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.

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.

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.