King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to play with Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 2025
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, the popular Australian psychedelic rock band, announced Tuesday that it will be returning to Colorado in August 2025 for several shows -- one with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra -- on the same day it released a new song with an orchestra.
The band will tour with conductor and music director Sarah Hicks. Six shows were added to an already scheduled summer 2025 tour with city-specific orchestras in Philadelphia, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Illinois and Colorado Springs.
"Hello beautiful gizz-fam. USA shows for next year are on sale Fri. Most feature an orchestra(!) but some are good ol rock n roll shows," frontman Stu Mackenzie said on Instagram. "Oh yeah and today we dropped a new single called Phantom Island. It features an orchestra. As does the upcoming album"
In Colorado, the band will play with the orchestra at the Ford Amphitheater on Aug. 8. It will return to play three nights in Buena Vista, though without the orchestra, from Aug. 15 to 17.
The new song, Phantom Island, prominently features strings and horns, marking a moment of further experimentation for the band that has already touched on so many subgenres of rock and electronic music. Their catalog, which includes 26 studio albums and 39 live albums in 12 years, largely spans garage rock, pop, psychedelic rock and heavy metal.
The band has played at Red Rocks Amphitheatre 11 times since 2020, the most recent of which included three shows in two days last month. They've only played one venue -- Baby's All Right in Brooklyn -- more at 13 times. The band has also performed at Mission Ballroom and the Ogden Theater in Denver and the Fox Theatre in Boulder in years past.
The Colorado Symphony is no stranger to playing a variety of styles of music with a diverse array of artists. In addition to original performances, the group also performs film soundtracks, interactive events in partnership with the Denver Zoo and other organizations and plays with pop artists such as Al Green and Sarah McLachlan.
"Audiences are in for an electrifying experience as the Colorado Symphony joins forces with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard," Tony Pierce, the Colorado Symphony's chief artistic officer, said. "This collaboration will blend the Symphony's dynamic orchestral power with King Gizzard's experimental rock sound, creating an unforgettable, genre-defying evening. Being our debut at the Ford Amphitheater, we're thrilled to be part of this bold and innovative performance in Colorado Springs, where audiences can expect an evening filled with fresh arrangements, immersive soundscapes, and the unexpected magic that comes from merging classical and contemporary music on one stage."
Tickets for the Colorado Springs show go on sale at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. You can buy them at FORDAMPHITHEATER.LIVE.