What I love most about a King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is the element of surprise involved in their music, especially their live shows. Drawing from a wide swath of influences, 23 studio albums, and another set for release next week, on any given night a show could lean in any direction, from metal to funk, jazz, jam, full-on psychedelic meltdown, and anything in between. And it’s delivered with their own distinctive, unmistakable style that keeps crowds, from metalheads to jam band devotees captivated night after night. That was the case Wednesday night, when the prolific Australian rockers kicked off their sold out two night stand at Morrison’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a stop along their 2023 USA Residency Tour.
Wednesday’s eclectic set tapped into nine different albums, starting on the doom metal end of the spectrum with the combo of “Gaia” from 2022 double album Omnium Gatherum with “Motor Spirit” from their forthcoming album PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation, followed by Infest The Rats’ Nest standout “Superbug.” Following the one-two metal punch, the remainder of the night trended toward mellower soul, dreamy psychedelic, and funk vibes, with plenty of banter, seamless seques, and teases to keep even their most hardcore fans delighted. Highlights included dreamy psych pop “Magenta Mountain”, “The Reticent Raconteur” and “The Lord of Lightning” from Murder of the Universe, and the late set three-song segued combo of “Robot Stop”, “Big Fig Was”, and “Gamma Knife” off 2016’s Nonagon Infinity. Jazzy psych “Iron Lung” from 2022’s outstanding album Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava brought this roller coaster ride to a close.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, June 07, 2023, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO Setlist
Gaia, Motor Spirit, Superbug, Sense, Magenta Mountain, The Grim Reaper, Astroturf, Hate Dancin’, Down The Sink, The Reticent Raconteur, The Lord of Lightning, Robot Soup, Big Fig Wasp, Gamma Knife, Iron Lung
After two nights at Red Rocks, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard continue their US Residency Tour Sunday with a three night stand in Chicago before wrapping up the tour with three nights in Carnation, Washington.
Pre-order Petrodragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation and get all upcoming tour information on the official King Gizzard site at kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com.
All photos by Mitch Kline.
