Gig Review: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard @ The Agora
King Gizzard made their way up to Cleveland, Ohio, after a West coast escapade that started their 2022 World Tour. Fans lined up on Euclid Avenue hours before doors opened, bristling with anticipation. Jess Cornelius opened with a set of wonderful songs. Her three-piece band played electric ballads with a sound reminiscent of Heart. She rocked out to a supportive crowd and thanked the audience for listening. The stage crew took up their tasks and began to form the signature layout of King Gizzard shows. Keyboards, a set of harmonicas, and mic stands to the left, a synth, bass, and guitar stand to the right, and in the center stage, a double-bass drum set behind more guitars, a flute, and a lone mic stand.
As the Melbourne Boys took the stage, the crowd erupted into applause. The band wasted no time, jumping straight into their prog epic, "Crumbling Castle." They played with a ferocious energy that carried their set through the next few songs. Venusian 2 kicked off a string of metal tracks that sent the pit into a frenzy. Stu called out to the crowd saying, "This next song is about planet earth!" and the crowd knew where we were headed. The thumping guitars of Planet B kicked off, and heads began to bang. Following up with another song about our dear mother earth, the band kept the momentum rolling with a song from their newest album, Omnium Gatherum, "Gaia." With a face-melting guitar solo from Joey Walker and a heart-stopping drum solo from Michael Cavanagh, the band rocked their way through the song's end for the first real break in the action.
After a guitar change from Stu and Joey, the band slowly began to melt into their next jam. As the music began to swell, Stu started to sing Her and I (Slow Jam II) to the delight of the crowd. King Gizzard have claimed to be in their "jammiest period yet," and this set was no exception. As with many of King Gizzard's live shows, the band has refined their sound so well that they can slip in and out of tracks with a seamless transition. I cannot confirm, but there is a chance the band played part of an unreleased song, Iron Lung, during this performance. Stu also teased another song that would later be debuted live this show, Presumptuous, by singing the main verse rather than Ambrose, the lead singer on the studio version. Her And I then transitioned into Sleepwalker, which had the whole crowd singing along. Ambrose picked up the mic, and the band debuted another OG track, Presumptuous, to raucous applause. The band transitioned into Sea Of Trees, their oldest song of the night, and had the crowd jamming as they continued to rock out.
To end the night, Stu picked up his flute and began to trance the crowd with haunting solos both before, during, and after Hot Water. After a brief introduction by Ambrose, King Gizz shocked the crowd by debuting their newest sound, a sort of videogame boss-battle rap track, The Grim Reaper. The crowd was astonished and left wanting for more. Stu announced their last song, the eighteen-minute behemoth The Dripping Tap, and gave way to Ambrose to belt away the opening lines. As the guitars kicked off, the entire pit was caught up in the electric cyanide King Gizz produces, killing all caution and sending the pit into a moshing frenzy. The frenetic energy carried throughout the song and ended the night with a cacophonous resolution.
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard played a different kind of set in Cleveland. One that is sure to be remembered by fans as a new era in their concert performances. They bid the crowd goodbye and promised to return soon. With eyes wide and ears ringing, the crowd gave their hearts to the band as they left the stage as the kings of rock and roll that they are.