King Gizzard. Detroit. Acoustic. Boats. Vinny. Microtonal. "Make 'em all blue, T!" Shots. A nursing mother. Amby on top of a truck. Donald Trump. Security chasing Joey through the venue. More shots. The morning after, it all feels like a fragmented dream from the mind of an obsessed Gizzard fan. It went by in a flash, but it was real. Really, really real.

Under brilliant blue August skies, the faithful gathered at the cozy and scenic Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre situated on the Detroit River. Geese joined the spirit of the evening by playing a passionate acoustic set that settled the audience in nicely. When King Gizzard emerged, they unfolded an acoustically-rendered "Theia," a fitting opener for the city that birthed techno but also has its own rich folk tradition. Tripping in and out of some heavy "The River"/"Wah Wah" teases, "Theia" ended up also included quotes from "The Silver Cord." Next came the first "Ambergris" of tour. Sung with the usual aplomb from Joey, this was a fun, well-executed version. As "Rats in the Sky" started up, I jumped into the concession line to grab a quick water. After an excruciating fifteen minutes of watching servers pour weak cocktails into tiny plastic cups, I was back in my seat in time for the crashing opening cords of "Mirage City." It comes as no surprise that the rustic country-rock charm of the Flight b741 material translates perfectly to the acoustic setting. A rare dip into the Sketches of Brunswick East album came next with another run at "You Can Be Your Silhouette." While this version was far from perfect, it was still a treat for the ears. Then came the moment that fans of acoustic Gizz had been salivating over ever since the band offhandedly mentioned the possibility at the acoustic show in Brighton three months ago: acoustic microtonal guitars, three of them to be exact! "Pleura" was soundchecked earlier in the day, so the cat was already partially out of the bag, but I'm not sure anyone expected the band to drop an extended microtonal segment of eight songs (bookended by Amby tunes, no less). This is the point where events began to blur together for your intrepid recapper. During the intro to "Straws," Ambrose ran through the audience and took control of the lighting board for a few moments, putting on his own show for both audience and bandmates before making his way around the pavilion. The intimate nature of the venue clearly put the band in a festive mood. They invited a youngster named Vincent (Joey immediately dubbed him “Vinny”) on stage for the “Nuclear Fusion” intro. (You crushed it, Vinny!) At one point Joey grabbed the wireless and wandered through the crowd conducting a little Q & A. He worked his way through an aisle of seats, obscenely taunting security to hilarious effect, and claiming to have nearly tripped over a mother breastfeeding a newborn infant on his way through. (I don't believe you, Joey!) Stu, delivering shots to the band, ran one up to Joey (or was it Amby?) in the crowd. Stu also came in waayyyy early to start the vocals for "Rattlesnake,” giggling at his own miscue. Amby tried to get on a boat and was told not to. He then sang the second half of "Billabong Valley" from the top of a semi parked near the stage. Setting their microtonal instruments aside, the band closed out the night in grand fashion with an energetic "Crumbing Castle" > "The Fourth Colour," followed by a "Slow Jam I" fake-out and finally "Her and I." It was a wild and memorable night, full of melodic beauty, tipsy sincerity, and house-party mischief. I missed a lot of banter, I realize, so do yourself a favor and give this show a listen.

If Friday in Detroit was the band at their loosest and silliest, they arrived in Cleveland on Saturday ready to get back to their standard rig and kick some serious ass.

After Geese provided another high energy set (including a "Head On/Pill" tease) to warm up the crowd, Gizzard dropped a short yet powerful "Magma" to begin. As the song ended, Lucas and Cavs picked up a restless groove reminiscent of the Grateful Dead's "The Other One" that transformed into a galloping read on "Muddy Water," the first of several surprises the band had in store. A well-received trio of new songs came next in the form of "Antarctica," "Raw Feel" and "Daily Blues," with "Daily Blues" serving as the highlight. This heartfelt version found its way to a brief, rocking jam before a deft segue into "Mr. Beat." The quick groove-based jam out of "Mr. Beat" grew murky before returning to the dancefloor for a scintillating "Ice V." Joey summoned the spirit of Jimi Hendrix with some scat-soloing for a positively thumping rendition that stands among the best (yet). After "Le Risque" reminded us to kickstart our hearts, Joey teased that they'd play a tour debut next, but the truth is that four of the next five songs would be tour debuts, in the form of the "Inner Cell" trilogy, a totally unexpected "Superbug," and a sludgy "Predator X" that emerged from the Cuyahoga like some sort of primordial walleye. The metal segment of the show featured a whopping seven songs, with "Self-Immolate" as the centerpiece. The drum solo from Cavs was utterly joyous and Stu joined in with some noisy interplay. You know it's a fun night when Stu wants to add songs to the setlist, not take them away! Such was the case with "Dragon" in Cleveland, descending between "Flamethrower" and "Gila Monster" to close out a powerhouse two hours of music. I wouldn’t have minded a “cooldown” song at the end (“Float Along,” anyone?), but there’s also something to be said for the relentlessness of this particular setlist. MVP goes to Cavs who played his ass off (again). This band is on fire right now. Miss them at your peril.