I wish eschew a full show review, but I wanted to make note of the river. It's funny to me seeing more and more phish/dead fans roll to these shows because the energy and nerd like fandom are easily translated to this band. What I didn't expect was the recent comments Stu made about "getting into the dead" to translate so quickly into them 1. Seeing a dead and co show and 2. Literally playing the dead. The river jam is quite literally, to my ears a dark star jam and then a fire on the mountain jam. It's reallly impressive stuff and some of the best playing I have seen from them. Seek this show out. 

Haven't given this one a rating yet, as I'm going to all 3 Salt Shed shows and want to rate them all against each other accordingly.

Perhaps the strangest part of this show was the opener, Kamikaze Palm Tree. A lot of internet ink has been spilled about them but they didn't address the audience at all... they just... started playing. Their volume was also maybe 1/4th of Gizz, so barely anyone could hear them. A very strange situation.

Gizz takes the stage and thanks us for showing up on such a "dreadful" day. It was low 50's and drizzling on/off for the whole show. A run of Microtonal songs started us off, followed by a metal jam medley. I'm not the biggest Metal Gizz fan, but I thought it was pretty solid, though perhaps not the highlight of the show (though again, not a Metal Gizz fan, take that with a grain of salt).

After our faces were melted, they cooled things down with a duo of Stu on Flute songs, the second ever live Satan Speeds Up, and Trapdoor.

And finally, the jam portion of the show. I've been chasing The River since my first Gizz Show in 2017, and finally on my fourth I catch a whopper. Seemed to be 20+ minutes, and halfway through they drop the song and go full Type 2, going into a Dead style "Space" Jam, complete with Amby on Sax. Then they went BACK to the main composition, jammed on that for a while, and ended it. They followed it up with an extremely solid Type 1 Evil Death Roll, a somewhat jammed but otherwise by the numbers Magma, and a 14 minute Boogieman Sam (dedicated to Sammy, the sound man) that turned into The Dripping Tap near the end. This jam run section of the show is an absolute can't miss.

Well worth freezing my butt off in 54 degree weather. 2 more shows to go!

 

 

You could call me a new fan of the band- I jumped on the wagon when dripping tap was released as a single- This was my second show, the first being the October 2022 show they played at the radius (although I can't say I was able to zone in on that one at the time, because I was in and out, helping a friend set up a pizza party for the band after the show, but that's another story). I am a huge Phish fan and jam band fan, and I appreciate gizz for being unique in their own ways. All of that being said, this show blew me away! They jammed way harder than I remember them playing at the radius... It's funny because prior to the band taking the stage, I recall talking to a stranger who was adamant that they are not a jam band. After streaming some of the RR shows and witnessing the music that took place this evening, if you can't call these guys a jam band, then I don't know what is. Again, since I'm pretty new to all this, relatively speaking, I am very curious if the level of jammage taking place this tour is commonplace or not- please let me know either way. 

 

Show started out with Pleura and O.N.E, which I was very happy to discover when I got home, are played in opposite order on LW- an album I am yet to dive into, but one of my friends at the show is in love with. Shout out to Woo-Woo. I introduced this skeptical bastard to their music and has latched on to the teet like none other. I fear we will soon lose him to a culture of jam that he has so relegated for years. Considering he has had as much time as me to fall in love, his grasp of their catalog is impressively deep. Anyways, these songs fucked hard and was excited to listen to the studio versions when I got home. Not much jamming happening in these two but as straightforward songs, they grabbed my attention.

They pulled a seemingly random fan up on stage to introduce Nuclear Fusion, and we all giggled at the randomness of it all. Confirmed later on the stream, as the lucky gentleman was right next to the streamer as he was pulled up. Extra shout out to Kobayashi Streamus-- you're a fucking lege, mate. Keep up the work it's greatly appreciated.

Minimum Brain Size grabbed my attention like Plura and O.N.E, not necessarily for how deep it went as a jam, but it's just a song that crushes and is exciting to experience live without much prior knowledge of it. And that was kind of the theme of the night! having seen 100's of jam band shows, tonight was like experiencing the genre for the first time all over again!!!! I went from being like, "I know this!" to, "Wait what the fuck is this?" to "I'm scared and confused" to "idgaf this music is sooooooo glonky it tickles my insides". I was witnessing myself falling deeply in love.

Metal sandwich time!!! Gaia > Motor Spirit > Great Chain of Being > Gaia blew me away. Again I'm familiar with this type of jammery, but being able to relive what it feels like to be lost in these moments was so frickin exhilarating, plus discovering GCOB is very exciting, and cannot wait to learn more about Gumboot Soup. Very Metal, very jammy, very cool. 

 

Witchcraft, Satan Speeds Up, and Trapdoor were a mix of all of the above for me. Metally jammy goodness, the likes of which no other band that I know of can do. Their metal is sooooo demonic, I can't help but giggle and grin with nervous glee (I'm mostly nervous these are actual demonic incantations/witchcraft and they're casting a literal spell). Anyways,  I thoroughly enjoyed being lost in this stretch, but then...

The River went straight up type II. Apparently, the band was at the Dead and Co show the night before and seemed to have been influenced? Again, idk because I'm such a baby gizzard, but unless this type of jammage is commonplace for them, they gave us something special. At one point I had turned to a friend when I thought they were transitioning into another song, saying this sounds super Dead-y. Seems like they may have actually covered Drums>Space?? Regardless, this river ran deeeeeeep. I found myself rocking the fuck out as hard as I have at any other show. These guys are keeping me dancing deep in the set and dancing hard. I still hate dancing...

 

Evil Death Roll was another deep jam that was equally as interesting and boogy worthy and blew me away as well. These two jams are worth many relistens, and feel so lucky that I have another community that rivals the other greats in terms of collecting and sharing live music. (Thank you!!!!)

Besides Gaia and Trapdoor, Magma and Boogieman Sam were the only songs I really knew tonight. Magma also went deep and evil, although pretty much stayed type I. Incredible metal build and Cavs was hammering the 32nd note fills for like 32 measures, and really tied up a wonderful build with explosive energy. Boogieman sam was a nice and much-needed cool down, and included Dripping Tap tease to end the show.

This was an amazing show, but tough to rate given my lack of context of what a typical show is like. I'm giving it 4 ⭐️... for now 

 

See yall slizzards tomizzle!!!!

When I got out of Gizzard's first show at the Salt Shed, all I could think was "that was good but I think something better is coming." Not to spoil my other thoughts on the Chicago residency but that line of thinking wasn't wrong. For all intents and purposes, the start of the Salt Shed was a good Gizzard show.  Some could even argue a great Gizzard show which is all fine and dandy. For me however it was just the start.

The Chicago residency was plagued with bad weather and it was apparent since the first day. The summer days before the 11th had all but vanished and turned into a chilly, windy Chicago day. The temperture was fine but the wind knocked things down to a tough forty degrees. Some fans hid inside their coats and jackets, some tried to double up their clothes with newly bought Gizzard shirts, others didn't care and stuck around freezing. The band themselves seemed cold as well and one has to wonder if Chicago's windy conditions played a part in the set's energy.

Gizzard started with a set of microtonal songs starting with tracks from their album L.W., those being "Pleura" and "O.N.E.". The mid tempo but entergetic tracks set the stage for the night though sat a bit strange for me as openers. Next was "Nuclear Fusion" with guest vocals from an audience member named Seb who crushed it. The head bobbing jam was a bit rough around the edges however it was a highlight of the show and a whole lot of fun to hear. The band transitioned out of "Nuclear Fusion" into Joey's "Minimum Brain Size" which wrapped up the low key microtonal start just fine. From there the band made it to their metal set and started with a long suite consisting of Omnium Gatherum's "Gaia", the Petrodragonic Apocalypse slow burn "Motor Spirit" and Gumboot Soup's often overlooked godly banger "The Great Chain of Being" before going back into "Gaia" at the very end. This to me was a better start than the microtonal material and while I felt that at times the medley seemed a bit long, it was great to experience overall. Following that was "Witchcraft" from Petrodragonic Apocalypse which faired much better in my mind. So far the set was good but I had a flash of excitement shoot up my spine during the deep cut "Satan Speeds Up." The band got the track down and provided a great counterpoint to the previous heavy moments. "Trapdoor" was next and served as a sinister follow up to the lounge-y tune before it. Afterwards was the highlight of the night. "The River" felt like a fitting song as the venue was actually next to a river and the band pulled a lot of influence from the Grateful Dead (they saw Dead and Company at Wrigley the night before). The jam seemed to incorporate elements of the Dead's "Space" jams as well as their 1978 classic "Fire on the Mountain" but it wasn't too much of a copy as the band played through the average River repitoire with an excellent ending. Driving out of that was a rocking "Evil Death Roll" and a bouncy, crowd pleasing "Magma." Finally we got a bluesy ending fitting for the Windy City - "Boogieman Sam." The jam felt a bit long to me with a bit too little to do but when it hit, it hit. 

In my mind 6/11 was a night to knock out some b-listers. For as many stand out moments there were, there was always another that felt far less important. Paired with the band's less energetic vibe and the weather the end product was simply "fine." It was a Gizzard show more than capable of pleasing but it wasn't a classic - at least in my mind.

my second gizz show. first was back in october in detroit, and since then have been dedicated to finding out everything about this band that i possibly could lol. weather was on the shitty side, but after i got moving it didnt bother me. perfect microtonal selections, the gaia sandwich was great, loved hearing great chain. witchcraft sounds epic as fuck, so pumped for that album. satan speeds up and trapdoor were a lovely treat. love the little flute jam they did before going into trap. and the last segment of the show is the highlight of the night for me. the river was super stretched out with a great sax/dead jam and rocked out that lovely ending groove. evil death roll was super energetic. the magma gets pretty deep and cavs at some point brings the band to a kickass double kick metal groove that lights the place on fire. this one is an all timer. and the finishing boogieman with the ambrose swagger really brought the whole thing together. i was told the sound was bad in some spots due to the wind or some anomaly, but luckily i mustve had a good spot.

My second time seeing KGLW and it might as well have been my first; they were like a completely different band than in 2018. I'm a Phishhead and most jambands bore the crap out of me. It was super cool to see a band of Gizzard's songwriting caliber and with such a killer sense of rhythm stretch out like they did at this show, especially "The River" as others have noted. I'm also a metalhead which lured me deeply into Umphrey's McGee for many years. Nothing against them, they are amazing at what they do, but I got kinda sick of it over the years. Along comes KGLW, who can do all the genres too, only without the endless guitar wankery and dippy keyboard solos and cheesy cover songs. Okay the bands aren't THAT similar; I'm just saying I'm grateful to KGLW for fulfilling anything I may have been missing from that other realm. I can't help hoping Gizzard venture more deeply into group improv, focus on that for another ten years or so, become the greatest band in the world, etc. Should be easily achievable. Whatever happens, this show blew me away essentially front to back; I only had one Gizz show to compare it to but thousands of others.

This was my first KGATLW show! I flew into Chicago earlier in the day and was buzzing with the anticipation. The Salt Shed is a great venue, but the weather was not cooperating. It was cold, windy, and wet -- a generally unpleasant early June day in Chicago. You could feel the wind gusting through the venue, and more than a few underdressed people were heading to the merch stand to find an extra layer of clothing.

As I made my way closer to the stage, I could see Stu's flying mircotonal banana guitar waiting expectantly. And when the band finally took the stage, it was indeed time for some microtonal music. Stu was wearing gloves with the fingers cut off, and Ambrose looked downright miserable in the wet weather, but the band dove right in, starting with four songs from their mircotonal albums. "Pleura" and "O.N.E." started off things with some good energy, "Nuclear Fusion" featured an unexpected intro from an audience member, and "Minimum Brain Size" is a personal favorite. After "Minimum Brain Size," Joey mentioned how they'd all taken in the Dead & Co. show at Wrigley the night before, and dedicated the next song to John Mayer. Although we didn't know it at the time, the Dead reference was a harbinger of things to come.

"Gaia" kicked off a string of heavy Gizz songs, and it was well timed to keep the energy high. I recognized "Motor Spirit" from its debut earlier in the tour at Red Rocks, and it moved into "The Great Chain of Being" before ending up back in "Gaia." A great segment of music continued with "Witchcraft," another PDA song which was getting just its third appearance.

Now it was time for another change of pace, and this time it came in the form of Stu's flute. "Satan Speeds Up" is a delightfully eerie deep cut that I hope stays in the live rotation. It made for a perfect pairing with "Trapdoor," and the band pushed at the edges of this version.

The show was now set up perfectly, and the band delivered. "The River" opened with a playful jam, one that had shades of Dead jamming, before dropping into the song proper. From here, we were treated a smoking version that drove to a fiery peak around halfway through. Then they dropped into a space jam where the Dead reference truly came home to roost. Whether you heard "Space/Drums" or "Dark Star," this was as untethered as I've ever heard Gizz play. Ambrose got out his sax to do a Branford Marsalis impersonation and add more color to the jam, which grew and swelled, before finding itself back in "The River" for a stunning conclusion. All in all, this one clocked in at close to 25 minutes. It's must-listen, especially for those Gizz heads who gravitate to their jammier side.

Well that may have felt like the peak of the show in the moment, they weren't done. "Evil Death Roll" never disappoints, and they jammed this one hard. "Magma" followed, and somehow went even harder. It's a highlight of the "Ice, Death..." album that grows even gnarlier in a live setting. If you've only heard the studio version, check this one out. 

At this point, the cold, wet audience needed one more song to take it home, and King Gizz didn't disappointed with the blues workout of "Boogieman Sam." If I had one criticism of the show to this point, it was that we didn't get a lot of Ambrose. "Boogieman Sam" solved that, letting Amby play the role of bluesman, and giving him the chance to throw in a stew of quotes and teases. This one was a real treat.

In the end, King Gizzard delivered a stellar show that gathered steam across the first two segments before truly peaking with the final four-song set. Check out the whole show, but in particular pay attention to "The River" and "Magma."

 

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.

Excellent show that suffered from some mean rain and winds which fucked with the sound arrays, at least where I was standing. Good thing we have the soundboard release now. Highly recommend the Gaia sandwich. Opens with Stu saying "try again" and the crowd goes wild because we all thought he said "Dragon" lol.

The Salt Shed run came on the heels of Dead & Company's last 2 shows in Chicago at Wrigley Field. The band attended the Saturday show (as did I, and it was astounding), and it sure showed in this River, with parts that sounded like Dark Star, Fire on the Mountain, Space, you name it. One of my favorite songs they've ever performed.

The Magma and EDR are also expectedly killer. Not a bad moment in the show, just bad venue sound due to weather.