Blog courtesy of acclaimed music journalist and Gizz-superfan, Jonathan Cohen.
The three-show Remlinger Farms run premieres start on Monday July 3, these are the final livestreams from the 13-show livestream marathon. Read more about the entire U.S. run in Cohen’s full Summer Tour write-up.
The final three shows of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s summer U.S. residency took place at Remlinger Farms 30 miles outside of Seattle, and the gray, rainy, “we’re all in this together” vibe made for some unforgettable moments even when attendees were getting very soggy. The June 16 opener hits a high point within the first 15 minutes as the band tears through the first four songs from the 2014 album “I’m in Your Mind Fuzz.” “Shanghai” is once again a brain-twisting synth-fueled jam, The second half of the jam in “Sense” is Gizzard in full, big grin Grateful Dead mode, “Hot Water” sees its lyrics replaced by a “Joey Walker” chant, and four relentless songs in a row from the album “Murder of the Universe” wind the show down in fist-pumping fashion.
On June 17, “Static Electricity” appears for the first time on this U.S. tour and as an opener for the first time ever, with a subsequent run of “Gila Monster,” “Witchcraft,” “Self-Immolate,” and “Crumbling Castle” -> “The Fourth Colour” revealing Gizzard at its absolute finest and heaviest. Following shots of “some of George Clooney’s finest,” Walker’s solo on “Work This Time” will drop your jaw, much like the 30-minute “The Dripping Tap” to close the performance. It’s the longest version of the song ever played, and each of the distinct jam sections and other song teases (“Crumbling Castle,” “Cellophane,” “Head On/Pill”) push it to greater heights.
The Remlinger Farms finale gets moving quickly with the tour debuts of “All Is Known” and “Anoxia” and reaches fever pitch with the absolutely punishing stoner metal extravaganza “K.G.L.W.” by the fifth song. “Her and I (Slow Jam 2)” is a revelation — almost 18 minutes of pure jam incorporating riffs from “Iron Lung” and a sublime blues section led by Ambrose Kenny-Smith near the end. The closing trio of “Wah Wah,” “The River,” and “Float Along – Fill Your Lungs” offers one delight after another, and suddenly, 13 songs have flown by in two hours. This is a show you’ll want to relive.
Jonathan Cohen is a music journalist, editor and author of the New York Times-bestselling authorized biography of Pearl Jam, 2011’s “Pearl Jam 20.” He previously served as the music booker for the first six years of Jimmy Fallon’s NBC late night show, where he oversaw the debut U.S. TV appearances of Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. He also plays keyboards in the band Chamberlain.