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.