King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Plant Seeds Of Legacy At Inaugural Field Of Vision Festival
Read Nate Todd’s report, check out the streams and view photos from Bryan Lasky.
By Nate Todd Aug 18, 2025 • 4:28 pm PDT
Photo by Bryan Lasky
Something extremely special and important to music and culture began in Buena Vista, Colorado this past weekend. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard hosted their inaugural Field of Vision Festival at Meadow Creek. On a personal note, the experience struck me in a profound way. Six musicians who are from my generation playing all the music I and many love, bringing some of their favorite bands and artists along for the ride and championing the beauty in being who you are.
Not only does Buena Vista live up to its moniker, Meadow Creek is a gorgeous spread of land with a bubbling stream running throughout. Meadow Creek has become a go-to site for artist festivals like Billy Strings' Renewal and Pretty Lights' Yahn Dawn. As such, the crew had everything running smoothly as people arrived on Thursday and Friday.
The festival got underway Friday afternoon with performances from frequent Gizz tourmates such as King Stingray, DJ Crenshaw and White Fence as well as The Songs For Kids Band! During the latter’s set, KGLW guitarist Stu Mackenzie, bassist Lucas Harwood and drummer Michael Cavanagh joined the outfit for a performance of the title track off King Gizzard’s 2024 album, Flight b741.
As always, King Gizzard was respectful of the site they were performing on. Ahead of their set, Roberto Borrero gave a land acknowledgment to the Ute people and offered a traditional Native American song. KGLW then launched into a raucous “Gamma Knife” and continued with two more songs from their 2016 LP Nonagon Infinity — “People-Vultures” and “Mr. Beat,” the latter of which boasted a “Money For Nothing” Dire Straits tease.
Photo by Bryan Lasky
The band then got down to business with the festival’s namesake song, “Field of Vision,” from the aforementioned Flight b741, led primarily by multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny Smith. The band kept it with b741 on “Antarctica,” one of several songs on the record to utilize a lead-vocalist-by-committee approach.
KGLW then shifted into microtonal mode for “Nuclear Fusion,” which, as per usual, saw the band bring up an audience member — this time around a man named Dog — for the song’s intro. The band kept in the microtonal realm for “Oddlife,” from 2020’s K.G. King Gizzard, however, had to interrupt the performance due to a medical emergency in the crowd that would sadly lead to tragedy. The band was soon able to resume “Oddlife.”
Another cut off K.G., “Intrasport,” followed. Guitarist Joey Walker exclaimed after the song that he felt like Liam Gallagher from Oasis as he just sings and shakes a tambourine on “Intrasport.” The sextet then gathered around the synth table for an extended outing, beginning with two songs that have recently received the synth table treatment: “Superposition” and “Kepler-22b.”
Photo by Bryan Lasky
Subsequent 10-minute renditions of The Silver Cord cuts “Gilgamesh” and “Extinction” really brought the dance vibes and were highlights of the set. The band then returned to their main axes for an I’m In Your Mind Fuzz suite: “I’m In Your Mind” > “I’m Not In Your Mind” > “Cellophane” > “I’m In Your Mind Fuzz.”
Next, “Inner Cell” saw the band noting that it was a song about dictators and how they are “losers.” KGLW then delivered “Inner Cell’s” Polygondwanaland companions “Loyalty” and “Horology.” It was then time to thrash as the band introduced “Venusian 2” as a song about “going to Venus and setting yourself on fire.” After the Infest the Rats Nest track, the band gave big ups to Michael Cavanaugh for playing three hours of drums at altitude. The metal section continued with “Converge” and “Witchcraft,” which contained fiery guitar work from Stu Mackenzie and Joey Walker. The band then delivered Omnium Gatherum favorite “Gaia” to cap the run of heavier material.
In a rare cover, KGLW then welcomed Jello Biafra for a rowdy rendition of Dead Kennedys’ “Police Truck.” Ahead of the song, Stu noted that Dead Kennedys were a big influence on the band’s early material, especially on the Gizz rarity “Trench Foot.” Mackenzie also told a story about how the band threw their hat in the ring to open for who Jello calls the “phony Kennedys,” in Melbourne but didn’t get the gig. Since Dead Kennedys initial dissolution in the mid-1980s, Biafra has become a fixture of the Colorado music and poetry scene. At FOV, he also showed off his eclectic crate, spinning a variety of dance ready tunes during the festival. He also offered a spoken word set.
KGLW then went it alone for concert closer “Evil Death Roll,” which featured a substantial “Iron Lung” tease with lyrics. Amby got nearly the entire Field of Vision to sit down during the foray and stand back up when “Evil Death Roll” kicked back in, an impressive feat of audience involvement, to bring King Gizzard’s first performance of their festival to a close.
Watch the night one livestream via Chris Dempsey:
Night One Setlist (via KGLW.net)
Set: Gamma Knife > People-Vultures > Mr. Beat -> Field of Vision, Antarctica, Nuclear Fusion, Oddlife[1], Intrasport, Superposition -> Kepler-22b > Gilgamesh > Extinction, I’m In Your Mind > I’m Not In Your Mind > Cellophane > I’m In Your Mind Fuzz, Inner Cell > Loyalty > Horology, Venusian 2, Converge > Witchcraft, Gaia[2], Police Truck (Dead Kennedys)[3], Evil Death Roll[4]
Footnotes:
- [1] Paused in the middle due to medical emergency in crowd
- [2] with drum solo
- [3] Debut; with Jello Biafra
- [4] with intro jam
Show Notes:
This show featured the debut of Police Truck (Dead Kennedys). Before the band’s set, Roberto Borrero gave a land acknowledgment to the Ute people and performed a Native American song for the audience. Gamma Knife contained a Motor Spirit tease. Mr. Beat contained Money For Nothing (Dire Straits) and People-Vultures teases. A fan named Dog was brought on to do the Nuclear Fusion intro. Oddlife was stopped midway through for a medical emergency. Following Intrasport, Joey said he felt like Liam Gallagher of Oasis (as he doesn’t play his guitar, and has a tambourine during live performances). Following Extinction, the band shouted out White Fence and talked about their 2014 tour with the band. I’m Not In Your Mind contained an Extinction tease. Cellophane contained a What If (The Murlocs) tease from Ambrose. Inner Cell was introduced as a song about dictators and how they’re losers. Loyalty contained a Horology tease. Venusian 2 was introduced as a song about “going to Venus and setting yourself on fire”. After Venusian 2, the band thanked Cavs for playing at a high altitude for 3 hours, with Ambrose saying to get him some oxygen and jellybeans. Before Gaia, which contained a drum solo, the band shouted out Gaspard, the band’s sound tech, who brought them tequila shots. Gaia contained Am I In Heaven? and Magma teases. Before Police Truck, which was performed with Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra, Stu said the Dead Kennedys were a huge inspiration on their early material (especially Trench Foot), and told a story about how they applied to open for the band (who Jello called the ‘phony Kennedys’) in Melbourne, but were declined. The performance featured a Robot Stop tease. Following the song, Stu said “Free Palestine and Fuck the Police!” During Evil Death Roll, which was not on the printed setlist and contained Field of Vision quotes and an Iron Lung jam with lyrics, Ambrose directed the crowd to sit down during the slower quiet section (and subsequent Iron Lung jam) and jump up when the song kicked back in. At the end of the show, Joey said Free Palestine. During The Songs For Kids Band!’s set, Stu, Lucas, and Cavs joined the band for a cover of Flight b741.
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On Saturday, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard resumed where they left off, in mega mode, with a pairing of Petro Dragonic Apocalypse cuts “Gila Monster” and “Flamethrower.” The band kept it thrashy on Infest the Rats Nest track “Planet B” before relatively pumping the brakes on a “Slow Jam 1” that still carried a pretty good clip.
Gizz then delivered the biggest bust out of the weekend in “Empty,” a slice off 2014’s I’m In Your Mind Fuzz. The band’s last performance of the song came on December 19, 2014 — a gap of 644 shows, as per KGLW.net. It also saw guitarist Stu Mackenzie break out the flute on the Fuzz cut for the first time ever. The band then fielded a request for “Hot Wax” from collaborator Wayne Gordon, who produced I’m In Your Mind Fuzz and Quarters! Gordon also made a brief cameo.
KGLW then brought it back to Rats Nest with “Superbug,” on which they brought up a fan, Callum, who slayed on Stu’s axe and added vocals as well. It was then time for the synth table once again, kicking off with a potent “Magenta Mountain” followed by a rowdy “The Grim Reaper” led by Amby, who included a pair of choice teases of Beasite Boys' “Intergalactic” and “Sabotage.” The sextet then finished up “Flamethrower” at the synth table before they took it back to Silver Cord for “Swan Song” to wrap another memorable electronic excursion.
The band then launched into a well-received Murder of the Universe suite, performing the entire second side: “Welcome to an Altered Future” > “Digital Black” > “Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg” > “Soy-Protein Munt Machine” > “Vomit Coffin” > “Murder of the Universe.”
King Gizzard then brought it back to Flight b741, with “Le Risque,” which saw them welcome former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg, who had joined the band before on the tune. Jay hopped behind the kit and let Cavs front the band on the chorus. KGLW then hopped into a rolling “Ice V,” which saw Joey playing flute, before returning to b741 with “Raw Feel.”
“Hot Water” bubbled out of “Raw Feel.” After the latter, Joey shouted out The Mystery Lights and noted that they were the first band they co-headlined with in America. A pummeling “Boogieman Sam” was next on the agenda and saw the band nodding to fellow Australian rock legends with a “Whole Lotta Rosie” tease.
KGLW would set off for a memorable microtonal mash to seal the concert. The sextet kicked things off with “Straws in the Wind.” As per usual, Amby worked the crowd in a passionate performance of the Flying Microtonal Banana track. After the song, the band had a little fun with their tireless and talented visual artist Jason Galea, “pretending” it was his birthday, complete with a swing through the “Happy Birthday Song.” The L.W. staple “Pleura” popped up next with Joey poking at the U.S. president with a “Fuck Donald Trump” quote, to which Amby responded “Juicy for President,” another big up to Galea.
Night two came to a close with a special moment when the band welcomed Dimathaya Burarrwanga and Yimila Gurruwiwi of King Stingray, who added yiḏaki (didgeridoo) to the beloved microtonal rocker “Rattlesnake.” Amby then led a “Free Free Palestine” chant after the music ended. For the late night festivities, Aussie rockers Babe Rainbow delivered a groove-laden late-night set that was packed and enhanced by some amazing light work on the Timeland Stage and its surrounding trees.
Night Two Setlist (via KGLW.net)
Set: Gila Monster > Flamethrower, Planet B, Slow Jam 1[1] > Empty, Hot Wax, Superbug[2], Magenta Mountain > The Grim Reaper > Flamethrower[3] -> Swan Song, Welcome to an Altered Future > Digital Black > Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg > Soy-Protein Munt Machine > Vomit Coffin > Murder of the Universe, Le Risque[4], Ice V, Raw Feel -> Hot Water, Boogieman Sam, Straws In The Wind, Pleura, All Is Known, Rattlesnake[5]
Footnotes:
- [1] Ambrose on sax
- [2] With fan Callum on Stu’s guitar
- [3] Outro only
- [4] with Jay Weinberg
[5] with Dimathaya Burarrwanga and Yimila Gurruwiwi on yiḏaki (didgeridoo)
Show Notes:
Slow Jam 1 featured Ambrose on saxophone. Empty was performed for the first time since 2014-12-19 (644 show gap), and was performed with flute for the first time. Hot Wax was played by request of Wayne Gordon, who recorded I’m In Your Mind Fuzz and Quarters! at Daptone Studios who made a brief appearance on stage, and contained an Am I In Heaven? tease. A fan named Callum was brought onto stage to play Superbug on Stu’s guitar instead of Stu. Magenta Mountain contained Magma teases. The Grim Reaper contained Intergalactic, Sabotage (both Beastie Boys), and Torture Chamber quotes. Following The Grim Reaper, Joey said he was ripping off Wes Borland (of Limp Bizkit), and Ambrose said he needed a red hat (Fred Durst’s signature hat). Swan Song contained Magenta Mountain teases and quotes. Le Risque featured Jay Weinberg on drums instead of Cavs. Ice V featured Joey on flute during the intro and contained Ants & Bats and Blindness (The Fall) teases. During Raw Feel, which contained an Am I In Heaven? tease, Stu forgot his line and had to ask Ambrose. Hot Water contained an Am I In Heaven? tease. Following Hot Water, Joey shouted out festival act The Mystery Lights, saying they were the first band they co-headlined with in America. Boogieman Sam contained The Bitter Boogie and Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC) teases. During Straws In The Wind, Ambrose walked through the crowd to Jason at the soundboard and when he returned to stage, he did an impression of Fred Durst. After Straws In The Wind, the band pretended it was Jason’s birthday and sung Happy Birthday to him. During Pleura, Joey said “Fuck Donald Trump”, with Ambrose responding “Juicy [Jason] for President!” Dimathaya Burarrwanga and Yimila Gurruwiwi from King Stingray joined the band for Rattlesnake on yiḏaki (didgeridoo), and Dimathaya quoted Treaty (Yothu Yindi). At the end of the show, Joey said Free Palestine and Ambrose led the crowd in a chant of “Free Free Palestine”.
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Photo by Bryan Lasky
The third and final day of Field of Vision was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Just ahead of King Gizzard’s set, the band announced via social media that the man who had been involved in the medical emergency on Friday, Matt Gawiak, had sadly died. Despite the loss of a community member, there was still a feeling that KGLW was able to deliver an expression of joy, a celebration of life.
The band took the stage in drag, their third annual drag night, and began the music with a stripped-down rendition of “Theia” from the 2023 electronic album, The Silver Cord, with Stu and Joey on acoustic guitars. Gizz recently unveiled the acoustic arrangement in Barcelona on their spring tour through Europe. The band also offered acoustic-leaning versions of “Sad Pilot,” “Most Of What I Like” and “Aerodynamic,” the latter a cut off the band’s latest record, Phantom Island, the first time the song saw a performance outside of the band’s orchestra tour and the sole cut from the album the band performed over the weekend.
The Aussie rockers then took a heavier edge, delivering thrash tunes “Supercell,” “Perihelion” and “Venusian 1.” Bassist Lucas Harwood then shouted out festival performer Yvie Oddly, who got things warmed up for Gizz just ahead of the band’s set. Next, “Her and I (Slow Jam 2)” cooled things down a bit, although the band ripped through heavier instrumental sections that contained a slew of teases including a clip of “Monkey Disco” from Babe Rainbow, who had delivered a set on the main stage ahead of Gizz, along with integrations of “Crumbling Castle,” “You Can Be Your Silhouette,” “Am I In Heaven?” and more.
The band then acknowledged their crew and brought their manager, Michelle, out on stage for an emotional moment. Gizz also noted that the festival brought together people from over 50 countries and was one of the largest events in the U.S. in terms of diversity and added that Field of Vision would return next year.
The outfit then circled back to Petro Dragonic with “Motor Spirit” followed by microtonal mode with “O.N.E.” It was then time for Ambrose to shine as he led the band through the tale of Mad Dog Morgan on a stirring rendition of “Billabong Valley.” The microtonal sequence was capped with the outro to the favorite “K.G.L.W,” heavy and mysterious as ever.
King Gizz then brought “Sense” to the synth table. The new arrangement was another debut in Europe, going down in Bulgaria. A pulsating “Set” followed ahead of an otherworldly rendition of “The Silver Cord.” It was then time for multi-instrumentalist Cook Craig to shine on his whimsical tune “The Garden Goblin.”
Next, KGLW got the “Daily Blues,” the sprawling closer to Flight b741. The band then stopped the show to acknowledge the passing of Matt Gawiak. “We lost a member of our community,” Stu said while Joey thanked the staff who helped. An emotionally charged, gorgeous rendition of “Float Along – Fill Your Lungs” was dedicated to Matt, one of his favorite songs. King Gizzard brought their final Field of Vision set to a close with another favorite of Matt, “The Dripping Tap,” ahead of which Amby led a “Matt” chant. King Gizzard handled the tragic situation with love and compassion, two traits that have always guided the band. (A GoFundMe campaign to help those Matt Gawiak left behind cover funeral costs and support his memory has been started.)
King Gizzard tourmates King Stingray gave the inaugural Field of Vision a late-night send-off that traversed psychedelia, funk and groovescapes. As KGLW noted, Field of Vision is set to return next year and hopefully for many years to come.
Night Three Setlist (via KGLW.net)
Set 1: Theia[1], Sad Pilot[1], Most Of What I Like[1], Aerodynamic[2], Supercell, Perihelion, Venusian 1, Her and I (Slow Jam 2), Motor Spirit, O.N.E., Billabong Valley, K.G.L.W. (Outro), Sense[3] > Set, The Silver Cord, The Garden Goblin, Daily Blues, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs, The Dripping Tap[4]
Footnotes:
- [1] Acoustic
- [2] Acoustic; first non-orchestra performance
- [3] Synth arrangement
- [4] incomplete
Show Notes:
The band dressed in drag for the third annual drag night. Theia, Sad Pilot, Most Of What I Like, and Aerodynamic were performed acoustic. Theia contained The River and The Land Before Timeland teases. Most Of What I Like contained Praise You (Fatboy Slim) teases and was dedicated to his wife Edith. Aerodynamic was played for the first time without an orchestra. Before Venusian 1, the band said if they should have soundchecked it and joked that if they messed it up, they would play Stoned Mullet instead. Following Venusian 1, Joey quoted Chop Suey (System of a Down) and Lucas shouted out festival act Yvie Oddly. Her and I (Slow Jam 2) contained You Can Be Your Silhouette, Am I In Heaven?, Blindness (The Fall), Crumbling Castle, and Monkey Disco (Babe Rainbow) teases. Following Her and I, the band announced that the festival would be played again next year, and shouted out their manager Michelle Cable and the fans at the festival. O.N.E. was introduced as Duran Duran’s favorite song. Before Billabong Valley, Joey mentioned Australian rapper RAED. During The Silver Cord, Stu vamped on the lyrics “let’s get fucked up” and “everybody wants to save us.” Following Daily Blues, Ambrose quoted Scarface (Push It to the Limit) (Paul Engemann). Float Along – Fill Your Lungs was dedicated to Matt Gawiak, a fan that passed away during the show night 1 of the festival and contained a Dragon jam. Ambrose led the crowd in a chant of ‘Matt’ following Float Along – Fill Your Lungs. The Dripping Tap was also dedicated to Matt Gawaik. Rats In The sky was on the printed setlist after The Garden Goblin but was skipped.
Photos by Bryan Lasky
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard continue their Phantom Island orchestra tour in the UK, Europe and their native Australia this fall. Scroll down for itinerary and ticket info.
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