) on stage was a sight to behold. It was a whole hell of a lot of musicians on one stage. The show ended, the band thanked everyone, and I dashed to Ogilvie Transportation Center to catch the last train back home.


It was a fantastic show, and sectioning the show into blocks per album was quite fun.

My 3rd ever show and was by far my favorite show they ever did. First time by myself and first time going silly I drove 8 hours to see this show in my shitty car with no a/c. Stu's birthday celebration was awesome at first they had us all laughing when they said he had diarrhea and couldn't make it out but then he shows up in a disco outfit. Hot water was when my silly kicked in and it was intense when hypertension was playing. During persistence they brought out a chocolate cake with an Alien fucking it and Stu threw it into the crowd before warning everyone it had shrooms in it. The river was as good as ever but my favorite part of this show was Magma into Lava, I'll never forget that, it truly changed my life. As soon as I left this show I made a vow to see every single American show that I possibly can and when the residency tour went live I bought every single ticket that I could.

My second ever show and it was better than the first. Nonagon opening really opened the door to an awesome set. Crumbling castle into the river was perfect. The river being my favorite song and them improving an extra 8 minutes was legit sex. I'm not 100% sure but someone told me this was the first time they did the evil river. My favorite part of the show was right after the intro to the dripping tap when amby screamed "oh shit someone better call the plumber!" Had me laughing for weeks telling my friends. 

My first ever show and I loved it. I bought tickets for 3 of my best friends and we had a blast. Self-immolate opener really was intents and the flute section was awesome but my favorite from this night was Amby on straws in the wind. After this show it cemented me as a gizz head fo sho. Drove 4 hours in my car with no a/c too