Watch King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Close Caverns Residency With Rare Acoustic Show

The ever-prolific King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have 24 albums worth of material to pull from making the promise of no repeats at their four North American residencies a fairly easy one to keep. Last night the band showed off their more tender side with a rare fully acoustic concert to end their four-show run at rural Tennessee venue The Caverns — the first residency of the trip.

After opening the residency at The Caverns’ subterranean cave on Thursday and Friday, the pride of Melbourne, Australia played the Pelham, Tennessee venue’s outdoor amphitheater on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday saw King Gizzard dress in drag to take aim at state legislators. Each of the first three concerts included the live debut of a song featured on their new album, PetroDragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn Of Eternal Night: An Annihilation Of Planet Earth And The Beginning Of Merciless Damnation, which is due out on June 16.

Last night’s 15-song unplugged performance was a career-spanning affair filled with fun banter and plenty of deep cuts. The members of King Gizz took up seated positions and utilized acoustic instruments throughout after a rain delay led to a late start. Ambrose Kenny-Smith played a Baldwin piano, while drummer Michael Cavanagh used a smaller kit for the “chilled-out acoustic music.” Guitarist Joey Walker joked, “We’re just gonna do some John Mayer covers …” before clarifying Mayer is a “mad dog” and noting how much he enjoys the Dead & Company guitarist’s guitar lesson videos on YouTube.

“I love each and every last one of y’all, thanks for fucking coming,” frontman Stu Mackenzie told the crowd as the band launched into their first acoustic “Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer” to begin the two-hour set. Amby was on harmonica for the Quarters! standout which was last played on May 8, 2022 — a span of 81 shows. The opening number gave way to another acoustic debut, “Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg,” with the pre-recorded spoken-word lyrics displayed on a screen behind the band.

The next segment of the set saw King Gizz link the groovy “Sleepwalker” with the bluesy romp “It’s Got Old” and psychedelic Gumboot Soup gem “Muddy Water.” From there, the sextet encapsulated “Wah Wah” within the jazz-tinged odyssey “The River.” Nearly 30 minutes was devoted to “The River”/”Wah Wah” as the band displayed their improvisational skills and worked in “Ice V” teases.

Ambrose Kenny-Smith shined on the ensuing “Let Me Mend The Past” going full frontman while Mackenzie took position behind the piano. Mackenzie then showed off his talent on flute during the infectious “Trapdoor.” Gizzard went on to follow with Paper Mâché Dream Balloon chestnut “The Bitter Boogie.” Mackenzie, on sax for latter, teased the band is working on a country album next after they played a quick bluegrass breakdown. KGLW rolled out an extended “The Wheel” to keep the set going.

Stu Mackenzie needed to take a bathroom break during which time Joey Walker teased Jack Johnson’s “Taylor.” Bassist Lucas Harwood got in on the banter asking “What’s the deal with Tennessee?” Walker bought a few more minutes by playing a bit of Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” Mackenzie then poured the beer on the crowd that he had just picked up while relieving himself. Cook Craig played piano on the anthemic “Presumtuous” when the concert finally continued.

King Gizz picked “Most Of What I Like” off Paper Mâché Dream Balloon for its first performance in over a year as the penultimate song of the night and residency. The band then wrapped the two-hour set with a “love song” in “Her And I (Slow Jam 2).”

Watch fan-shot video of Sunday’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard acoustic concert below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckd9A3-FvCk&ab_channel=Scizzardland

Gizzard pulls into Colorado next for three shows at the historic Red Rocks.

Setlist (via KGLW.net)

Set: Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer > Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg > Sleepwalker > It’s Got Old > Muddy Water > The River-> Wah Wah[1]-> The River, Let Me Mend The Past, Trapdoor, The Bitter Boogie, The Wheel, Presumptuous, Ambergris, Most Of What I Like, Her And I (Slow Jam 2)

[1] Unfinished