After three months of romping around North America on a tour that has made curious interlopers into raving fanatics, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are approaching the end of their U.S. tour. Even after spending half of the year on the road, King Gizzard proved Saturday it is far from road weary, turning in an incendiary performance in Houston highlighted by a searing “Magma”.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the three-hour marathon concert they played the night before in Austin, King Gizzard arrived at the White Oak Music Hall in fine form. Diving in with Nonagon Infinity‘s “People-Vultures”, the Australian psych-rock psychos delivered a non-stop half-hour of music that ran through “Mr. Beat”, “Sad Pilot”, “Rats in the Sky”, and finally ended with a 12-minute “Ice V”.
In the wake of the destruction the band created, guitarist Joey Walker calmed things down by grabbing his acoustic guitar for “Dirt” and “Mirage City”, the latter of which featured an alternate slower outro section per KGLW.net. However, that sense of security was shattered with the opening notes to Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava‘s “Magma”. Clocking in at just under 11 minutes, this was not the longest “Magma” in history, but it was certainly one of the most potent. Stu Mackenzie‘s low growl intermingled with Walker’s ascending electric leads, building in intensity before blowing past wah-drenched psychedelia to arrive at a searing head-banging syncopated prog-rock peak. Absolute mayhem.
From there on, the rest of the show was gravy. Frequent “Magma” partner “The Dripping Tap” appeared and was followed with “Let Me Mend the Past” to give multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny-Smith his moment in the spotlight. The nightly rave ensued with “Theia” into “The Silver Cord”, and “Perihelion” got heads banging once again before Michael Cavanagh stole the show with a drum solo in “Gaia” which wound its way into “Flamethrower” ahead of a “Gaia” reprisal which closed the show.
Check out a gallery of images from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in Houston courtesy of photographer Lauren Hartmann and click here for full-show audio. Gizzard’s tour continues with sold-out shows in Atlanta and St. Augustine before concluding in Miami. Find a full list of tour dates on the band’s website and try your luck on the secondary market.
Setlist: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | White Oak Music Hall | Houston, TX | 11/16/24
Set: People-Vultures > Mr. Beat > Sad Pilot > Rats In The Sky > Ice V, Dirt[1] > Mirage City[2], Magma, The Dripping Tap, Let Me Mend the Past, Theia -> The Silver Cord, Perihelion, Gaia[3] > Flamethrower > Gaia
[1] Joey on acoustic guitar
[2] Joey on acoustic guitar; with alternate slower outro
[3] With drum solo
Show Notes: Mr. Beat contained People-Vultures and Magma teases. Dirt and Mirage City featured Joey on acoustic guitar. Mirage City had an alternate slower outro section. Amby quoted Tomorrow (Silverchair) prior to The Dripping Tap, which contained Theia teases and quotes. Gaia featured a drum solo by Cavs.
