King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Feature Max Weinberg in Surprise Queens Performance

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard surprised fans with Max Weinberg at a recent Queens concert.

The performance occurred on Friday, August 21, at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. The E Street Band’s drummer stepped onto the stage to substitute for his son, former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg, a long‑time collaborator of King Gizzard.

Midway through the set, guitarist Joey Walker addressed the audience, saying, “Following the tradition we’ve built over the past year, where we invite our friend Jay Weinberg to join us for a song – it would be rude not to.”

“But Jay is currently in Nashville, so he called his father,” Walker added.

“So we invited Max Weinberg, who drove from Atlantic City to join us, and we gave a big round of applause for him,” Walker said. He then took the stage and performed “Hot Water” from the 2014 album *I’m in Your Mind Fuzz* alongside regular drummer Michael Cavanagh.

Jay Weinberg’s occasional appearances are part of an ongoing tradition that began when he first filled in during a 2024 Nashville show. He most recently appeared with King Gizzard a week earlier at the Field of Vision II festival in Colorado, performing on “Hell.”

Earlier this month, Jay Weinberg discussed his upcoming musical projects, noting that he is now free to collaborate with other artists after a period during which he lacked the legal permission to do so while still a member of Slipknot.

The drummer left the iconic metal band in 2023 following a creative decision to pursue a different direction. He had joined the group in 2013 and described the split as “heartbreaking and blindsiding” at the time, later adding that he still finds the decision “confusing.”

Meanwhile, King Gizzard released their 28th studio album, *Alien Metal*, earlier this month. A preview had hinted at a shift toward a techno‑driven sound.

This followed the band’s criticism of an alleged AI‑generated replacement on Spotify at the end of last year, after they announced they were removing their catalog from the platform in protest of founder Daniel Ek’s financial support for Helsing, a company developing drones and AI for military use.

Ek co‑founded the investment firm Prima Materia, which has contributed over €600 million to Helsing, a Munich‑based firm developing drones and AI for military applications, according to the Financial Times.

After the removal, several tracks appeared on a Spotify page called King Lizard Wizard, leading some to suspect they were AI‑generated. King Gizzard frontman Stu Mackenzie was listed as the composer for those songs.

Mackenzie responded to the alleged AI replacement, saying, “It’s ironic, but honestly, we’re truly doomed.”

Mackenzie later clarified the decision, stating, “We’ve been criticizing Spotify for years. That’s the sentiment among many musician friends, for reasons that are well documented.”

He added that, although he does not consider himself an activist and was hesitant to “soapbox,” the choice felt like a commitment to staying true to themselves and doing what they believe is right for their music and its distribution.

He explained that the difficulty lay in wanting their music to remain accessible to listeners. “I’m not focused on profiting from streaming; I recognize it’s unfair, and I know the platform generates substantial revenue. My priority is simply to create music and let people listen to it, even if that means removing it from services that many rely on.”

Since the withdrawal, King Gizzard have made their albums available for purchase on Bandcamp, letting fans set their own price.

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