It had been a day since Halloween, yet all through the night, moonlit creatures were stirring — lizards and wizards alike. Cloaked reptiles, alligators and rainbow fish could be found roaming the streets of Los Angeles, which meant only one thing. On Nov. 1, the Kia Forum fell through a portal to an alternate dimension, temporarily inhabiting the colorfully bizarre, ever-evolving universe of genre-bending Aussie rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

Halloween or not, costumes are to be expected at any King Gizzard show. Sprinkled amid the mass of mullets and mustaches, festively-dressed fans roamed the tailgate vendor village that sprung up in the venue’s parking lot. Tent-covered stands sold everything from fan-made jewelry to tie-dye t-shirts as concertgoers shared stickers, friendship bracelets and lively conversation. It’s a preshow practice as much a part of the experience as the concert itself.

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“Seeing all the community come together, I feel like a Deadhead, but like, in my generation,” said Andrew Stiene, a fan handing out Kirkland-themed King Gizzard stickers at one of the booths. “I feel like my true authentic self and there’s nothing that I would trade for this.”

Over the past 14 years, King Gizzard has built a world entirely their own. Seemingly unbound by the fabric of space and time, the band has released 26 albums since their first in 2012, traversing every genre between folk and microtonal psychedelic rock. From “PetroDragonic Apocalypse” to “Paper Mâché Dream Balloon,” their discography is so vast it has its own gravitational field, drawing in a tight-knit swarm of equally eclectic die-hard fans.

“You can’t go wrong here. People dress up in costumes; they compliment one another,” said Angela Meyers, a fan following the band through 12 stops on this tour. “It’s a loving community of a bunch of people who love music and want to hang out together. And I love that.”

The dawn of night sparked a mass exodus as fans flooded the Forum, welcomed by the humming tune of DJ Crenshaw’s spinning vinyl. Later, fellow Australian group King Stingray took the stage. They warmed up the audience with an impressive display of didgeridoo-embellished tracks, proudly interweaving surf rock with the Yolngu Aboriginal roots of some of its members.

Kicking off the second leg of their 39-stop North American tour, Friday night’s show was a particularly special occasion: one of King Gizzard’s 3-hour marathon sets. With the sheer magnitude of music at their disposal, there’s no way to predict what they might play on any given night. That gamble is part of what draws people in.

“They’re always doing something fresh and cool and finding ways to connect with their audience,” said Echo Barrett, a fan attending her 64th King Gizzard show. “It’s literally a different show every single time, so I just go in accepting whatever it is they give me and asking for more.”

The lights shut out, and the crowd erupted as Stu Mackenzie, Joey Walker, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Lucas Harwood, Cook Craig and Michael Cavanagh appeared on stage. A whir of electricity filled the air. Nobody knew what to expect nor could wait another second to find out.

“We’re about to rock very hard,” said Walker, addressing the crowd while strapped with a Flying V electric guitar. “So, you know, don’t pace yourself. Just go 100% from the start, ‘cause we’ll always be above the energy you give. We’ll always try and do it. So just fucking hit us with everything you’ve got.”

With that, the band flew straight into “Mars for the Rich.” Hammering chords and thundering drums reached out from the speakers like cracks of lightning, possessing every soul in the room with their hypnotizing thrash. Like rock virtuosos, their fingers seemed to hover over the fretboards, and Cavanagh’s drumsticks blurred as they moved through the air with alarming speed.

Overrun by a sudden and irrefutable urge to go berserk, the pit transformed, opening like a vortex as flocks of fans circled and pushed against each other. People pressed past as the band pitched through heavy hitters “Planet B” and “Hell.” It was as if they were being called from some great beyond, beckoned by whatever higher force lurked at the pit’s center.

After 20 minutes of pure hard rock nearly vaporized half the crowd, the band shifted effortlessly into the molasses-like grooves of “Slow Jam 1.” Slow-moving jams divided up bouts of rowdy rock as the band weaved through 12 of their albums that night. Despite their disparate nature, songs were seamlessly welded together by indetectable transitions that made a recognizable riff all the more exciting.

The set was sandwiched by the guttural throws of some of King Gizzard’s heaviest-hitting tracks. Fans crowd-surfed through “Infest the Rats’ Nest” and “I’m In Your Mind Fuzz,” before bopping to the grooves of “Flying Microtonal Banana,” or the harmonica-laden boogie of “Fishing for Fishies.”

Taking a shot at the two-hour mark — their only break in the three-hour stretch — the band entered its final lap with a second wind, jumping right back into the twangy classic rock of “Flight b741.” Without warning, King Gizzard nearly tore down the rafters with face-melting fan favorites off “Nonagon Infinity” and “Murder of the Universe.” For their final song, the band invited former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg to take over, giving Cavanagh the chance to grab a fresh beer as he strutted across the stage for their charismatic closer, “Le Risque.”

Whether they communicate via jam, neo-psychedelia or romantic electronica, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is guided by a principle of unrelenting authenticity. It’s a feat that can only be truly comprehended by seeing them live, watching their personality and skillful musicianship unfold in real time. Unrestrained by the nonexistent limits of their creative whim, the band’s musical mastery is a modern marvel. Who knows where it will take them next.