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."