King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard returned to Forest Hills Stadium on August 1st, a year after their two-night marathon in 2024. Covering King Gizzard at Forest Hills a second year in a row revealed a tight knit community with a unique heart. Working with the same photographers, seeing the same fans up against the barrier and floating towards the pit across the hands of the crowd. The same security guards, who specifically requested to work the show after last year, saving fans who drop down with a thank you and a smile to the 20 photographers in the pit watching the action. Audience members sharing joints with photographers. It’s something really special that the world can change, but these same faces will be here, along with a thousand new ones, enthralled by a band with a silly name.

It’s a natural reflex when writing about King Gizzard to bring up their prolific nature, Phantom Island being their 27th studio album in only 13 years, but what astounds is their ability to take such a wide, genre spanning discography, and craft vibrant, well balanced setlists every night. Night 1 began with Gizzard playing through the entirety of their newest album Phantom Island in order backed by The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, conducted by Sarah Hicks.

Then as the sun set, moving into their heavier songs like “Crumbling Castle” and “Mars for the Rich” off the albums Polygondwanaland and Infest the Rats’ Nest. Having seen much of their other heavy repertoire during last years marathon show, the orchestra’s strings, horns, and timpani added a piece of the puzzle no one knew was missing. The depths of the percussion leading into the rise of the strings entering the chorus felt as if the song and you were being lifted off the ground to new heights.

Art is a massive part of the KGLW community. You know that from the moment you step on the concourse and are met with a swirling line of concert goers waiting for merch in a mix of tie dye and renaissance fair-esque garb, only instead of medieval times, these costumes reflect Gizzard’s own universe full of, you guessed it, lizards and wizards. This isn’t your typical consumerism/cash grab, this is a reflection of the bands dedication to holding up its art community, and the fans whole hearted investment.

A clear example of this, Gizzard actively encourage bootlegging their concerts, releasing dozens and dozens of live soundboard recordings through their site. Giving labels, printers, and any kind of fans explicit permission to print and sell these recordings in a multitude of unique formats, really anything you can come up with. The only thing they ask is that creators send them samples to be sold on their web store as well.

KGLW and their fans are very proactive about maintaining their catalogue and their legacy. King Gizzard maintain their own archive of professional concert footage used for their streams and media from pit photographers and fans alike, while fan led efforts like kglw.net and weirdoswarm.org offer trackers for logging which songs you’ve seen live, host bootleg recordings, back up live streams, archive art and other media, and provide ways for fans to connect.

The community also put together the first King Gizzard Art pop-ups for both days at Forest Hills, featuring an extensive exhibit of original posters and art alongside vendor offerings. There’s too many good things going on in the Gizzverse to comprehend. As a second time goer this review is only scratching the surface in anticipation of their next visit to New York.

Setlist: Phantom Island, Deadstick, Lonely Cosmos, Eternal Return, Panpsych, Spacesick, Aerodynamic, Sea of Doubt, Silent Spirit, Grow Wings and Fly, Magma, The River, Crumbling Castle, This Thing, Mars For the Rich, Dragon, Iron Lung (Source kglw.net)

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Forest Hills Stadium – August 1, 2025