After going viral this year, Royal Blood play The Wiltern again & show a sold-out crowd in LA why they are one of rock’s most exciting acts

Royal Blood - Mike KerrBy Josh Herwitt //

Royal Blood with HotWax //
The Wiltern – Los Angeles
November 9th, 2023 //

For any of you reading this who were unfamiliar with Royal Blood prior to May 28th, there’s probably a good chance that you have heard of them now.

Mocking a lackluster and “pathetic” crowd at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend — it really was but you can judge for yourself here — before flipping them off might not have been the way Mike Kerr (lead vocals, bass, keyboards, piano, guitar) planned for the project he has fronted since early 2011 to go viral, but that quickly became his reality by the following day.

The music media, not surprisingly, seized on the moment, permeating our news feeds and timelines with an onslaught of headlines all pointing to Kerr’s onstage banter and behavior in Scotland. Merely a week later, he was on BBC Radio 1’s airwaves to address the incident with his sidekick Ben Thatcher (drums, percussion, piano), confessing that he “felt like a sort of pro wrestler” and “pantomime villain” during the performance but “meant no offense … and applause is optional.”

Despite all of the subsequent backlash Royal Blood received online, it hasn’t exactly put a dent in their ticket sales — at least in a major U.S. metropolis like LA with endless opportunities to see live music — less than six months later. Take last Thursday’s sold-out gig at The Wiltern for instance, as the English alt-rock duo packed one of the larger-sized venues that they are playing in North America this fall, with the historic theater filled from the reserved pit and GA floor sections up to the mezzanine and balcony for the band’s first time there in six years. It was also the first time in almost two decades visiting that I have witnessed a legitimate mosh pit break out.

Fresh off a nine-day break after their latest shows in the UK and Ireland last month, Kerr and Thatcher were primed for a big night under the bright lights of LA. Much like their appearance more than a year ago at what was then the brand-new Ventura Music Hall (read our show review here), these lads were once again joined by touring member Darren James (keyboards, backing vocals) as their newer studio material starting with 2021’s Typhoons sees them leaning more into synthesizers and keyboards than sticking with the original recipe of only bass and drums they cooked up for their first two albums. What results is a more dance-forward sound that has continued on their fourth LP Back to the Water Below, which was released in September and serves an excellent complement to the rest of their catalog.

Royal Blood

The grungy, post-punk tendencies from their fellow countrymates in HotWax, who were making their debut in the states, proved to pair well with the evening’s main course, and by the time Royal Blood walked out around 9 p.m. to a thunderous applause like the ones they are used to, we were ready to scarf up everything that Kerr and Thatcher put on our plates. They fittingly began with “Mountains at Midnight” — the lead single on Back to the Water Below — and then took us back in time, unleashing the blistering one-two punch of “Boilermaker” and the ensuing “Lights Out” at one point to set the tone for the rest of the night.

Those of us who have caught Royal Blood on previous tours know what they’re capable of when they take the stage, but it’s always exciting to see how their new songs will play out in front of an audience. The fuzzed-out “Shiner in the Dark” and already fan favorite “Triggers” both delivered, and though you won’t necessarily find the album’s title represented in the tracklist like their previous two full lengths, it does come from a lyric during the piano-led single “Pull Me Through” with a groove that will have you singing along or at least nodding your head to by the final chorus, offsetting some of the machismo we have become accustomed to from both Kerr and Thatcher. There was “Tell Me When It’s Too Late” as we neared the finish line, with a triplet feel on the bass drum that the late John Bonham would be most likely proud of, and even though it’s the shortest track on Back to the Water Below at well under three minutes, it’s as big and bombastic as anything else they have done.

Since our last encounter, the core of Royal Blood’s setlist hasn’t changed with “Come on Over”, “Hook, Line & Sinker”, “Little Monster”, “How Did We Get So Dark?”, “Loose Change”, “Out of the Black”, “Ten Tonne Skeleton” and of course “Figure It Out” all making a return this time. While we can’t say we don’t enjoy hearing these songs when they are performed, it would be nice if Royal Blood mixed things up a little more or expanded upon what they have already recorded to make every show feel special. Yet, in fairness, they did bring out HotWax’s Tallulah Sim-Savage to play guitar on “Waves” at the start of their encore — something we hope they will consider doing more of in the future. We would also like to see their concerts extend past the 90-minute mark, even if it were only for a little bit longer, and there’s no question that should be the case in due time.

Regardless of our commentary on Royal Blood’s current live show, Back to the Water Below has easily ascended, alongside Queens of the Stone Age’s In Times New Roman…, to be one of our favorite rock albums of 2023. It shares the same accessibility 2014’s self-titled effort and 2017’s How Did We Get So Dark? have, and at the same time, sonically still manages to move the needle forward enough for now.

We can imagine at this point that Royal Blood would just like to forget BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, and we are definitely not interested in dwelling over past indiscretions anymore. Kerr and Thatcher have not only the bravado and charisma, but also the chops to stake their claim as a top-notch rock act for a long time. And hey, maybe a little notoriety never hurts, too.

Setlist:
Mountains at Midnight
Come on Over
Boilermaker
Lights Out
Shiner in the Dark
Hook, Line & Sinker
Triggers
Trouble’s Coming
Typhoons
Pull Me Through
Little Monster
How Did We Get So Dark?
Tell Me When It’s Too Late
Loose Change
Out of the Black

Encore:
Waves (with Tallulah Sim-Savage)
Ten Tonne Skeleton
Figure It Out

The Bellwether offers LA’s music scene a breath of fresh air

The BellwetherBy Josh Herwitt //

Whether you’re born and raised, a transplant or just visiting from out of town, Los Angeles has a music scene that not many other cities around the world can rival.

Sure, it’s true that New York City and Las Vegas have also been tagged with the “Entertainment Capital of the World” label, but when it comes to live music, there’s something for everyone in LA. From arenas and amphitheaters to clubs and theaters, LA County remains home to more than 50 music venues that are currently in operation. There’s the iconic Hollywood Bowl (read our past coverage here), legendary Troubadour and the state-of-the-art YouTube Theater, although we would be remiss to not mention the Greek, Orpheum, Roxy and Wiltern, too.

But with mega promoters AEG and Live Nation maintaining a stranglehold on the marketplace, is there really room for another music venue in LA and one that’s actually independent?

Michael Swier and Gregg Perloff believe so. That’s why three years after signing the lease on a 45,000-square-foot property west of the 110 Freeway and adjacent to downtown LA, the two business partners opened The Bellwether in July as one of the city’s newest nightlife destinations and have already seen acts like Carly Rae Jepsen, HAIM, Phantogram, Silversun Pickups, Slowdive and Wilco grace its stage.

Baroness at The Bellwether


Baroness at The Bellwether

Swier is no stranger to the live entertainment business. He cut his teeth running music venues in the Big Apple, turning Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge into Manhattan mainstays on the Lower East Side before taking that success cross country to LA where he owns and operates the Teragram Ballroom and Moroccan Lounge. Perloff, similarly, has a wealth of knowledge and experience after working alongside renowned promoter Bill Graham and putting on shows for a couple of decades as the CEO of Bay Area company Another Planet Entertainment, which has organized the annual Outside Lands Music Festival (read our past coverage here) since 2008. So with both Swier and Perloff at the helm, it should be safe to say that The Bellwether rests in good hands.

The space itself, meanwhile, is gorgeous despite its immediate surroundings externally. While the City West and Westlake neighborhoods are some of the remaining few in LA that have yet to gentrify at all, inside the vibe feels like a completely different world than what lies right outside its front doors. The big horseshoe bar in the foyer greets guests as they come in, and if you get there early enough, you might have some time to check out the outdoor lounge that offers a 270-degree view of the downtown skyline or go VIP with an upgraded ticket to the Looking Glass Lounge.

Before we go any further, there’s some pretty cool history about the building that we can’t help but share here as well. In the 80’s, it was a trendy, “New York-style” nightclub for the elite known as Vertigo where entry was often based upon appearance — that’s LA for you — even if you had your name on the guest list. That was all before Prince bought the place in the early 90’s and turned into his own purple-shaded Grand Slam palace complete with carpeted walls, naked bodies on columns and a dance floor featuring an embedding of his ankh-styled “Love Symbol.” But after less than three years, it would change hands again and mostly be used for private events. At one point later it was called the Tatou Supper Club and then 333 Live/The Gold Room at 333 Live prior to becoming a home for the queer disco party series A Club Called Rhonda, yet nothing at 333 South Boylston St. has survived for very long, let alone has as much promise as The Bellwether does.

Much like The Regent Theater (read our venue review here) only over a mile away and Lodge Room in Highland Park, there’s a restaurant component to The Bellwether named The Virginian that serves small bites, pizza by the slice, specialty cocktails and other nourishment one hour before doors open. It might not have a menu that’s as gourmet as Checker Hall‘s — there’s no whipped feta with burnt honey butter and Urfa chili — but the options are a step up from what you would find at an AEG or Live Nation venue. After all, who doesn’t want a $19 poke bowl before a full helping of live music?

Baroness at The Bellwether


Baroness at The Bellwether

At a capacity of 1,600, the multifaceted destination fits nicely into LA’s music venue ecosystem. Many of the popular spots for artists and bands to perform are either well under and over that number, with next-door DTLA neighbors The Belasco (1,500) and The Mayan (1,700) two of the closest in size. The main room gets its character from the dance floor’s parquet pattern and an expansive mezzanine, accessible via staircases on either side, that provides excellent sightlines of the stage. Once the show begins, bars on the first floor and balcony of the ballroom make it so that you don’t have to walk very far to get a drink and miss any of the action. Swier’s brother Brian was tasked with overseeing the design and interior of The Bellwether, and after an initial encounter recently, we can’t say we aren’t impressed by his aesthetic and execution.

Our introduction to the new kid on the block came on a Saturday night more than four months after its grand opening as alt-prog-sludge four-piece Baroness stopped through on their “Sweet Oblivion Tour” with a bevy of support — Primitive Man, Midwife and Agriculture — following last year’s bone-rattling performance on a wild Oscars night. This time, though, things were a little different for the Savannah-based outfit comprised of John Baizley (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, percussion), Nick Jost (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), Sebastian Thomson (drums) and last but not least, Gina Gleason (lead guitar, backing vocals), after the release of its sixth studio album Stone in September. Compared to what we witnessed at The Echo, there’s no doubt that The Bellwether was the better (and naturally, bigger) setting for the Grammy-nominated rockers who treated us to the tour debut of “Take My Bones Away” toward the end of the evening.

That’s a testament to what Swier, Perloff and their entire crew have accomplished so far at a time when economic trends have been more unpredictable than ever coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. What is most inspiring is their continued belief in what they are doing, especially when everything shut down in 2020, never wavering in their commitment and pouring in millions of dollars without one outside investor. And now, it’s finally paying off for them.

Not only that, but for anyone who thought the City of Angels didn’t need or couldn’t support another new music venue, The Bellwether is quickly proving otherwise and delivering a simple but important reminder to us all at the same time: Don’t underestimate the power of live music.

BARONESS – OCTOBER 28TH, 2023

Setlist:
Last Word
A Horse Called Golgotha
March to the Sea
Beneath the Rose
Under the Wheel
War, Wisdom and Rhyme
Anodyne
Chlorine & Wine
Tourniquet
Shock Me
The Gnashing
Isak

Encore:
Take My Bones Away (tour debut)
The Sweetest Curse

Run the Jewels leave no stone unturned in LA, capping off their 10th anniversary tour with a fourth & final night at Hollywood Palladium

Run the Jewels - El-P & Killer MikeBy Josh Herwitt //

Run the Jewels with The Alchemist, Tenacious D (DJ set) //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
October 14th, 2023 //

It’s almost hard to believe that more than a decade has already passed since El-P and Killer Mike formed Run the Jewels after being introduced to each other by Cartoon Network executive Jason DeMarco in 2011.

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop duo has rode a titanic wave of success over that span, putting out four albums in less than seven years with 2013’s self-titled debut paving the way for subsequent releases in 2014, 2016 and 2020.

To mark the occasion, RTJ announced a 10th anniversary tour consisting of four-night residencies in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and LA this year, with each LP being performed from start to finish on its respective date.

But the project’s fourth and most recent full length entitled RTJ4 — one that features Greg Nice, DJ Premier, 2 Chainz, Pharrell Williams, Mavis Staples, Josh Homme and Zack de la Rocha — is what propelled Jaime Meline and Michael Render into the Top 10 of the US Billboard 200 for the first time, and even though they were at Coachella in 2022, they had yet to schedule a proper show in LA after dropping the 11-track effort due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down live music for 18 months.

Run the Jewels - El-P & Killer Mike

That’s, in part, why we circled Saturday’s finale at the Hollywood Palladium on our calendar while also knowing it would be the last gig of the tour. We did wonder if Meline and Render would be running (no pun intended) on fumes by that point, but the two emcees seemed to be in great spirits when they took the stage after surprise DJ sets from Tenacious D and The Alchemist, the latter of which boasted guest appearances by Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, had riled up the capacity crowd.

As much as the beats and production that El-P cooks up in the lab are the catalyst for new RTJ material, the wordplay between Killer Mike and himself is what make them such a visceral force in front of any live audience no matter where they are at that moment. Plus, their stage antics and banter aren’t too shabby either. Not many acts in the hip-hop scene roll into town, specifically this one, and choose Jack Black of all celebrities to introduce them to a sold-out venue of 4,000 folks. Yet, that’s exactly what RTJ did when Black walked out to Queen’s epic hit “We Are the Champions” and sent fans into an absolute frenzy with his hype-man skills.

The beauty of an RTJ show, like any good concert, is that you simply don’t know what’s going to happen next. Sure, it was a little disappointing that de la Rocha didn’t grace us with his presence like he did only a couple of days earlier when Run the Jewels 2 was showcased in full, but El-P and Killer Mike weren’t about to wave goodbye without a cameo from their friend Joi, a longtime associate of the Atlanta-based Dungeon Family collective known for its collaborations with OutKast, Organized Noize and Goodie Mob, during an eight-song encore.

RTJ, however, weren’t about to wrap up (again, no pun intended) the tour with a Run the Jewels 3 cut. Instead, they fittingly went back to where things all started, unleashing the title track on Run the Jewels to send us home with one final banger and close the book on the “RTJX Tour.” Where they go from here following 10 years in the rap game, no one really knows. Neither does El-P or Killer Mike right now, and from what they have recently said, that’s the way they like it. Fortunately for us, so do we.

Setlist:
yankee and the brave (ep. 4)
ooh la la
out of sight
holy calamafuck
goonies vs. E.T.
walking in the snow
JU$T
never look back
the ground below
pulling the pin
a few words for the firing squad (radiation)

Encore:
Legend Has It
Oh My Darling Don’t Cry
Blockbuster Night Part 1
Talk to Me
Sea Legs
Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)
Down (with Joi)
Run the Jewels

Goose make a compelling case in their Santa Barbara Bowl debut why they’re one of the hottest (jam) bands to catch live right now

GooseBy Josh Herwitt //

Goose //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
September 29th, 2023 //

What is it about jam bands that makes them so polarizing? Is it their penchant for improvisation, their long-running songs or their loyal, dedicated fans?

From the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers to Phish, Widespread Panic and many more, a lot of folks I come into contact with either love ’em or hate ’em. Regardless of where you stand on the matter though, the reality is that they have been part of the music ecosystem dating back to the early 60’s and continue to be more than six decades later.

With that in mind, there should be little debate to assert that Phish have stood squarely at the top of the jam-band mountain for the past 30-plus years. The Burlington foursome that formed in the early 80’s at the University of Vermont has taken the torch from the Dead and in their own way kept that fire burning bright, building a unique community of diehards often known for traveling far distances to see them rock out at least three hours each night.

But there’s a new kid on the block now, and even though they might call themselves an “American indie-groove band from Connecticut,” it’s no secret that Goose like to “jam” when they step onstage. Phish’s music, after all, has always been rooted in grooves, and in that regard, it feels like the five-piece named after an Anatidae waterfowl rather than an aquatic animal is certainly paying homage to Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell with that sort of description for their sonic creations.

For those following closely, the million-dollar question — figuratively and literally — in the jam scene of late has been if Goose are next in line to eventually succeed the almighty Phish. The two groups have already formed a friendly bond, with Anastasio sitting in with Goose last year for the second of two sold-out gigs at Radio City Music Hall that featured a more unexpected cameo appearance by Father John Misty, too.

Goose - Peter Anspach

Yet, it was less than six months after those shows in NYC that Rick Mitarotonda (guitar, vocals), Trevor Weeks (bass, poetry), Ben Atkind (drums), Peter Anspach (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Jeff Arevalo (percussion, drums, vocals) were touring with Anastasio and his solo project on an eight-date run that offered them even more exposure to Phish’s fan (or should we say “phan”) base.

Every member of Goose, similar to Phish, is an excellent musician. Mitarotonda’s virtuosity and emotive solos are assuredly reminiscent of Anastasio’s at times, and you wouldn’t know that Anspach, a guitarist first and foremost, only started playing keyboards when he signed on as the fourth member of Goose in 2017. The formal training that Mitarotonda, Atkind and Arevalo each received while they were at Berklee College of Music in Boston is quite evident when you watch them perform, but for a band showcasing as much musicianship as Goose, their vocal capabilities are equally impressive. It’s something Mitarotonda has worked very hard at according to Anspach, whom he shares the role of lead vocalist with, and what could ultimately help separate Goose from the pack when you consider that singing hasn’t always been a priority for some musicians in the jam world.

Of course, Goose’s pursuit to not only be an outstanding outfit in the live space but also one that takes the album-making process just as seriously is another side to the quintet that’s refreshing and can’t be overlooked. After 2016’s Moon Cabin sans Anspach and subsequently 2021’s Shenanigans Nite Club, they made such clear when they hired an outside producer for the first time, and their decision to elect D. James Goodwin, who has worked with Bob Weir as well as established indie acts like Kevin Morby and Whitney, proved to be a good (no pun intended) choice for the release of Dripfield in 2022. Goose have made songwriting a priority early on in their ascent, but a smart marketing strategy that saw them gross more than $100,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic by livestreaming eight concerts from a barn in their home state has propelled them rather quickly into the mainstream. In fact, few jam bands have earned the opportunity to perform on late-night television like Goose have.

You could tell by the turnout Goose received at their Santa Barbara Bowl debut — a day before making an inaugural appearance at Ohana Fest and a day after headlining The Wiltern in LA for the first time — they have come a long way in less than a decade. Though the 4,562-seat amphitheater wasn’t sold out, it was mostly full from the GA floor up to the A, B and C sections, a promising sign for any young band on the rise, with chants of “Gooooose” ringing out as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

Like any top-notch jam band, Goose craft a unique setlist every time they take the stage with an arsenal of covers at the ready and this outing would be no different. Much of the first set was carried by live cuts of material that has yet to be officially laid down in a recording studio, but Bruce Hornsby & the Range’s “The Way It Is” and Echo & the Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” that kicked off the evening’s second set provided everyone at the Bowl with a couple of familiar reference points. Nevertheless, the accessibility and hooks that Dripfield offers listeners are what sets Goose apart from other jam-oriented artists, and as its tracks — “Arrow” and “Hot Tea” plus “So Ready” (an alternate version of “Slow Ready” featuring some auto-tune from Mitarotonda) were what we were treated to in this case — take on their own size and shape under the bright lights, they’re destined to fill a room no matter how big or small it is. So with a European tour lined up next month and a couple of more arena performances before 2023 concludes, there’s no telling how high these guys will be flying by this time next year.

Setlist:
Set 1
Earthling or Alien?
Mr. Action
Time to Flee (with “Honeybee” teases)
The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby & the Range cover)
Seekers on the Ridge pt. I (>)
Seekers on the Ridge pt. II
So Ready

Set 2
The Killing Moon (Echo & the Bunnymen cover) (>)
Arrow
Same Old Shenanigans
Everything Must Go

Encore:
Hot Tea

The Revivalists live up to their new album ‘Pour It Out Into the Night’ at LA’s Greek Theatre while on tour with Band of Horses

The Revivalists


The Revivalists

By Josh Herwitt //

The Revivalists & Band of Horses with The Heavy Heavy //
Greek Theatre – Los Angeles
September 10th, 2023 //

It was only a couple of weeks ago when we mentioned that a great co-headline bill on a warm summer evening in Southern California can be a fun and unique way to experience live music. Well, it wouldn’t be very long before our next opportunity arrived in my inbox.

My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Bowl (read our show review here) was one pairing this year that we had circled on our calendar, but there have been several others worth catching of late, including The Revivalists and Band of Horses as they proved at LA’s Greek Theatre on a Sunday night.

Hot off the release of a fifth studio album, The Revivalists came into town primed to make memories with their Pour It Out Into the Night material for the mostly capacity crowd that greeted the octet comprised of David Shaw (lead vocals, guitar), Zack Feinberg (guitar), Ed Williams (pedal steel guitar), Rob Ingraham (saxophone), Andrew Campanelli (drums, percussion), Paulet “PJ” Howard (drums, percussion), George Gekas (bass) and Michael Girardot (keyboards, trumpet).

Band of Horses


Band of Horses

The 12-track Pour It Out Into the Night dropped in June, and since then The Revivalists have been filling venues — whether it’s the Greek or Red Rocks (read our First Times coverage here) — and performing at major U.S. music festivals such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. A solid chunk of the new LP has been featured throughout the New Orleans group’s live show, representing almost half of its gig in LA, as well-executed covers of Radiohead’s “High and Dry” from The Bends plus Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1980 hit “Refugee” punctuated a two-encore performance.

As interested as I was to hear each co-headliner, it was a little surprising to learn that The Revivalists were allotted more time than BoH. I expected that The Revivalists would go last and close things out, primarily because they were listed at the top of the tour’s poster, but BoH have been around longer and have higher metrics across most social media channels as well as music streaming services.

None of that, however, seemed to bother BoH leader Ben Bridwell, who appeared to be in fine spirits when he and his four henchmen — Creighton Barrett (drums, percussion), Ryan Monroe (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), Matt Gentling (bass, backing vocals) and the band’s most recent addition Brett Nash (guitar, backing vocals), who replaced Ian MacDougall at the start of last year — walked onstage around 7:15 p.m. to a roaring applause from the mixed-aged audience, most of which had filed into its seats by the time The Heavy Heavy had wrapped up their 30-minute opening set.

The Revivalists


The Revivalists

Being the project’s only continuous member, Bridwell has maintained a sound and vibe for BoH that’s uniquely his. It’s not just Southern rock or indie rock or folk rock — it’s all three thrown into a blender. For me, there is something about his voice that has always captured my attention since the Grammy nominees’ debut full-length Everything All the Time. It’s what helped separate themselves during their early days in Seattle amid a competitive scene that only continues to grow with each passing day as more new indie-folk acts emerge.

Now several records later, BoH are sitting on their sixth entitled Things Are Great that came out more than 18 months ago via BMG and marked their longest gap between releases after Why Are You OK landed in 2016 on Interscope (BoH have signed to several labels over the years). Bridwell has had to account for numerous lineup changes along the way, yet he still knows how to keep things exciting for fans by switching up the setlist regularly and working in a cover, whether it’s INXS, Brooks & Dunn or even The Stooges. This was only the fourth time in 2023, for instance, that “Our Swords” was played, which sees Bridwell swap his guitar for a bass on the deep cut and croon about stepping on toes in a purportedly metaphorical sense.

By the time The Revivalists unleashed their chart-topping single “Wish I Knew You” as we neared the finish line, there was no doubt that packaging them together with BoH on the same tour was a strong move. I have enjoyed ruminating about and discussing which artists or bands should share the stage, and although this wasn’t one that specifically came to mind, it assuredly worked. Was it a total match made in musical heaven? Probably not. Would Trombone Shorty have made more sense to pair with The Revivalists considering his ties to the Big Easy? Maybe so, but any reason to spend a few hours hanging out at the Greek, especially with two bands of this caliber, is a good enough one for me.

THE REVIVALISTS

Setlist:
Good Old Days
Don’t Look Back
The Long Con
It Was a Sin
Down in the Dirt
Catching Fireflies
Soulfight
Otherside of Paradise
All My Friends
How We Move
Pour It Out Into the Night
High and Dry (Radiohead cover)
You and I
Celebration

Encore #1:
Only You
Wish I Knew You
Kid (with The Heavy Heavy)

Encore #2:
Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)

BAND OF HORSES

Setlist:
Is There a Ghost
The Great Salt Lake
Hag
Crutch
Laredo
Lights
Never Tear Us Apart (INXS cover)
Casual Party
Warning Signs
No One’s Gonna Love You
Our Swords
Ode to LRC
The Funeral
The General Specific

THE HEAVY HEAVY

Setlist:
Man of the Hills
Go Down River
All My Dreams
Cherry
Dirt
One of a Kind
Miles and Miles

My Morning Jacket & Fleet Foxes don’t let a tropical storm stop them from eventually sharing the stage at the Hollywood Bowl

My Morning Jacket - Hollywood BowlBy Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket & Fleet Foxes //
Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles
August 28th, 2023 //

When I was invited to photograph my first show at the Hollywood Bowl more than seven years ago now (read our review here), I already understood how special it is for those who have the opportunity to play under the amphitheater’s iconic bandshell.

As I explained back then, any artist or band with a headlining date at the historic music venue can officially say that they have “made it” and nothing has ever changed there. But for a group like My Morning Jacket that has been around 25 years, performing at one of LA’s most prized possessions carries a little extra weight.

That’s because the Louisville-bred rockers were so inspired by the place more than two decades ago that they chose a photo of it to serve as the cover artwork for their sophomore LP At Dawn.

“Something about its otherworldly shape spoke such magic,” MMJ recently shared on social media.

My Morning Jacket - Hollywood Bowl


My Morning Jacket

And yet, somehow Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) had never taken the stage at the Bowl despite plenty of trips to the City of Angels in the past.

Because as much as things have changed for Jacket since 2001, let’s be real: the three-time Grammy nominees still aren’t popular enough anywhere, let alone Southern California, to fill the 17,500-person landmark on their own. MMJ would be lucky to sell half that number of tickets, especially on a Monday night after Tropical Storm Hilary postponed the event’s originally scheduled date more than a week.

The folks at KCRW fortunately had the answer. Finding a suitable partner in Fleet Foxes to pair with MMJ, the NPR member station assembled a co-headline bill that was one of the most enticing we’ve seen in a while. The Bowl can certainly offer them with its massive capacity, and we have attended a few good ones over the years — from 90’s alt-rock outfits Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden to 2000’s indie darlings Grizzly Bear and TV on the Radio (read our show review here). Nevertheless, we can’t say it doesn’t come with some drawbacks.

There’s something about sitting at a rock concert that doesn’t feel right to me, and fresh off MMJ’s two sold-out shows at Red Rocks (read our review here) over the weekend that saw them surpass the two-hour mark both nights, it was quite a stark contrast to what we experienced in Colorado with most fans there standing from Row 1 to Row 70. The “wine and cheese” crowd in LA, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered to get out of their seats for much of the night. James and company didn’t let that stop them from closing their 2023 summer tour with a powerful set, though — even if it was only 75 minutes. “Off the Record” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” got extended outros, and “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” with Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold was a treat. It’s not everyday that you get to hear two of the best voices in music today collaborating onstage together, and moments like those always feel in retrospect a little extra special to witness.

Fleet Foxes - Hollywood Bowl


Fleet Foxes

Speaking of Fleet Foxes, this wasn’t our first time catching them at the Bowl. A co-headline performance with Beach House in 2017 actually served as our first encounter, and it just so happened that it was also the indie-folk act’s Bowl debut.

Pecknold (lead vocals, guitar) and his four sidekicks Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals), Christian Wargo (bass, guitar, backing vocals) and Morgan Henderson (upright bass, guitar, woodwinds, violin, percussion, saxophone), plus touring member Christopher Icasiano (drums, percussion) and New York-based brass quartet The Westerlies, had no problem filling the stage and the space with their beautiful harmonies and thoughtful lyrics. And after last summer’s sold-out gig at the Greek Theatre (read our show review here), it’s clear that 2020’s Shore has not only offered them more commercial success but also the opportunity to keep the current lineup intact. After all, it’s not very often that you get to see an artist or band perform with 10 musicians due to financial concerns, and Fleet Foxes’ eclectic instrumentation as well as Pecknold’s golden pipes are what really elevates their material in a live setting.

Of course we would be remiss to mention the Buffalo Springfield tune “Expecting to Fly” that Fleet Foxes took on with James a couple of songs before waving goodbye, something that they also did at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. Despite their psychedelic tendencies, MMJ have always leaned in the folk direction, and while Grizzly Bear might be the perfect fit for a co-headline situation with Fleet Foxes, MMJ are able to turn up the energy a lot more with their huge sound — no further proof was needed than the finishing punch of “One Big Holiday” and “Dancefloors” from 2003’s It Still Moves as the clock struck 10:45 p.m.

As much as our ears would have liked to hear more, it wasn’t in the cards. A strict curfew of 11 p.m. at the Bowl has always been in place, and that wasn’t going to change this time (or ever). But you could do a whole lot worse than to spend an evening at the Bowl with MMJ and Fleet Foxes before summer in LA finally slips away.

MY MORNING JACKET

Setlist:
Wordless Chorus
Off the Record (Extended outro)
Spring (Among the Living)
Gideon
Wonderful (The Way I Feel) (with Robin Pecknold)
Steam Engine
Circuital
Love Love Love
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2 (Extended outro)
One Big Holiday
Dancefloors

FLEET FOXES

Setlist:
Sun Giant
Sunblind
Can I Believe You
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
He Doesn’t Know Why
Third of May/Ōdaigahara
Phoenix (Big Red Machine cover)
Bedouin Dress
White Winter Hymnal
Mykonos
Montezuma
Blue Ridge Mountains
Grown Ocean
Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield cover) (with Jim James)
The Shrine/An Argument
Helplessness Blues

First Times: Covering a concert at Red Rocks as My Morning Jacket return to sacred ground for two awe-inspiring nights rain & shine

My Morning Jacket with M. WardBy Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with M. Ward
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
August 25th & 26th, 2023 //

No matter where you are from, a trip to Red Rocks should be on every live music fan’s bucket list. The mile-high, open-air amphitheater only a short drive from Denver in Morrison, Colo., has over the years become a destination venue for live music fans all around the globe with its otherworldly rock structure and stellar natural acoustics.

Red Rocks’ annual attendance numbers certainly prove that to be true, too. Just a couple of years ago, it received the distinct honor of being named the top-grossing and most-attended concert venue of any size in the world. For a lot of artists and bands, having the opportunity to perform in such a unique and sacred space ranks up there with playing other famous sonic sanctuaries like The Gorge Amphitheatre, Radio City Music Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.

That’s some elite company to be included with, but ask anyone who has been and they will say Red Rocks is worthy of such acclaim. It’s why the 9,525-person amphitheater also holds a special place in the hearts of so many performers, including one of live music’s absolute best: My Morning Jacket.

Since opening in 1941, Red Rocks has been home to quite a few noteworthy performances from U2 to Widespread Panic, with the latter holding the venue’s record for most consecutive sold-out shows at 69 after their latest three-night run in June. And though MMJ hasn’t nearly reached that high mark, there’s no doubt that some of their most important moments over the past quarter century have taken place in between “Creation Rock” and “Ship Rock.” So it shouldn’t be a surprise that fans travel from all corners of the country to catch the Louisville-bred outfit there.

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

Jacket’s very first appearance at the amphitheater, in fact, came in 2007 opening for the legendary Bob Dylan, but it only took another year before they were being offered their own date to headline. It wasn’t until 2012 for their “Spontaneous Curation Series” when MMJ started booking two nights “on the rocks,” with this year marking the quintet’s fifth time doing so for its 14th and 15th shows.

Nevertheless, it was a pair of performances at Red Rocks in 2019 that ultimately helped reignite the band and inspired Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) — with James coining the venue as “the birth canal of the universe” that year — to get back in the studio to record their ninth full-length album. Even the cover artwork for the ensuing, self-titled My Morning Jacket directly paid homage as you can see here. That’s how much one of Colorado’s most prized possessions has meant to the group’s success and longevity.

So after making the short pilgrimage from LA for two nights of MMJ at Red Rocks last August, I wasn’t about to miss them when it was announced that they would be returning for two more gigs in 2023. This time would be a little bit different, though. Not only had the supporting act changed with M. Ward slated for both shows, but being granted a photo credential for Friday and Saturday had finally afforded me the chance to capture a concert (or two) at the one and only “RR” with my camera equipment.

Red Rocks has always been one of my favorite places to witness live music. It’s somewhere that I have found myself going back to time and time again for almost two decades because there’s really nowhere else like it. The sound, atmosphere and fans all make it a one-of-a-kind experience and one of the best spots anywhere to watch a concert. From the first to the last row, there’s truly no bad seat in the house. Plus, the tailgating in the Lower South Lots alone is worth going for — and why you should always plan to arrive early before the doors open. You might even make some new friends in the parking lot!

My Morning Jacket

For a band that rocks as hard as MMJ does, it only seems fitting that one of their beloved venues to visit would be Red Rocks. Friday’s show would see James and company not holding back as they performed their 2003 LP It Still Moves in its entirety, enlisting M. Ward to sit in on “Golden” and “Steam Engine”. As elated as I was to hear “Master Plan” again however, it was also the first time since 2018 that “Just One Thing” and “One in the Same” had been played. Thanks to an extended encore with deep cuts such as “Honest Man” from 2001’s At Dawn and “Smokin’ From Shootin'” off 2008’s Evil Urges, the evening still finished a lot better than it began after heavy rains put a damper on any pre-show partying and soaked plenty of us from head to toe.

Saturday’s forecast, on the other hand, proved to be quite the opposite. With clear skies and sunshine setting the stage for MMJ’s second night, we were treated to a setlist that was well worth hopping on a plane for. There was another sit-in from M. Ward — this time on “At Dawn” and “Off the Record” — but there was also the debut of Cat Stevens’ “The Wind” as well as a cover of Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright?” for only the second time ever with surprise guest and Colorado native Nathaniel Rateliff on vocals. Those were definitely two of the biggest highlights (no pun intended) amid the light motif that MMJ signaled to us with “At Dawn”, “First Light”, “It’s About Twilight Now” and “The Dark” coming consecutively midway through their set, but it was the encore centered around a four-part “Cobra” — the track, after all, runs more than 24 minutes long on 2002’s Chocolate and Ice — with “Highly Suspicious”, “Off the Record” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” interspersed in between, leaving the sold-out crowd mostly speechless. It was a setlist technique that you would see a jam band like Phish or Umphrey’s McGee employ, but not MMJ. The three-time Grammy nominees have always lived in the jam-adjacent space, even if they have been booked for some of the same music festivals you might find other jam bands at, including Bonnaroo, Hulaween and Peach. But ever since forming in 1998, MMJ have never presented or considered themselves to be a jam band and the same applies today.

Regardless of how you want to label their music, James, Blankenship, Hallahan, Koster and Broemel looked and sounded at Red Rocks as locked in as they ever have. A sincere joy emanated from all five members that was palpable the minute they walked onstage, and by the time MMJ had wound us down after more than two hours with “Love Love Love” to wrap up their two-night stand, nothing but immense gratitude and a genuine love for what we had just heard remained inside.

It’s safe to say that you can’t tell MMJ’s story now without referencing Red Rocks at some point along the way. The band knows that, and many of its most loyal enthusiasts have come to understand what’s there, too. Because if recent history serves as any indication, rocking out to MMJ under the stars while being surrounded by some red sandstone monoliths is like nothing else. Quite simply, it’s magical.

AUGUST 25TH

Setlist:
Mahgeetah (>)
Dancefloors
Golden (with M. Ward)
Master Plan (>)
One Big Holiday (>)
I Will Sing You Songs (>)
Easy Morning Rebel (>)
Run Thru
Rollin Back (>)
Just One Thing (first time since 2018)
Steam Engine (with M. Ward)
One in the Same (first time since 2018)

Encore:
Victory Dance
Least Expected (>)
The Way That He Sings
Honest Man
Feel You
Slow Slow Tune (>)
Smokin’ From Shootin’ (>)
Gideon
Wordless Chorus

Editors’ Note: “It Still Moves” 20th anniversary show; portions of “Wordless Chorus”, “At Dawn”, “Butch Cassidy”, “Feelin’ Alright?”, “Highly Suspicious” and “Cobra” were played during soundcheck.

AUGUST 26TH

Setlist:
Anytime
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Spring (Among the Living) (Beatles “Dear Prudence” outro)
Evil Urges (>)
War Begun (>)
At Dawn (with M. Ward)
First Ligh
It’s About Twilight Now (>)
The Dark
Lay Low
Only Memories Remain
Butch Cassidy (>)
The Wind (Cat Stevens cover) (first time played)
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Circuital
Feelin’ Alright? (Traffic cover) (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
Wasted

Encore:
Cobra (Pt. 1>)
Highly Suspicious
Cobra (Pt. 2>)
Off the Record (with M. Ward) (>)
Cobra (Pt. 3>)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Cobra (Pt. 4>)
Holdin on to Black Metal
Love Love Love

On tour in support of Paramore this summer, FOALS offer their fans at The Belasco the raucous headline club show that we all needed

FOALS - The BelascoBy Josh Herwitt //

FOALS with Andy Stavas //
The Belasco – Los Angeles
July 18th, 2023 //

When FOALS rocked the Hollywood Palladium in November (read our show review here) after issuing their seventh LP Life Is Yours several months earlier, it marked the first time in more than three years since they last performed in LA.

But even after signing on as support for the second half of Paramore’s tour across North America this summer, these Brits out of Oxford were not going to let two opening sets at Kia Forum serve as their only shows in the City of Angels this year.

With a few days off in between tour dates and founding bassist Walter Gervers rejoining the band in May after a six-year absence, Yannis Philippakis (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jack Bevan (drums, percussion) and Jimmy Smith (rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals) along with touring members Kit Monteith (percussion, sampler) and Joe Price (keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals) didn’t pass up on the opportunity to make their latest trip to Southern California a little extra special with a raucous headlining performance in downtown LA at The Belasco last Tuesday.

FOALS have been opening their gigs with Life Is Yours lead single “Wake Up Me” following the album’s release more than a year ago now, and from there they stepped on the gas pedal with What Went Down standout “Snake Oil” to kick off a 16-song set that saw them perform Holy Fire deep cut “Providence” for the first time this year as well as its third single “Late Night” that remains a personal favorite and had not been played in LA since 2016 (read our show review here).

FOALS - The Belasco

From a photographer’s perspective, I have always found it cool that FOALS are the only band I have covered with a photo policy of “last three songs.” And I can certainly understand why. Because when Philippakis and his bandmates return from an encore break, things often get turned up a notch as we have seen over the years. This time was no different of course, as they hit us with their recent trifecta consisting of “Mountain at My Gates”, “What Went Down” and “Two Steps, Twice” for a terrific encore that had Philippakis shedding his axe and nearly climbing into the crowd at one point.

What might be even more amazing for the three-time Mercury Prize nominees is that they have had three different bassists in the last 18 months, and you wouldn’t even know it from the way they sound right now. There seemed to be a renewed energy amongst these lads with Gervers back in the saddle, as Smith and him shared backing vocals on the same microphone during some of the evening’s most impassioned moments.

If you’ve seen FOALS a few times like I have, you know that they’re going to bring it every single time they step onstage. The UK outfit remains one of the best rock ‘n’ roll acts to come out of the aughts as far as we are concerned, and in that regard, it shouldn’t be a big surprise that FOALS have managed to build a loyal fan base in a crowded indie scene with honest lyrics and thoughtful musicianship. It’s why they’re on our short list of bands to catch every time they come to town, and with The Belasco serving as host to a couple of other excellent concerts I have witnessed so far this year — from Jack White to Fleet Foxes — it was only fitting for FOALS to also get a chance to unload on the 1,500-person venue.

Given this latest run in the Golden State, it could be a while before FOALS are back in SoCal again. By the time they are, there’s a good chance it will be to promote new music and with a band of this caliber after almost two decades in the game, we can’t say we don’t like the sound of that.

Setlist:
Wake Me Up
Snake Oil
2001
Olympic Airways
2am
In Degrees
My Number
Black Gold
Birch Tree
Spanish Sahara
Red Socks Pugie
Providence
Milk & Black Spiders
Late Night
Black Bull
Inhaler

Encore:
Mountain at My Gates
What Went Down
Two Steps, Twice

Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade mark their first tour in 20 years with a sold-out gig at The Wiltern & Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’

Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade - The WilternBy Josh Herwitt //

Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade with Moon Duo //
The Wiltern – Los Angeles
July 14th, 2023 //

There aren’t many musicians who have made a living at the intersection of the alt-metal and jam scenes quite like Les Claypool has.

Best known for being the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of Primus since the three-piece formed nearly 40 years ago, the Northern California native has also made a habit of collaborating with artists and bands across a variety of genres during that stretch.

Just in the past year, he has toured with percussionist Mike Dillon, saxophonist Skerik and drummer Stanton Moore of Galactic for his side project Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz before Primus performed with drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor of Tool during a benefit show back in April (you can watch them cover Tool’s 1997 single “Ænema” alongside Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen here).

Claypool’s résumé, moreover, has seen him team up with All-Star talent across the musical spectrum, whether it has been Green Jellö, Tom Waits, Trey Anastasio of Phish, Metallica, Buckethead, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Adrian Belew, Gov’t Mule, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Bill Laswell, Zach Hill, Fishbone, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Charlie Hunter, Death Grips, Hank Williams III, Beats Antique or Josh Homme. Forgive us if we missed a few names there, but you get the idea that when it comes to friends in the music business, Claypool has no shortage of them.

Most recently though, he has spent the last several years working with Sean Ono Lenno — the son of John and Yoko — beginning in 2015 when the duo conceived The Claypool Lennon Delirium and now with Claypool reuniting his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade for their first concerts in 20 years.

Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade - The Wiltern

Featuring a star-studded cast led by Claypool and supported by Lennon, Dillon, keyboardist Harry Waters — the son of Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters — and drummer Paolo Baldi formerly of CAKE, the quintet was also supposed to boast Skerik (born Eric Walton) on saxophone before he suffered a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for three months.

But that didn’t stop the Brigade from drawing a capacity crowd in LA when they arrived at The Wiltern last Friday on their “Summer of Green Tour” — the official title of the 42-date run that was even more fitting given the strong aroma of marijuana wafting through the historic theater as soon as I walked in.

Of course they performed Pink Floyd’s Animals as was expected, yet they still had a couple tricks up their sleeves that included The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s “Blood and Rockets: Movement I, Saga of Jack Parsons / Movement II, Too the Moon” and a cover of King Crimson’s single “Thela Hun Ginjeet” from 1981’s Discipline with Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde stepping onstage before an encore break.

And despite entering his seventh decade soon, Claypool hasn’t lost the ability to captivate an audience with his bass-playing techniques — from tapping and slapping to flamenco-like strumming and whammy bar bends — unique vocals, silly lyrics and costume changes, one of which was a pig mask as he took to his upright bass and later a disco helmet while manning a Whamola. Why not a frog mask, you ask? Considering the number of fans there who had their Claypool-approved frog caps on, well … you’ll just have to inquire with “Colonel Claypool” about that.

Claypool, after all, has always done things his own way, and for those at The Wiltern, it didn’t matter that the Brigade’s only studio album Purple Onion came out in 2002. With a ribbiting two-hour and 15-minute performance on the penultimate night of the group’s summer tour, one of our greatest bass players ever made it clear that he has no issue hopping (ribbit ribbit) back into any one of his many solo projects and sticking the landing with a full house on hand.

Setlist:
Up on the Roof
Rumble of the Diesel (Les Claypool song)
Amanitas (Les Claypool song)
Blood and Rockets: Movement I, Saga of Jack Parsons / Movement II, Too the Moon (The Claypool Lennon Delirium cover)
Pigs on the Wing, Part 1 (Pink Floyd cover)
Dogs (Pink Floyd cover)
Pigs (Three Different Ones) (Pink Floyd cover)
Sheep (Pink Floyd cover)
Pigs on the Wing, Part 2 (Pink Floyd cover)
Precipitation (Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel cover)
One Better (Les Claypool song)
David Makalaster
David Makalaster II
Thela Hun Ginjeet (King Crimson cover) (with Larry LaLonde)

Encore:
Whamola
Cosmic Highway

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard close out their U.S. residency tour with an epic, three-hour marathon at LA’s iconic Hollywood Bowl

King Gizzard & the Lizard WizardBy Josh Herwitt //

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard //
Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles
June 21st, 2023 //

Call me dramatic, but I think it’s fair to say that King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are music journalism’s worst nightmare.

As those devoted to The Gizz know well by now, pinning them down to one genre, one sound or one anything is damn near impossible. Psych rock, psych pop, prog rock, krautrock, boogie rock, heavy metal, hip-hop, synth-pop, jazz fusion, blues and everything else in between has been on the table for the Australian sextet since it formed more than a decade ago, and that’s exactly what makes them so intriguing to see in the flesh at a time when not many bands are commanding the same kind of listens, album sales or attendance numbers that many did three decades earlier.

Nevertheless, if there’s a cliché that can be attributed to these mates out of Melbourne, it’s that they are truly in a league of their own with no other outfit even remotely resembling what KGLW do. But arguably what is just as impressive as their affinity for experimenting with multiple genres is the fact that their fan base continues to grow at what feels like an exponential rate.

Their epic, three-hour marathon last Wednesday at the Hollywood Bowl to close out their U.S. residency tour marked my third time catching them live, and with each show, the band has noticeably graduated to bigger venues beginning with the Hollywood Palladium in 2018, the Greek Theatre in 2019 and now the world-famous, 17,500-person amphitheatre tucked into the Hollywood Hills off the Highland Blvd. exit on the 101 Freeway (note: they also headlined Desert Daze in 2022 with Tame Impala and Beach House).

Since their last proper LA performance (read our show review here), Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitars, keyboards, flute, bass guitar, percussion, sitar, piano, organ, violin, clarinet, saxophone, zurna, drums), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonicas, keyboards, percussion, piano, saxophone, guitar, organ), Joey Walker (guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards, piano, setar, percussion), Cook Craig (guitars, bass, piano, keyboards, percussion, vocals), Lucas Harwood (bass, piano, keyboards, percussion, vocals) and Michael Cavanagh (drums, percussion, vocals) have unloaded nine more albums in less than four years to reach a staggering total of 24 in their catalog. Of course some will remember the five LPs they dropped in 2017 along with 2022, and while it would be a surprise for them to top that output this year with merely one out so far and six months to go, you never really know what tricks KGLW have up their sleeves coming off a 15-date run across the states this month that featured four gigs at The Caverns in Tennessee and three at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado (including two on a weekday no less), The Salt Shed in Chicago and Remlinger Farms in Washington before taking a giant step forward under the Bowl’s iconic bandshell on the first day of summer for their final U.S. stop.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Given those circumstances and the fact that most of the seats throughout the venue were filled all the way to the top, this one felt like there was something a little extra special to it. The setlist matched the moment at least, with Mackenzie and company opening with the first three tracks on 2013’s Eyes Like the Sky — marking the first time they had been performed since 2018 — as well as “Evil Man” off the 10-song LP, which has only been played five times with the last coming more than seven years ago at the NME Awards.

But the release of PetroDragonic Apocalypse the week prior had provided KGLW fans all of five days to reacquaint themselves with the group’s brand of thrash metal it had debuted via 2019’s Infest the Rats’ Nest, and although we didn’t hear a lot of new material from these Aussies, they made sure to sprinkle in some that included “Gila Monster” (with a “Gaia” reprise to up the ante), followed by “Supercell” and “Witchcraft” toward the show’s midway point.

By then, I was being offered bourbon and methamphetamines by a middle-aged man in a Grateful Dead T-shirt who supposedly had traveled all the way from Tucson, Ariz., and had happened to find a home in the same Terrace Box — his seat was somewhere else from what he told me — that I agreed to occupy after finding another photographer sitting in my assigned seat. Not that I was interested in fighting over seat assignments or accepting any contraband from strangers, but the unexpected exchange certainly added to the overall weirdness and peculiarity of the evening.

Fortunately, there were still plenty of twists and turns for KGLW to unveil down the homestretch. From a snippet of the Beastie Boys’ “Intergalactic” at the end of “The Grim Reaper” to the thunderous drum solo following “Astroturf” that Cavanagh entranced us with, the night was not short on highlights thanks to the jams we were subsequently gifted around “Shanghai” and “Ambergris”, too.

What left the biggest impression on this particular bystander though had to be the face-melting trifecta of “Hypertension”, “Magma” and “The Dripping Tap” that would ensue over the final 45 minutes and draw a standing ovation by the time KGLW waved goodbye shortly after 10:30 p.m. And as I turned around with the packed crowd’s applause echoing throughout the venue, a sincere sense of gratitude quietly washed over me. I might not be able to name every album or song that these prolific, eccentric weirdos have put out like some diehards can, but if there was one show in 2023 I’m glad I didn’t skip, it very well could be this one.

Setlist:
Eyes Like the Sky (first time since 2018)
Year of Our Lord (first time since 2018)
The Raid (first time since 2018)
Evil Man (first time since 2016)
Rattlesnake
Pleura
Gaia (>)
Gila Monster (with “Gaia” reprise)
Supercell
Witchcraft
Organ Farmer
Crumbling Castle (>)
The Fourth Colour
The Grim Reaper (with “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys at the end)
Magenta Mountain
Down the Sink
Astroturf (with drum solo after)
Shanghai (“I wanna grow wings and fly” jam)
The Garden Goblin
Ambergris (preceded by “sex” jam)
Iron Lung (>)
Hypertension
Magma
The Dripping Tap (with “Cellophane” tease)

*Editors’ Note: You can watch the full performance here.