Australian band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard gave an eclectic and mind-blowing performance showing off their full range to a sold-out Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The prolific Aussies have earned a cult following by cranking out a dizzying array of music – 26 albums over a 12-year period – and combining that with awe-inspiring and always-evolving live shows. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard albums span garage and psychedelic rock, synth and electronica, metal and even microtonal experimentations, and fans were given a sample of just about everything throughout a roughly two-hour show.
Doors to Red Rocks opened at 6:00 PM but fans lined up hours earlier seeking to score both prime seats and merch. By the time the show started, the entire natural rock amphitheater was completely full, including the planters off to the sides.
The first song out of the gate was “Daily Blues,” a harmonica-soaked blues tune from their 2024 album Flight b741. From there, they stuck with the same bluesy theme jamming out “The Bitter Boogie” and “Muddy Water.” The band then went into some new territory by giving “Hog Calling,” also from Flight b741, its live debut.
Frontman Stu Mackenzie then took a break to blow on a bubble wand he found on a vest thrown on stage. As he proceeded to put the vest on, lead guitarist Joey Walker joked how by the end of the show he wanted Stu to have 50-60 layers of clothing on and encouraged the audience to “just get naked and throw all your clothes at this c**t.”
The band then reached deep into their archives going all the way back to “Elbow,” the first song from their 2012 debut album 12 Bar Bruise. It was the first time fans had a chance to hear the hard-driving punk song live since 2018, so it was no wonder the entire 9,500-capacity amphitheater was bouncing.
The Aussies then used “River” to move into a long, improvised psychedelic jam session spanning more than 15 minutes. The guys had fans completely enthralled as Mackenzie and Walker’s guitars played off each other while Ambrose Kenny-Smith teased out notes over the saxophone. It was then time for drummer Michael Cavanaugh to take a break as Joey invited fans to sing “Happy Birthday” to former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg while he joined them on stage for “Le Risque” and “Gila Monster.” The latter is a heavy-hitting tune that had the crowd headbanging and chanting “Gila! Gila! Gila!” the chorus.
Following some equally heavy “Dragon” and “Planet B,” King Gizzard offered up a change of pace with “Stressin’” before transitioning again, this time into a new direction. The guys all gathered around a table of synthesizers, electronic drums, and other machines entangled in a mess of wires, keys, and knobs that allowed the band to show off their electronic side. Fans went from headbanging a few minutes prior to dancing to “Gondii,” “Chang’e” and “Extinction.”
The set closed with “Am I in Heaven” from the 2014 album I’m in Your Mind Fuzz. The song has a garage-punk sound that served to only reinforce King Gizzard’s diversity and dextrous musicianship.
There aren’t too many bands that can take fans on a genre-bending rollercoaster ride of a performance while still maintaining a coherent flow that doesn’t jostle fans out of their seats. That King Gizzard makes it work night in and night out is exactly why they have built such a loyal following.
The band is scheduled to perform throughout the U.S. through November this year. And while no show is ever the same, this one gave an outstanding sample of the varied sounds fans can expect at any King Gizzard show.
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