‘24 - ‘25 U.S. Tour: the Jesus Lizard Live at Variety Playhouse!
(Stylized as) the Jesus Lizard is a legendary, four-piece noise rock/post-hardcore/alternative rock band from Austin, Texas that has been active during 1987-1999, 2006-2010, and 2017-present day. The band consists of three founding members David Yow (vocals– 1987-1999, 2006-2010, & 2017-present), Duane Denison (guitar– 1987-1999, 2006-2010, & 2017-present), and David William Sims (bass – 1987-1999, 2006-2010, & 2017-present) plus longtime member Mac McNeilly (drums– 1989-1996, 2006-2010, & 2017-present). Since 1989, the Jesus Lizard has released seven (7) LPs, three (3) EPs, two (2) live albums, two (2) compilations, ten (10) singles, two (2) DVDs, and four (4) official videos in their historic career. Their latest studio release, Rack, was released September 13, 2024, on Mike Patton and Greg Wreckman’s label, Ipecac Recordings. Fun fact: David Yow is also an accomplished actor, director, composer, and producer according to his IMDb page.
On October 9th, the Jesus Lizard posted to their Instagram plans for a ’24-’25 US Tour and the opening support bands for each date of this tour. The tour started at Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas with Mean Motor Scooter on October 31st, 2024, however, it will end at the Neptune Theatre with Anthers in Seattle, Washington on May 11, 2025. The ’24-’25 US Tour has a break between December 19th and May 2nd, 2025, this allows the Jesus Lizard to travel the UK for several dates during January 2025 (see below). Lucky for me, the last date of 2024 would be at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia, I thought ending my 2024 with this show would be fitting. Opening for the Jesus Lizard would be Atlanta’s very own The Compartmentalizationalists. I must admit that this was my first time getting the Jesus Lizard to perform. Still, I have had the pleasure of seeing Duane Denison riff it up a few times with the band Tomahawk (another Ipecac Recordings artist featuring label co-founder Mike Patton) after the release of their self-titled album (2001). I recommend checking out the band Tomahawk if you are a fan of alternative metal bands stacked with talent. But I digress, when I saw this tour announcement via the band’s socials, I knew the Jesus Lizard would be the perfect end to a busy and productive 2024.
The Compartmentalizationalists is an indie/surf rock/instrumental/classical/experimental jazz/soundtrack group that has been active since 2010 and as mentioned previously, the band hails from Atlanta. The Compartmentalizationalists consist of Nico Giarrano (drums), Claire Lodge (guitar), Jeffrey Butzer (guitar), and William J. Brisby (bass). According to Discogs.com, The Compartmentalizationalists released one (1) LP, Sutures, on Ant Baby Records in 2015. Take a listen to Sutures via Jeffrey’s Bandcamp page today. Kicking off the night, The Compartmentalizationalists took the stage with a jazzy surf rock vibe that kept weaving in and out throughout a remarkable and eclectic opening set that warmed up the crowd on a cold December night in Atlanta. This would also be my first time seeing The Compartmentalizationalists perform live, and they did not disappoint. I hope to see The Compartmentalizationalists perform again soon.
You can view The Compartmentalizationalists’ genre-bending setlist from the evening below:
· “Blurry Eyes”
· “Fiesta Bianca”
· “Having an Average Weekend”
· “Trespanning”
· “Katherine”
· “Golden Youth”
· “Hang a Lantern”
· “Dead Man”
· “Old Testament Astronaut”
· “Born Without a Neck”
You can stream Jeffrey Butzer, Claire Lodge, and The Compartmentalizationalists’ discography on their Bandcamp page today.
Since this would be my first time getting to see the Jesus Lizard perform live, I was building up excitement leading up to this evening reading all of the songs that were making the ’24 – ’25 US Tour’s setlist like “Gladiator”, “Nub”, “Seasick”, “Mouth Breather”, “Monkey Trick”, “Fly on the Wall”, “Thumper”, and “Bloody Mary”. Plus, it was wonderful also knowing that some of the new tracks from their latest release, Rack, making the cut as well like “Hide & Seek”, “Alexis Feels Sick”, “What If?”, and “Armistice Day”. When the Jesus Lizard took the stage, the sold-out crowd of faithful fans let out a loud cheer letting the band know it was time to rock! Knowing that everyone in this sold-out venue was just as excited as I was, you could feel the anticipation as the band set up for their performance.
Kicking off the evening with “Boilermaker” from their third album produced by the late and great Steve Albini, Liar, was a real treat for me since this is my favorite album from the Jesus Lizard. David Yow and company seamlessly performed songs from their back catalog, and quite a few new songs from their latest release, Rack, making their debut in Atlanta as a special treat for the sold-out crowd.
Check out this career-spanning setlist from the Jesus Lizard from this performance at Variety Playhouse (12/18/2024) in Atlanta, GA:
· “Boilermaker”
· “Glamorous”
· “Puss”
· “Seasick”
· “Mouth Breather”
· “Thumbscrews”
· “My Own Urine”
· “Grind”
· “Nub”
· “Hide & Seek”
· “What If?”
· “Chrome” (Chrome cover)
· “Alexis Feels Sick”
· “Gladiator”
· “Then Comes Dudley”
Encore:
· “Lord Godiva”
· “Thumper”
· “Fly on the Wall”
· “Moto(R)”
· “Monkey Trick”
Encore 2:
· “Dunning Kruger”
· “Armistice Day”
· “Falling Down”
Show the Jesus Lizard some support and follow them on Bandcamp today! You can also support the Jesus Lizard by heading to their official Linktree to listen to the new album, Rack, buy some merch, or check out their other social media platforms.
You can check out the upcoming European dates and the remainder of the ’24-’25 US Tour dates already announced by the Jesus Lizard below:
Jan. 7, 2025
Glasgow, UK
QMU
Jan. 8, 2025
Manchester, UK
Academy 2
Jan. 9, 2025
Leeds, UK
Brudenell Social Club
Jan. 10, 2025
Bristol, UK
The Fleece
Jan. 11, 2025
London, UK
Electric Ballroom
Jan. 12, 2025
Brighton, UK
Concorde 2
Jan. 14, 2025
Belfast, UK
The Limelight
Jan. 15, 2025
Dublin, IE
Button Factory
Jan. 16, 2025
Dublin, IE
Button Factory
May. 2, 2025
Solana Beach, CA
Belly Up
May. 3, 2025
Los Angeles, CA
Fonda Theatre
May. 5, 2025
San Francisco, CA
The Fillmore
May. 8, 2025
Portland, OR
Revolution Hall
May. 9, 2025
Portland, OR
Revolution Hall
May. 10, 2025
Seattle, WA
Neptune Theatre
May. 11, 2025
Seattle, WA
Neptune Theatre
May. 17, 2025
Paris, FR
Elysée Montmartre
May. 18, 2025
Brussels, BE
Les Nuits Botaniques
May. 20, 2025
Amsterdam, NL
Melkweg
May. 22, 2025
Copenhagen, DK
Den Graa Hal
May. 23, 2025
Oslo, NO
John Dee
May. 24, 2025
Stockholm, SE
Debaser
May. 27, 2025
Berlin, DE
SO36
May. 28, 2025
Köln, DE
Gebäude 9
May. 30, 2025
Lausanne, CH
Les Docks
May. 31, 2025
Bologna, IT
Link
Jun. 1, 2025
Rome, IT
Monk
Jun. 2, 2025
Milan, IT
Magnolia
Jun. 4, 2025
Lyon, FR
L'Épicerie Moderne
Jun. 6, 2025
Barcelona, ES
Primavera Festival
Jun. 12, 2025
Porto, PT
Primavera Festival Porto
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