Live music review: King Gizzard played marathon three hour set at Germania Amphitheater

November 20, 2024 Case Cockrell 826 Views Circuit of the Americas, COTA, Germania Amphitheater, hard rock, indie rock, jam band, Joey Walker, King Gizzard, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, live music, Review, rock n roll, Stu Mackenzie

The trek out to Austin’s Circuit of the Americas racetrack where Germania Amphitheater is located is a daunting one. From taking in an hour of traffic, ludicrous drink prices, and baffling ticket expenditures, the Formula 1 Racing spot has most Austin music fans disinterested in driving out to the sticks to experience its monstrosity. (17 miles outside of the downtown area to be exact.) In last Friday night’s case, fans of a certain Australian band made an exception.

Melbourne, Australia’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard has had one hell of a 2024. Comprised of frontman and chief songwriter Stu Mackenzie, drummer Michael “Cavs” Cavanagh, keyboardist and vocalist Ambrose “Amby” Kenny-Smith, bassist Lucas Harwood, guitarist and keyboardist Cook “Cookie” Craig, and guitarist and vocalist Joey Walker, the collective has been at it for 14 years and hasn’t taken a breath on their wild ride since. From playing 50+ dates this year to creating their most generationally accessible record Flight B741, the multi-faceted players have never sounded more versatile, refined, and coveted as a live act that has GizzHeads traveling all over the globe to experience the eclectic empire they’ve been building. For King Gizzard’s first Austin stop since 2022’s Fall edition of Levitation at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre, the Gizz upgraded from the territories of the Red River Cultural District to Germania Insurance Amphitheater’s 14,000 capacity of which the world-renowned sextet packed to the last seat.

When fanatics of the Melbourne six-headed orchestra arrived at the venue, everything a diehard of the group could want was in play. From a record fair, multiple merch booths, self-checkout beer lines, and a bootleg merch vendor extravaganza in the COTA parking lot, it was evident that organizers had prepared for the mayhem accordingly. The gig had been on sale for over a year, escalating to boiled-over anticipation that was palpable as the gates opened for the evening. Upon breaking ground at the amp, the excitement was in the air as attendees had gotten to the venue as early as the crack of dawn to be first in line for a chance to get a limited commemorative poster and/or explore the bootleg merch being sold in the parking lot, something that the headlining band graciously allows in true Grateful Dead fashion.

Taking the stage as the sole opening act was King Stingray, a fellow Aussie outfit hailing from the East Arnhem Region, located in the Northern Territory. Self-described as “Yolŋu surf rock,” the kickoff band has been in the first slot for KGLW’s 2nd American leg this year, taking after New York City indie rockers Geese, who opened the entire first leg. While not the main attraction, King Stingray took the reins and delivered a heavy dose of rock and roll energy, warming up for Gizz who would be unleashing a continuous three-hour stretch the psych-jam entity has been dubbing as a “Marathon Show.” These events contain no setbreak, meaning that the performing ensemble plays music for 180 minutes with no intermission. If the audience needed drinks or a bathroom break, they had to make sure to make it quick as Gizzard wasn’t stopping the festivities even for a minute.

Promptly taking over at 8:30 p.m., Joey Walker told the audience “We’re in for the long haul tonight so everyone get your chips and drinks, and let’s have a fucking party, yeah?” After some quick tuning, the guitar intro of Float Along-Fill Your Lungs’ almost-rarity “Head On / Pill” took the starting position, to which the crowd roared with deafening cheers. The 30-minute jam sent the packed joint into a feeding frenzy, getting out their endless energy that they had stored for over a year. Following the gargantuan opener were two entries from the B741 record, “Field of Vision” and “Antarctica,” both participatory anthems that featured unifying singalongs. Following was a carousel of acidic psychedelia with Nonagon Infinity mosh-ready favorites “Wah Wah” and “Road Train,” locking in the crowd for the explosive onslaught at hand.

And then there was Ethan.

Flying Microtonal Banana slasher “Nuclear Fusion” also appeared in the setlist, to which the band has been inviting fans to growl the cut’s title as an introduction to the song each night it is etched into the performance. A fan in the venue’s pit area who possessed a sign saying he had driven 1600 miles to Austin for the highly sought after extended expedition was invited on the stage. After introducing himself to the crowd, Ethan told the sold-out Germania “I’ve only been listening to these guys for three months so I’m new to this.” Then proceeded to sing the next song on the band’s setlist “Straws in the Wind” instead. To which guitarist Walker asked “Do you know what’s happening? You have to say “Nuclear Fusion” all slowly and gutterally.” After the instructions were given, Ethan was successful to thunderous approval. Wherever you are Ethan, that was epic!

A section of the wide-ranging offerings centered around a multi-member operated table of synths that feature tunes from a multitude of areas from King Gizzard’s long-spanning discography. The Silver Cord tracks “Set” and “Extinction” appeared, along with an arena-ready version of Butterfly 3000’s “Interior People.” Finishing out the set was a locked-and-loaded section of thrash metal records Infest The Rats Nest and Petrodragonic Apocalypse… featuring the likes of “Mars For The Rich,” “Witchcraft,” “Gila Monster,” and “Dragon.” However, this was not before an enthusiastic appearance from multi-vocalist executed banger “Le Risqué,” featuring Walker, Cavs, Amby, and Mackenzie taking their own verses, respectively.

Before the Melby gentleman departed their Austin stand, King Stingray rejoined for a rendition of 1991’s “Treaty” by Aboriginal Australian act Yothu Yindi, which vocalist Yirrŋa Yunupingu is the nephew of late Yindi singer/guitarist Mandawuy Yunupingu and guitarist Roy Kellaway is the son of bassist Stuart Kellaway of the Yolngu group. The closing number told about a failed, yet Prime Minister promised treaty between the government and the country’s Northern Territory Indigenous peoples in 1988. A protest piece through and through, the night’s conclusion saw an emotional final stand for the booked talent that left the crowd in satisfied awe.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard wraps up their tour in Florida this week and will return to the United States next year for a Summer tour, including a festival in Buena Vista, Colorado next August. Tickets can be found via the King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard website.