Australian experimental band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are known for their ardent Grateful Dead-esque fandom and giving back to their community. A recent show in Boston was no exception, as the band invited a fan to play guitar with them on stage to pay tribute to his friend, who passed away in an avalanche.
In a video captured by fans, frontman Stu Mackenzie can be seen saying, “If you guys can see it [referring to a fan sign], this young friend here, he said his friend Joey died in an avalanche. That sucks.”
Lead guitarist Joe Walker, adds, “And he wants to come on stage and play Joey's guitar part with you guys to honor him. That sounds pretty fucking good. We'll do that.”
The fan, Timmy, then comes on stage, and, with a sense of disbelief that comes across in his voice, says, “First off, I wanna thank the band for letting me come up here. I know I'm interrupting your set. They're the biggest inspiration of my life. So my friend Joey died in a horrible accident this past February and he was the biggest King Gizz fan on the planet. He was supposed to be here tonight.”
The band and Timmy go on to lead a “Joey” audience chant, before diving straight into a searing rendition of Perihelion, from the band's 15th album, Infest the Rats' Nest.
Timmy wields Walker’s Gibson Flying V, while Mackenzie is playing what looks like a Week 30 SG Special 3. This limited-edition model was part of Gibson's 2007 “Guitar of the Week” series, of which only 400 were sold worldwide.
King Gizzard recently released their 26th studio album Flight b741, which marks their return to blues rock and boogie.
When speaking to Guitar World about their hefty repertoire, Mackenzie said, “There’s always a plan when we make an album. Sometimes it’s still being formulated throughout the process, and sometimes it’s more of a mission statement, a manifesto.
“Usually we’ll have a couple of songs that have one vibe and some that have another, so we join the ones that have similar themes then write more songs like that. It’s like we’re creating brothers and sisters for them.”
The band are currently on a North American tour in support of their album, which wraps up on November 21 in Miami, Florida.
