Legitimately the best band in all of Rock, and honestly, it’s hard to deny that fact. Last night at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard threw down one of the most legendary sets we’ve ever witnessed. We were there front and center to experience it all and take it in, so please enjoy our full review and attached photo gallery below.

I don’t normally write these reviews in first person, but this is one of the rare times that I will. I first discovered this band right around 2015 and was instantly hooked. This was my 12th time seeing them since then, and no joking around, they’ve only gotten better since. There’s been a bit of a cult mentality that’s attached to the band and I only see it as a good thing going forward. This band of all bands deserves undying support and they consistently give us what we need in their versatility, endless album cycles, and beyond.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, King Gizzard’s Hollywood Bowl show was advertised as a marathon set, essentially meaning they were going to play for three hours straight, which they did. The band kicked off their journey with an ode to Broderick Smith, the father of Ambrose Kenny-Smith who unfortunately passed not long ago. They played an Eyes Like The Sky suite, which was originally planned to have Broderick fly out from Australia and do the narration live. Of course it was hard not to get emotional and feel what they were feeling in the moment and it truly served as a wonderful opening to kick things off.

After the homage, they sent it into high gear with some microtonal songs consisting of “Rattlesnake” and “Pleura”, two crowd favorites that immediately got us in the mood and dancing. After a quick bit of banter from Stu Mackenzie who stated “we’re going to play some heavy metal now”, the band quickly ripped into some face melters which included “Gaia”, “Gila Monster”, “Organ Farmer”, “Supercell”, and “Witchcraft”. Considering their newest record PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation just came out last week, it was an absolute pleasure to see them tear into these utter beauties at the loudest volume imaginable!

A reminder that this show was three hours, so obviously they played a little bit of everything, but it didn’t stop them from really digging in and jamming out songs for 10 or 15 minutes, a dream come true if you ask us. Having seen them so many times over the years, the reimaginings of certain tracks such as “Shanghai”, “Magenta Mountain”, “Hypertension”, and beyond sent us into an unexplainable orbit. The palpable energy in all sections of the Hollywood Bowl could be seen and experienced. While the crowd was fully amped up from the first notes on, there was still a baseline level of respect. You hear so many terrible things about modern day audiences but I really believe that this fanbase is doing things correctly in terms of respect and appreciation.

The final three tracks that included “Hypertension”, “Magma”, and the ultimate closer “The Dripping Tap” were magnificent and it almost feels like there aren’t enough describers in the world to really get the point across. I’m over here with ringing ears, a sense of accomplishment, and a feeling like I really saw something special at this show. If King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard ever makes it to a city or state near you, stop what you’re doing, grab your best friends, and make the trip, you will not regret it.

For all things King Gizzard, to listen, follow along, and of course to stay tuned for plenty more music, please check out the important links below.

Listen to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

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Band Website

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Pictures by: Austin Sher & Echo Barrett