Greta Van Fleet Rocks Toledo
Wow. There’s no better description of this concert other than just wow.
On September 27th, at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Greta Van Fleet gave an astounding performance. Their “Dreams in Gold” tour has been booming worldwide, with massive successes in Europe and North America. A rock band from Michigan created in 2012, Greta Van Fleet has been signed with Lava Records since 2017. They consist of 3 brothers and their friend, with Josh Kiszka on lead vocals, Jake Kiszka on guitar, Sam Kiszka on bass guitar and keys, and Danny Wagner on drums.
The band gained popularity after their debut EP Black Smoke Rising in 2017, with their debut single “Highway Tune” topping charts. Their second EP, From the Fires, ended up winning a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2019. Their full-length studio album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, was released in 2018 and reached number one on the Billboard Top Album Sales only one week after the release. Their second full album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate was released in 2021.
The demographic of their fan base contains a variety of all ages. Considering lead singer Josh’s vocals are similar to those of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, there was a large population of older fans. Taking inspiration from the band's 60s and 70s vibe, 90% of the fans were dressed in vintage clothes.
Houndmouth, an alternative blues band from Indiana, gave an amazing performance opening for Greta Van Fleet. The artists enchanted the audience with heartbreaking ballads and beautiful harmonies.
Opening with a small monologue about finding love and peace, GVF emphasized the meaning of their music, concluding with “and in the end, we will spend the weight of dreams in gold.”They proceeded to start their set with “Built by Nations,” and “Black Smoke Rising” came shortly after with a powerfuldisplay of musicality. Wagner took it away with an incredible drum solo which led into “My Way, Soon” from their newest album. Josh’s vocals were absolutely breathtaking throughout the concert including notes from his higher register for insane periods of time. The next two songs, “Heat Above” and “Light My Love,” are my favorite songs from the album and were performed with excellence. Before “Heat Above,” Sam gave a small speech about providing love where we cannot find it and celebrating the importance of that. This song displays extreme musicianship from all 4 members. Not to mention Jake and Sam’s insane guitar solos.
“Light My Love,” a lyrical masterpiece, began with a brief explanation of what the song meant to Sam, and he left it off with an open-ended idea for the audience to interpret. This song was my favorite performance of the concert as it was meaningful, Josh’s vocalism was through the roof and, the stage lit up in rainbows near the end with smoke canons. Ending the concert with “Age of Machine” and “The Weight of Dreams,” the boys showed their talent with solos from each. As an encore, they returned with “Age of Man” and “Highway Tune” which are extremely popular songs of theirs. With guitar solos before each, GVF carried on the true legacy of rock music. “Highway Tune” as a concluding song was so enjoyable, with everyone bobbing their heads and screaming along to the lyrics.
Greta Van Fleet is truly inspiring, they are offering fanatical technical- brilliance and artistry. Their flamboyant energy, displayed with shimmering jumpsuits and colorfulness, willundoubtably take them far. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for these guys.
*All pictures photographed by Jackilyn Cooper*
Future Tour Dates:
October 19th – Greenville, South Carolina @ Bon Secours Wellness Arena
November 4th – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma @ Paycom Center
October 21st – Jacksonville, Florida @ VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
November 5th – San Antonio, Texas @ AT&T Center
October 25th – Hollywood, Florida @ Hard Rock Live
November 8th – El Paso, Texas @ Don Haskins Center
October 26th – Tampa, Florida @ Amalie Arena
November 9th – Tucson, Arizona @ Tucson Arena
October 28th – Charlotte, North Carolina @ Spectrum Center
November 11th – Anaheim, California @ Honda Center
October 29th – Birmingham, Alabama @ Legacy Arena at The BJCC
November 12th – Sacramento, California @ Golden 1 Center
November 1st – New Orleans, Louisiana @ Smoothie King Center
December 9th – Atlantic City, New Jersey @ Mark G Etess Arena at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
November 2nd – North Little Rock, Arizona @ Simmons Bank Arena
December 10th – Atlantic City, New Jersey @ Mark G Etess Arena at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino