Photos by Rod Snyder | Words by Audra Tracy
It can be kind of intimidating to see King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard as a first-timer. What is this mythical band from Australia, and who exactly is their target audience? At The Dell Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, you could spot all types of fans proudly expressing themselves throughout the outdoor venue.
To the left, a shirtless man in overalls and a wizard hat bobs along to songs from the band’s new album, Flight b741. To the right, ladies fitted in fishnets and glow-stick accessories look ready to rave. Straight ahead, a fan with an impressively tall mohawk crowd-surfs with pure delight.
King Gizzard came to Philly armed with a massive 26 album catalog, and fans eagerly soaked up the mix of mesmerizing, genre-bending musical oddities. At times throughout the night’s set, King Gizzard sounded a bit like Phish, like on the bouncy tune ‘Hot Water’. Later, you could feel some thick Pink Floyd vibes (‘The River’), and towards the end, it felt like a hard-rocking Metallica show (‘Planet B’).
So what is King Gizzard? Is it a jamband? Is it metal infused with psychedelia? Have they combined all the best aspects of various counter-cultures into a melting pot of hippie headbangers? One show was enough evidence to confirm that you can’t try to define King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. And it doesn’t really matter, because these six mates from Melbourne bring genuine joy to the masses, one city at a time.
Go for the people-watching, and stay for the sonic circus.
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TheWaster.com | Philly
8.30.24
