A sweltering summer day in Salt Lake City teetering towards the 100 °F mark couldn’t have been a better atmosphere for this red hot tour of three bands from the most arid country in the world. The all Australian ticket of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Stonefield and ORB brought their collective sound to the beehive state showcasing the Flightless Records repertoire.
We started our evening with an interview with Stonefield (coming soon to the website) then to a pre-party at the Depot for all ticketholders. Those that wanted to get in line early could come in relax, have a few drinks, and meet some of the other fans. The pre-party crowd was exemplary of the sold-out audience at the show with superfans dressed in costumes from King Gizzard music videos to more casual listeners. King Gizzard’s eclectic mix of music brought an eclectic mix of music fans from metal-heads to jam band hippies to those that just love a wide variety of music. Fans traveled from places like Flagstaff, Elko, Las Vegas, and Boise to attend this show. There were many Aggie Radio alumni and Loganites at this show that told us that hearing King Gizzard for the first time on Aggie Radio is why they became fans and why they were there.
The show opened with ORB. ORB brought their heavy garage psychedelic rock reminiscent of Black Sabbath to the stage. Tempos of their tracks are exaggerated on tracks like Immortal Tortoise and O.R.B. making the journey of these tracks even more of a roller coaster than they already are. The audience was primed for the rest to come.
Then Stonefield, the four sisters from just outside of Melbourne played their set featuring mostly songs from the 2019 album BENT, an album based around the obstacles and strengths of being women and touring all over the world. They started their set with the first track from BENT called Sleep. The dark heavy music and passionate, hypnotic vocals from the drummer demanded the attention of the now packed venue. Her vocals sounded great while she played her drumset with the utmost conviction. Her long hair added emphasis as she headbanged while playing instrumental parts. Their show was a mesmerizing dark and empowering set with many heavy brooding guitar and psychedelic synthesizer parts. Stonefield was no mere opener displaying headliner quality. Some other favorite tracks were the haunting Route 29, the playful track 66, their anthem for the empowerment of women Woman, and the powerful song Delusion.
King Gizzard hit the stage. The 2 drummers came out first and played continuously until the rest of the band came out. The crowd swayed and flowed into an ocean of human bodies. The rest of the band joined the stage and started off with Venusian 2 and Mars for the Rich from their most recent release Infest the Rats’ Nest. These songs turned the sea of humans into a mosh pit and crowdsurfing hurricane. The hurricane became a category 5 when they played tracks from I’m In Your Mind Fuzz. All of these tracks were one continuous song fusing tracks from three different albums (Infest the Rats’ Nest, I’m In Your Mind Fuzz, and Murder Of The Universe). The fusion of these stand-alone tracks are signature to the King Gizzard live shows putting the band’s innovation and creativity on display. These fused songs sessions continued with tracks from the polychromatic album Polygondwanaland followed by a series of melodic whimsical blues inspired songs from the other album release this year Fishing For Fishies. The last half of the show was lightning fast with tracks from Nonagon Infinity, Murder Of The Universe, and Infest the Rats’ Nest. The show then ended with the mellow jazzy jam The River. Overall King Gizzard’s live set is for music lovers. Every concert has a unique setlist that differs from one show to the next making the listening experience intimate for each show. ORB and Stonefield were excellent bands that are also continuing to grow in popularity. King Gizzard shows guarantee a great listening experience by reinventing their music but also bringing bands some of the best openers making their shows like touring one-night festivals showcasing all aspects of modern psychedelia. One more thing to mention is that with the release of Fishing for Fishies and Infest The Rats’ Nest, the band is also spreading awareness of the modern environmental degradation. In the hottest year ever on record seeing these tracks live now augments the passion of the audience and the band. King Gizzard and their Flightless Records cohort are bound to be back so don’t miss your chance to experience music that defines the alternative sound of today.
