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.

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

 

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!

 

 

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.