Max Weinberg King Gizzard Guest Spot Stuns Forest Hills Stadium

The Max Weinberg King Gizzard guest appearance at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium on 21 August was, even by this band’s standards, a genuinely improbable night out. With 28 genre-jumping studio albums in the catalogue, the Australian sextet rarely repeats a setlist, let alone a supporting cast. Yet there was Max Weinberg, 75, behind a second kit for a 10-minute reading of ‘Hot Water’, having driven all the way from Atlantic City to make it happen.

The chain of events that brought him there is almost as entertaining as the performance itself. His son Jay Weinberg, a longtime friend and occasional onstage guest of the band, had played with them the previous weekend at their Field of Vision festival in Colorado. When a similar opportunity arose at Forest Hills, Jay was otherwise occupied. ‘Jay’s busy. He’s down in Nashville,’ guitarist Joey Walker explained to the crowd by way of introduction. ‘So Jay made a call and he was like, fuck, alright, I’m gonna call dad. [Max] drove all the way from Atlantic City to come up and play a song with us. I just got nervous!’

A Song Ten Years in the Making

The choice of ‘Hot Water’ was not arbitrary. According to NME, the track comes from King Gizzard’s 2014 album I’m in Your Mind Fuzz, one of the foundational records in their sprawling discography, which makes it a logical centrepiece for a set designed around rock-driven arrangements. The jam stretched to ten minutes, with the band’s own drummer Michael ‘Cavs’ Cavanagh gamely picking up bongos toward the end rather than ceding his kit entirely. Walker’s verdict afterwards was unambiguous: ‘That shit’s crazy! We’re not worthy.’

The Weinberg connection to King Gizzard runs deeper than a single impromptu phone call. According to NME, Jay Weinberg first stepped in with the band during a 2024 Nashville show, establishing a relationship that has since become a recurring pleasure for audiences at their live dates. That Nashville precedent is presumably what made the elder Weinberg’s willingness to drive up at short notice feel plausible rather than outlandish.

Max Weinberg King Gizzard and the Logic of the Forest Hills Run

The guest spot landed on the second night of what Billboard describes as a carefully structured three-show run at Forest Hills Stadium. The 20 and 21 August dates were billed as rock shows, while the run closed on Saturday 22 August with an all-electronic rave set. The band operates a bespoke modular synthesizer setup they have named Nathan, and that hardware gets its own devoted programme when the occasion demands. A further rave show at Under the K Bridge Park followed the stadium dates.

Earlier in the week, Jay Weinberg had posted his reflections on the Field of Vision festival in Colorado, where his involvement extended well beyond sitting behind a kit. He hosted a drum clinic and judged a dance contest, and wrote on Instagram: ‘So many blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments. It felt like the weekend went by in an instant. Thank you to everyone who shared their time, open mindedness, and positive energy to make for an unforgettable experience.’

There is further music in the pipeline from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard beyond the live circuit. Their new album Alien Metal was released on 14 August, and the group has completed a collaborative record with Billy Strings, though no release date has yet been announced. Given the pace at which this band works, the wait is unlikely to be long.