With fans dressed head to toe in 70s-esque attire, jewels, euphoric makeup looks and even some in LED butterfly wings, there is no question they all came together to see American rock band Greta Van Fleet perform.
Lead vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist Sam Kiszka and drummer Danny Wagner performed their “Dreams in Gold” tour at the Don Haskins center after having to reschedule their Nov. 8, 2022, performance due to Josh’s ear rupture during their show in Bangor, Maine.
After the opener Rival Sons performed, the crowd got ready for Greta Van Fleet while the curtain, which held 12 symbols, symbolic of the 12 songs in “The Battle at Garden’s Gate,” was still down. Before the curtains rose, a monologue started playing that featured Josh saying, “All across the world we’ve traveled wayward in search of themes to hold. I’ve asked in moments filled with doubt, and this is what I’m told. That living, in and of itself, a constant celebration of love and where there is love we will live on, where there is not love, we must provide it.”
Once the curtains rose, a dystopian-like stage was revealed with several medium-sized structures which resembled somewhat space needles on display. Once they started performing, a harsh red light flooded the stage as they opened with “Built by Nations.” They followed with “Black Smoke Rising” and “Safari Song” which are both on their “From the Fires” album, released in 2017. During the opening, fire ignited at each end of the stage as each musician performed with much passion.
Later, when they performed “Light My Love” one of their most popular songs, the lights on stage displayed all the colors of the rainbow, referencing the line of the song, “Your mind is a stream of colors.”
Before “Broken Bells,” Josh prefaced the song by saying, “This song, to me, has always felt like a lesson can be learned in this human experience and that it happens over and over throughout time, and we have to accept it one way or another. That if we are going through something extraordinarily difficult, we realize that there is something deeper underneath the surface that the universe might be trying to tell us. So that being said, if you are holding on to anything tonight, just acknowledge it and let it go.”
After performing “Age of Machine” which Josh labeled as “dystopian” and “technological” and wanted the audience to get “deep in their imagination,” they performed “The Weight of Dreams.”
“This is a very special song for us,”, Josh said. “This one I’ve been sort of spinning as the thesis of the ‘Dreams in Gold’ circus we’ve been on.” Kiszka also mentioned that although the concert was coming to an end, there would be a “new turning of the tales,” implying a new album coming soon.
Towards the end of “The Weight of Dreams” performance, the lights turned bluish white along with smoke slowly engulfing the stage, making it take on a heavenly appearance, yet again complementing the lyrics to their song. Josh grabbed a tambourine to complement his vocals and dancing while pyrotechnics blew large clouds of smoke into the stadium that created what looked like clouds and ended with fire coming out of pots that surrounded the stage.
When “The Weight of Dreams” performance ended and the four musicians walked off stage, there was an uproar in the audience pleading for an encore. With fans jumping up and down, cheering for their favorites to come back out, members of Greta Van Fleet walked on stage one by one, ending with Josh. The four performed “The Age of Man” from their “Anthem of the Peaceful Army” album and “Highway Tune” from their “From the Fires” album.
I was absolutely blown away by Josh’s vocals and how long he could hold notes as well as how entertaining he is. At the end of the last song, he jumped on one of the speakers barefoot and took a shot. As for Wagner, his drum solo was the highlight of the night and special since he does not do it every concert. Jake even played in a Jimi Hendrix-type fashion by playing his guitar behind his head and Sam lit incense during the show while playing multiple keyboards.
There is no doubt that Greta Van Fleet can put on a show. Each musician displays so much passion in their work and that can be noted from even the furthest of seats.
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Annabella Mireles is the photo editor and may be reached at [email protected]; @photographybyannabella on Instagram.
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