Yes - at the very least to make sure that there's no appliances that had pilot lights which have since gone out, maybe to purge any air that's got into the pipes downstream of the meter and definitely (and irritatingly) to do a quick safety look-around before tagging out the fire in your front room because the ventilation doesn't come up to today's standards.
I suppose there are meters where the metering mechanism is the same and only the totalizer/accumulator is changed (but it's unlikely), but they typically use the change as a chance to inspect for problems. Fuel gas is the one utility that can turn your home into splinters and fragments scattered for a pretty good distance without overloading it. Blow just one house the pieces and everyone gets excited about short cuts in the installation and inspection.
They have to shut off the gas while they're changing out the meter. They will then red-tag your gas supply and keep it off until they're allowed to relight pilot lights, etc.
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
