It’s a little weird being back in Minnesota after three weeks in Europe.
Reentry has not been easy, but I’ll spare you all those details.
This meme has been floating along on social media in the last few days.
Only three of my friends shared with me (one of them tagging me) a fun meme that is floating along on Instagram.
Catching six King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard shows was the catalyst for an epic three-week trip through Europe and the United Kingdom with my wife. Though we did catch the first three shows of the tour, that was not a pace we ever set out to keep. We wanted to spend at least a few days in each location we visited. We caught six shows in an 11-day period, skipping a few.
I’m surprised we didn't run into more Americans on tour. I was looking to bump into some maybe at one of the hotels we stayed at but no luck there. I think there were only two that I met that had travelled to Europe specifically for the Gizz shows (I believe I also met a few other Americans now living in Europe). One was a woman from Michigan who caught a single show in Prague. She was like first or second in line, and I happened to be fifth.
The other I had noticed on the second night of tour, in Amsterdam, at the line to get into the show, attempting to trade a print from the Paris show for a ticket to that night’s show. He did find a ticket.
I didn’t meet Seamus Patrick Kobayashi O’Connor, of Oak Park, Ill., until my fourth show, the fifth of tour (after skipping the Malmo, Sweden show) in Stockholm. We figured out we had a mutual friend by way of the Ween scene.
Seamus and I became fast friends, and we got to catch three shows together, that night in Sweden, in Oslo, Norway and Prague.
He’s been on a mission to not only attend every show on the tour, but to stream them all live (his Facebook page is KGLW Streams) when possible as internet connections can be tricky. At the very least, he’s attempted to record each show and upload it to his Youtube channel (Altered Beast Broadcasting) for all to enjoy for free.
Somehow he manages the energy and arm strength to hold his smartphone for almost three hours every night, including the opening band’s performance.
“This is a way to grow the Weirdo Swarm,” he said, noting some backlash from some of his Ween friends.
He’s tried to encourage those friends to at least check out King Gizz, and it’s worth pointing out that a lot of fans of both Ween and Phish have grown interested in King Gizzard in recent years. I’m a fan of both bands, though way more into Phish.
“It’s like you said,” he said, referring to a late-night conversation we had in Oslo. "Two things can be good. It doesn’t have to be a competition. Enjoy what you enjoy. Don't worry about what others think. I want to spread (my love for King Gizz) and share it.”
Unlike a lot of bands, King Gizz has not been live streaming their shows (last year, Nugs.net offered a three-show package from the marathon Red Rocks shows, though they were not streamed live). That’s made what he’s doing quite incredible for anyone, regardless of where they are in the world, who might want to catch these shows.
Getting to these shows and lining up both the lodging and travel accommodations takes some doing, as well as the effort needed to get up and catch early trains to the next city.
Following a band around is not as much of a thing outside of the American jamband scene, but Seamus has some experience (another thing we both have in common).
“I know how to get down the road,” he said, calling himself “a tour kid."
Seamus Patrick Kobayashi O’Connor has tried to be one of the first in line for every show to ensure a good spot to record the shows. Doing that afforded him the opportunity to meet members of the band. Photo courtesy of Seamus Patrick Kobayashi O’Connor
Seamus, or “Streamus” as he is known on Facebook, did his homework before embarking on this trip to make sure the band was OK with what he was doing, he said. Just in the past few days, he got to meet Stu Mackenzie while waiting in line hours before show start (as he has done consistently to ensure a rail spot and prime place to record). The band members are aware of what he is doing, and, in fact, appreciate it, he said. In Zurich, Switzerland, he had the occassion to buy a round of drinks for members of the band and supporting band Los Bitchos, an incredible Latin-influenced psychedelic rock band from London.
The tour grind he’s experienced is probably even more grueling than it is for the band because he is a one-man operation. The tour was scheduled with few nights off, 17 shows in 22 days at 21 different locations. That’s tough even when you have an entire team there just to ensure everything goes smoothly.
But Seamus is mainly travelling alone by rail (he bought a Eurail pass for under $800), with a limited budget and limited support, though thankfully fans of his work have helped him with donations to help cover travel expenses (he crashed my hotel floor and pull-out coach twice). By the way, if you’d like to help him, you can via the following options: Spkoc82@gmail.com on Zelle; @Yashi82 on Venmo (1645 his last 4); $FroggyStreams on CashApp; and devinestyler@gmail.com on PayPal. All donations are used to get him down the road, he said.
“Even when I have messed up, I have always recovered in time to still make the show,” he said, noting, for instance, the time he ended up in Gothenburg, Sweden, instead of Oslo, Norway, after getting on the wrong train. Europe’s high-speed rail system is a marvel, but it can also be daunting for the uninitiated.
Consider Seamus initiated.
A collector of concert prints and sneakers, Seamus, 40, sold off quite a bit of his collections to generate about $4,000 for this trip, in addition to his other earnings. He’s already talking about repeating this feat for the coming June U.S. residency tour and the August tour of Europe the band just announced.
“This is what I want to do right now,” said Seamus, who worked as a delivery driver back at home near Chicago. “This is where I belong.”
He encourages others to do the same.
“Quit your job and go on Gizz tour,” he said. “This isn’t just for me.”
And he isn’t joking.
"I want to help,” he said, of his decision to prioritize chasing experiences over the societal pressure to pursue a career. "I want you to piss your family off and just go on tour. Actually, don't worry about what other people think. Just make yourself happy. Don’t try to piss other people off. Just quit your job, and become a Gizz fan."
He’ll have to return to the work force once the tour is over, especially to save up funds for the next Gizz tour. This is just what he wants out of life right now.
And this isn’t his first foray into live streaming music.
He has an unfinished Ween tattoo on his chest, and was known for streaming Ween shows before seeing his first live KGLW show last October at Red Rocks.
It was after that first live show that he decided that he needed to go full Gizz (I can relate).
He’s had an incredible journey, but it is rounding the final bend.
“I am feeling it, that overall sadness of knowing it is going to end soon, knowing I have to go back to the States,” he said via a phone chat.
Waiting in line early, “Streamus” (center) met Jonathan Hairgrove (left), 20, of Trondheim, Norway, and Halvor Njåstad (upper left), 19, also from Trondheim but now living in Oslo. I (right) was lucky enough to meet them as well. Photo courtesy of Seamus Patrick Kobayashi O’Connor
Seamus said he’s met Americans at just about every show. He’s also met several Europeans that were at least catching multiple shows on the tour, making friends with many of them.
"As much as I love shows, and love streaming and the band, one of the best parts of this is meeting American and European Gizz fans,” he said. “They are like your family. You are going to see them again. … It’s amazing meeting other like-minded people. I am not any more important than anyone. Everyone should be able to enjoy the show their way."
For the most part, he’s been well-received by his neighbors at the shows and has managed a decent spot on or near that rail and off to the side of the center mosh pit that normally forms. That’s allowed him a good spot to record.
He’s thankful for the appreciation and help fans have shown, such as this Reddit post.
"It’s a young scene,” he said. "A lot of the drama and bullshit we have seen in other scenes is less prevalent. We can mold this Gizz family to be more the way we like it. I feel honored to be able to do this."
Like me, he’s also taken pleasure in visiting the different venues.
In his opinion, the best show, up to that point, was the Warsaw, Poland show.
“The fans there were rabid for the band like they are in America,” he said.
That’s not to say the band isn’t loved by the locals in each of the cities they have hit on this tour.
“Ever since Warsaw, I think each show has just been getting better and better,” he said.