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.