There’s never been a better time to be a fan of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The psych-rockers from Melbourne, Australia have always been known for their ridiculous output of music and live shows, but they’ve taken it to another level this year.

King Gizzard formed in 2010 and released their first album, 12 Bar Bruise, in 2012. Since then, they’ve released a total of 26 albums. They’ve experimented with every genre under the sun, from straightforward psychedelic garage rock (2014’s I’m In Your Mind Fuzz, 2016’s Nonagon Infinity) to jazz (2015’s Quarters!, 2022’s Changes) to thrash metal (2019’s Infest the Rat’s Nest, 2023’s Petrodragonic Apocalypse) to Middle Eastern inspired microtonal music (2017’s Flying Microtonal Banana, 2020’s K.G., 2021’s L.W.) to electronic synth-pop (2021’s Butterfly 3000) and everything in between.

Despite all the genre-shifting, King Gizzard has maintained a consistent feel and energy throughout their long discography. Every one of their albums have that uniquely Gizzard vibe, and it’s that Gizzard vibe that makes the band so enjoyable. The band also clearly have fun making music and hanging out with each other, which elevates the music even further.

There’s always something new to find with King Gizzard, and through their explorations they’ve introduced me to styles of music I would’ve never given a chance otherwise. 

In recent years, especially post-pandemic, King Gizzard has gained a following similar to that of the Grateful Dead. Fans will travel around the country following the band on tour, organize meetups and rows of vendors selling bootleg merch before a show, and a very dedicated bootleg recording community has sprung up around the band, recording shows and posting them online for other dedicated fans to enjoy.

The band has embraced this new type of following very warmly. Since 2017 they’ve released their own “Official Bootlegger” program, featuring studio demos and full shows handpicked by the group and released on their website. On their most recent tour, they’ve gone above and beyond any fan’s wildest dreams. They’ve been livestreaming every single show on their Youtube channel, and have been releasing every show on the tour under the Bootlegger program.

And they’ve never sounded better. King Gizzard change their setlists every night, don’t repeat songs on consecutive nights, and don’t repeat songs on consecutive visits to a city. This most recent tour has been filled with wild jams, new musical adventures, and loads and loads of ridiculous fun. 

Their live shows incorporate music from across their 26 (and counting!) albums, and every show is fresh and brings together all the different corners of the Gizzard sound. 

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are the best live band in the world right now. Every single night, they go out onstage and put their entire beings into their music.

I got to witness this magic firsthand November 1 and 2, at the Forum here in LA and at the Rady Shell in San Diego respectively. I’d waited for these shows since the band announced them a year ago, and my excitement grew exponentially as the dates grew nearer.

I’d seen King Gizzard once before, at the Hollywood Bowl last year, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Going into these shows I wasn’t sure how they’d top the Bowl, but they blew my expectations out of the water and into outer space. 

Night One

King Gizzard took the stage at the Forum and immediately launched into “Mars For The Rich,” followed by “Planet B” and “Hell.” Complete with crazy psychedelic projections on the massive screen behind the band, it was like being transported into an ‘80s sci-fi adventure film. Heavy guitars and blistering solos took that sci-fi vibe and warped it beyond comprehension, crashing the spaceship and killing everything inside in a massive glorious explosion.

The familiar chords to “Slow Jam 1” elicited roars from the crowd and kicked off a jammed-out trio of songs that completely floored me. “Slow Jam 1” smoothly transitioned into a heavy “This Thing,” which then transitioned into one of the absolute highlights of the night for me: “Am I In Heaven?.” 

“Heaven?” is one of my favorite Gizzard songs, and finally getting to see it played live was a borderline religious experience. As the jam twisted and turned and took off into the cosmos, all I could do was stand silently and let it wash over me. Despite the aural assault, I felt like I was levitating in the air, spellbound by the music. The magical feeling was elevated even further by frontman Stu Mackenzie’s beautiful improvised lyrics about gratitude and togetherness. 

“Self-Immolate” brought me crashing back down to the ground in an inferno, and featured a thunderous drum solo from Michael Cavanagh. My head was blown off and stitched back together as though my only purpose was to scream and headbang as hard as I possibly could. 

The metal section of the show closed with brutal renditions of “Dragon” and “Flamethrower.” I saw the band as metal messiahs. As the music reached its screaming peak, with my face melted, shouting in unison with 15,000 people just like me, Mackenzie stood with his arms raised like Satan himself raising his army. And his army complied.

The band then played four microtonal (heavily inspired by Middle Eastern music, features a wider range of notes than Western music uses) songs. I was taken on an epic journey through harsh desert sandstorms, futuristic cityscapes, and psychedelic dreamscapes during the three-song joinings of “Straws In The Wind,” “O.N.E.,” and an extended, hazy, and mind-bending “Sleep Drifter.” 

King Gizzard brought Mystery Jack, a notable fan who’s been recording King Gizzard concerts for years, onstage to perform the vocal intro to “Nuclear Fusion.” Jack crushed it, and then King Gizzard crushed me with the musical equivalent of the Chernobyl disaster.

The band then pivoted to some material from their newest album, Flight b741, plus some other danceable goodies. I love b741, and the boogie-rock energy served as a great bridge between the less subtle parts of the show. 

Groovy boogie time was over now, and it was time to return to mind-blowing insanity. From the opening notes of “Robot Stop,” I knew I was in for something special. The song conjured images of a futuristic sci-fi apocalypse, and seemed supercharged with some extra electric energy. I felt like Frankenstein’s monster, blasted with lightning and given only one function: THRASH.

As the band exploded into “Big Fig Wasp” and then “Gamma Knife,” the apocalyptic visions continued. The visuals on the screen behind the band had added to the energy all night, and they elevated the musical chaos beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined. 

Towards the end of “Ice V,” the band started to play the riff from “The Lord of Lightning.” What followed was a musical massacre of proportions so epic I could never do it justice with just words. “The Lord of Lightning” was huge. It was heavy. It was thunderous. It was apocalyptic. I nearly broke my neck headbanging, and just when I thought I was free, the band transitioned to “The Balrog,” which was heavier and trippier than I’d ever heard it. Those two songs were the highlight of the night by far. 

Somehow, after nearly three straight hours of music, King Gizzard had one more ridiculous trick up their sleeve. They brought out former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg to play on “Le Risque,” another song from Flight b741 and a perfect closer to a perfect night.

Night one was a fantastic representation of the variety that makes King Gizzard such an interesting band. In the span of three hours, they explored face-melting metal, microtonal weirdness, ‘70s-inspired boogie rock, and intense apocalyptic psychedelic trips. This diversity is what keeps bringing me back to King Gizzard. They approach every new musical odyssey with enthusiasm, and despite so many different forays into so many different genres, they always manage to make something worth listening to.

Night Two

Night two was a totally different vibe, and just as magical as night one. It was an acoustic show, which meant it would be a lot more chilled-out than your average King Gizz show would be.

The band kicked the night off with an acoustic take on “Witchcraft.” The song was transformed from an occult wasteland to a beautiful medieval Arthurian journey that soared as it morphed into a mystical and cosmic “Chang’e.” An excellent start to an evening filled with highlights. 

“Sense” is one of my favorite King Gizzard songs, and this one did not disappoint. With the election coming up and tensions in the country at an all-time high, the song’s lyrics about contradiction and ignorance felt especially pertinent. The jam didn’t explode or take me on some outer-space journey or give me some fresh new perspective on the world. It was perfectly content staying on Earth and creating a connection between every single person in the crowd. It just made sense.

The intro to “Iron Lung” was entrancing, and as the song progressed it was clear this was no ordinary performance. The jam floated into outer space, spun around the solar system, and landed on alien worlds far far away before eventually returning to Earth. My favorite version of this song I’ve ever heard. 

It was a perfect encapsulation of the King Gizzard magic. They don’t just play music to their audience. They play music with their audience, bringing the crowd along for their journeys and explorations and making every individual blessed enough to see them feel like King Gizzard are playing to them personally.

Somehow the best of the night was still yet to come. The band jammed a bit and thanked their crew, and the jam led into one of the most unique things I’ve ever heard this band play. “Magma” evolved from a primal, volcanic roar to an uptempo disco rager that almost sounded electronic. The jam melted like lava, and emerged with quotes from “The Silver Cord.” Insane.

This night’s performance of “The Silver Cord” was haunting and beautiful and seemed to communicate to beings beyond our comprehension. I can only describe what I witnessed that night in San Diego as metamorphosis. It was the single most stunning song I’ve ever seen live.

“Theia” was just as heavenly. It reached even further into the cosmos, then came back down to Earth, and then took off to heaven one more time before finally gently settling back down.

The show, and the weekend, ended with “The River.” This was the song I’d been hoping for all weekend, and finally getting to experience it live was incredible. As the jam turned more and more psychedelic, and started to float back off into space, that incredible feeling of metamorphosis returned and the music flowed all around, dancing freely through the sky, connecting me to everyone else in the crowd like stars in the night sky. The perfect way to cap off two nights of Gizzard magic.

Metamorphosis is probably the best word I can use to describe the weekend. Throughout two shows and about five total hours of music, I got to see every side of King Gizzard. I got to have my face melted by a crushing assault of heavy metal; I got to explore the furthest reaches of the universe; I got my mind blown by the most intense and powerful psychedelic music I’ve ever heard in person; and I got to boogie to some good old-fashioned Rock ‘N’ Roll. The two shows were about as different musically as they could’ve been, but both were distinctly Gizzard. Without a doubt the two best concerts I’ve ever been to. I can’t wait to see them again.

The best part about the shows is that I’ll get to relive them whenever I want for the rest of my life. The band have been livestreaming every show on their current North American tour and uploading the footage to their Youtube channel afterwards, as well as releasing audio of the shows for free on Bandcamp through their Bootlegger program. They believe King Gizzard is for everyone, and that anyone who wants to should get to experience every aspect of the band.

So where should you start with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard? The real best way to get into the band is to go to a show, but it all depends on your personal taste. They’ve got so many albums in so many different pools of music that even if you don’t like one, there’s a strong chance you’ll like another. Nonagon Infinity and I’m In Your Mind Fuzz are both regarded as some of the best jumping-on points for incoming King Gizzard fans and feature some wild psych rock. Changes is my personal favorite album of theirs, and is a lot more laid-back and vibey than some of their harder-hitting releases. Infest The Rat’s Nest shows some heavy thrash metal. Paper Mâché Dream Balloon is a folksy acoustic album. The Silver Cord is an experimental techno masterpiece of mythical proportions. There’s a King Gizzard album for everyone.

There really has never been a better time to get into King Gizzard. They’re improving and adventuring at a rapid pace, their community is welcoming and accepting, and their music, both live and in the studio, is always a new journey to embark on.