Review: King Gizzard Grooves, Thrashes Away at Packed Jacobs Pavilion Concert

There’s no telling what King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will do on a given night.
The Australian sextet has dabbled in an array of styles over the past dozen years. Maybe it’ll mess with electronics or engage in a psychedelic freakout. Or maybe they’ll go full-on jazz fusion.

On Saturday at Jacobs Pavilion, playing to what seemed like a capacity-and-then-some crowd, the band tried a little bit of a lot of things. There was psychedelia, bluesy rock and Middle Eastern-inspired jams.

And there was metal. A lot of metal.

The Gizz was making its first stop in Cleveland since a 2022 show at the Agora Theatre , a venue less than half the size of the outdoor amphitheater where Saturday’s show took place. Like in other places, it has built an ever-growing following in the city, in part due to its reputation as an excellent live band. Longtime fans speak fondly of early shows at the Happy Dog (which members shouted out at the end of the show before claiming they were headed there) and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

That fervent following -- on display with lines for merchandise that stretched from the venue’s entrance to the bathrooms behind the bleachers -- was also built on a prodigious release schedule. It can be hard to keep up, and that’s half the fun. The band released six studio albums since its last trip to Cleveland, including this month’s “Flight b741.”

Four songs came from that album on Saturday, including the harmonica-laden “Daily Blues” and the boogieing “Le Risque.” They fit right in in a show that appeared designed like a pu pu platter.

Opening up with the progressive rock-inspired “Magma,” vocalist and guitarist Stu Mackenzie prowled and bounded across the stage, paying homage to fellow Aussie Angus Young of AC/DC by rocking shorts. From there, the band dove into the psychedelic “Muddy Water.”

The show grooved on for a good hour though never meandered (and I can’t be 100% sure, but it appeared Terminal Tower’s lights synced up with “Ice V”). The Gizz improvises but it’s a far cry from what passes for music on the jam band scene. A lot of props go to drummer Michael Cavanaugh - who donned a Cavs jersey as either a Cleveland tribute, a play on his last name or both - for keeping the rhythms propulsive.

After a trio of psychedelic tunes from 2017’s “Polygondwanaland,” the music turned harder and faster. The band tore into “Superbug,” and audience members shouted the lyrics and pumped their firsts. It was off from there, finishing the 18-song set with one metal song after another.

There was the ferocious “Self-Immolate,” the chugging “Flamethrower” and show closer “Gila Monster,” which saw keyboardist/saxophonist Ambrose Kenny-Smith emerge from behind his rig and spit out a verse.

It was a brutally cathartic finish for a band that has so many styles from which to choose. I guess, on Saturday night, it wanted to let loose.

Opening band Geese warmed up the crowd with its brand of classic rock-inspired indie music. Lead vocalist Cameron Winter showed his considerable abilities and anchored the quintet’s 30-minute performance. And while the music was engaging, the band has some work to do to fill a venue like Jacobs Pavilion with its sound.

Full streaming video of the show below:


Setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm):
1. Magma
2. Muddy Water (with "The Bitter Boogie" drum beat)
3. Antarctica
4. Raw Feel
5. Daily Blues
6. Mr. Beat
7. Ice V
8. Le Risque
9. Inner Cell
10. Loyalty
11. Horology
12. Superbug
13. Supercell
14. Predator X
15. Self-Immolate
16. Flamethrower
17. Dragon
18. Gila Monster
Eric Heisig is a freelance writer in Cleveland. He can be reached at eheisig@gmail.com.


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