[ATTENDED: July 28, 2025] King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Phantom Island Tour with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Last summer I had tickets to see King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at the Dell Music Center. The place is a chaotic mess and massive traffic, lack of parking and extreme heat meant that I circled the area and then said the heck with it and went home. I was a little bummed, but not outrageously. (The setlist is really good though).
When they announced this tour with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, at the Mann Center, I knew it would be a good venue and I knew it would be a good introduction to them for my son.
We arrived with time to spare, bought some merch and then got in our seats for DJ Crenshaw. I don’t entirely see the point of someone like this. He was a live DJ spinning song before the band went on. Most of the songs were loud and distorted and honestly I couldn’t even tell you what he played.
But soon enough, the lights went down and the orchestra came out.
In many ways this was not the ideal first show for a KGLW newbie as they played their new album in its entirety, but the second set ran through a whole pile of their songs and my son was hooked.
The orchestra came out first (as they do) and Sarah Hicks received a sizable round of applause. And soon enough the album kicked off. The orchestra made the album sound huge!
Since this album features lead vocals from everyone in the band (I think), it was fun to see them switching lead vocals sometimes in the middle of a song. I enjoyed how some of the songs are really heavy and the orchestra responded in kind. It was also fun to watch the orchestra members on the big screen when they weren’t playing anything. Were they impressed by KGLW or not?
Deadstick, the single, was fun to have the orchestra playing the notes like on the album. I enjoyed the parts when the orchestra set up the song but also the parts where they held back and let the band do their thing.
Since this was the first night of the tour, it wasn’t clear how all of this would play out. So after the album was done, the orchestra left–Stu made it sound like the orchestra were contractually obligated to get a break. So after the orchestra left the stage, the guys started jamming. They played for about ten minutes and then launched into The Dripping Tap (without an orchestra) and played parts of that longer song for about five minutes until the orchestra came back out.
I had no idea what they’d play and was trying to think of orchestra-appropriate songs. I hadn’t thought about The River, but it makes perfect sense with the orchestra adding all kind so interesting flourishes to the song. This was also my first time seeing The River live and it was a real treat. They played it for about ten minutes (leaving out one part) and then shocked me by playing Crumbling Castle. It’s one of their heavier tracks and I never expected the orchestra to play it. But they made the low end even deeper.
After about ten minutes, they shifted gears to play This Thing and then they built things up louder and louder to play Mars for the Rich (this was one of the songs I wondered what the older guys in the orchestra thought of it). And they topped it with Dragon, from PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation.
They ended the set with a ripping version of Iron Lung.
Could I have watched them play for another hour? Absolutely. Was it awesome anyhow? Yes it was!
I didn’t think I’d be seeing KGLW again after last year’s fiasco. But if they come back again and play a venue like the Mann I would definitely be back. And I’m sure my son will come along.
| w/ Orchestra, Mann Center 2025 | Franklin Music Hall October 22, 2022 | Franklin Music Hall August 30, 2019 | Union Transfer June 18, 2018 |
| Phantom Island set | Oddlife ∑ | Planet B ℜ | Digital Black ⊗ |
| Phantom Island Ò | Billabong Valley ⇔ [3] | Perihelion ℜ | Vomit Coffin ⊗ |
| Deadstick Ò | K.G.L.W. £ | The Great Chain of Being Ω | The Lord of Lightning ⊗ |
| Lonely Cosmos Ò | Mars for the Rich ℜ | Stressin’ ℘ | Cellophane β |
| Eternal Return Ò | Predator X Ø | I’m in Your Mind β | Alter Me I ⊗ |
| Panpsych Ò | Organ Farmer ℜ | I’m Not in Your Mind β | Altered Beast I ⊗ |
| Spacesick Ò | Her and I (Slow Jam 2) [Iron Lung tease] β | Cellophane β [2] | Evil Death Roll ∝ |
| Aerodynamic Ò | Crumbling CastleΔ [2] | I’m in Your Mind Fuzz β | Billabong Valley ⇔ |
| Sea of Doubt Ò | The Fourth ColourΔ [2] | The Balrog ⊗ | Nuclear Fusion ⇔ |
| Silent Spirit Ò | The Grim Reaper Ø | Acarine € | Rattlesnake ⇔ |
| Grow Wings and Fly Ò | Ice V ¥ | Murder of the Universe ⊗ | All Is Known Ω |
| orchestra left and the band jammed with “Am I in Heaven” β teases | Alter Me III (with Leah Senior) ⊗ | The Bird Song € | Crumbling Castle Δ |
| Set 2 | Altered Beast IV (with Leah Senior) ⊗ | Let Me Mend the Past ∼ | The Fourth Colour Δ |
| The Dripping Tap Ø [no orchestra] (with Am I In Heaven? β teases; abridged version, no “drip drip from the tap don’t slip” section) |
Evil Death Roll ∝ [2] (Altered Beast & Hypertension teases; contained elements of Invisible Face) |
Billabong Valley ⇔ [2] | Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet Δ |
| The River (parts 1, 2 and 4) ⊕ | Nuclear Fusion ⇔ [2] | The Castle in the Air Δ | |
| Crumbling Castle Δ [3] (first time played in full, without vocals in the outro) |
Doom City ⇔ | Muddy Water Ω | |
| This Thing € | All Is Known Ω [2] | The Wheel Ω | |
| Mars for the Rich ℜ [2] | Boogieman Sam € | Robot Stop ∝ | |
| Dragon ¶ | Cyboogie € | Gamma Knife ∝ | |
| Iron Lung ¥ | Self-Immolate ℜ | Some Context ⊗ | |
| Note: Orchestral show with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia conducted and directed by Sarah Hicks. The Dripping Tap was not on the printed setlist but was played.) | Hell ℜ |
Ò Phantom Island (2025)
¶ PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (2023)
© Changes (2022)
≅ Laminated Denim (2022)
¥ Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava (2022)
Ø Omnium Gatherum (2022)
µ Butterfly 3000 (2021)
£ L.W. (2021)
∑ K.G. (2020)
ℜ Infest the Rats’ Nest (2019)
€ Fishing for Fishies (2019)
Ω Gumboot Soup (2017)
Δ Polygondwannaland (2017)
⊗ Murder of the Universe (2017)
⇔ Flying Microtonal Banana (2017)
∝ Nonagon Infinity (2016)
⊕ Quarters! (2015)
β I’m in Your Mind Fuzz (2014)
℘ Oddments (2014)
∼ Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013)
I Just Read About That... 
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