GRETA VAN FLEET LIVE AT THE BILL GRAHAM CIVIC AUDITORIUM IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA ON 10/2/19
Leaders of the New Breed of Classic Rock
We reviewed Greta Van Fleet’s live performance last year when they were releasing their debut album ‘Anthem of the Peaceful Army’. So what has changed with the band since then? A lot! In just a year the band has literally honed their skills visually and musically. We’ll get to that in a moment.
To start with, last year the average age of the crowd that was there to see Greta Van Fleet I would say fell in the 24 years of age and under. One year later the audience was filled with those same loyal fans who were there last year along with the same amount of older fans who were 24 and above up including fans in their mid 60’s. What was the reason for this surge in the diversity in age of the Greta Van Fleet audience? Simply put, Greta Van Fleet has become the breed of classic rock. The majority of diehard fans of classic rock have stayed loyal to those original bands in the late sixties and seventies that created that music genre and accepted no successors to the classic rock throne….. until now.
Last year’s performance was energetic, raw, with stellar music with a somewhat hippie vibe to their appearance. This year the band was still very energetic but singer Josh Kiszka has learned how to truly work the crowd. He now communicates with the audience between songs and even tossed out white roses to fans in the audience when the band took the stage. Josh’s voice was controlled and on point and sounded as close to their recorded tracks as any professional band would hope to.
The band Greta Van Fleet knows who they are and where they want to take the audience from start to finish. This is possible because the band members have become tighter as a unit to prove they are the real deal. Jake Kiszka’s guitar work showed his dedication to the classic rock genre while still blazing a new trail for a modern generation. The guitar solos Jake laid down during each song were dynamic, clean, and powerful.
Bassist/keyboardist Sammy Kiszka and drummer Danny Wagner have also become a stronger rhythm section if that was even possible. You have to commend the Kiszka brothers and longtime friend Wagner for being a band who recognized their potential and has become the leaders in their field of music.
The band played the majority of tracks from their debut album. Greta Van Fleet did covers of John Denver’s ‘The Music is You’ and Labi Siffre’s ‘Watch Me’. This shows that even when they do a homage to a genre that they break away from the expected and play the music they want to convey in their own style.
It was a fantastic show and we at Mayhem Music Magazine will continue to follow the careers of the band. Love Live Greta Van Fleet!
Setlist:
- When The Curtain Falls
- Highway Tune
- Black Smoke Rising
- Flower Power
- Watch Me (Labi Siffre cover)
- The Music is You (John Denver Cover)
- You’re The One
- Age of Man
- Black Flag Exposition
- Watching Over
- Lover Leaver (Taker, Believer)
To View The Full GRETA VAN FLEET Photo Gallery Click HERE
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