Greta Van Fleet Wows The Crowd!

Michigan rockers Greta Van Fleet are on the road promoting their sophomore release “The Battle at The Garden’s Gate.” Their limited engagement tour has been titled Strange Horizons and recently made a stop at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport Connecticut. Music Madness caught up with them on the first of two amazing nights at Connecticut’s newest large-sized music venue.

GVF and their fans had a great night in spite of the oppressive heat and humidity. This reviewer has seen many shows over the years and I have to admit, I’ve never seen a crowd as enthusiastic as this one. There was a palpable excitement coming from the onlookers from beginning to end. A deafening roar accompanied the start of each song as the audience sang along and smiled with glee and you could see that the band was energized by their fans’ joy.

Lead singer Josh Kiszka was barefoot and clad in a sequined jumpsuit. He hit a wide range of notes flawlessly. Josh’s twin brother Jake worked magic on his guitar. He played like pros twice his tender young age of 25. Also barefoot and dressed in a stark white suit with black embroidered labels was bassist Sam Kiszka.

Sam is the youngest of the Kiszka brothers. Danny Wagner kept time without error on drums. Wagner joined the Kiszkas in 2013 replacing original drummer, Kyle Hauck. Josh was certainly not the lone show-stealer as the band’s lead singer. Each member had moments when their abilities and actions demanded attention.

Fans were treated to past favorites as well as songs from The Battle at The Garden’s Gate. They were treated to the live debut of two songs off the new release. “Broken Bells” was worked into their main set while “Stardust Chords” started the encore to the delight of the crowd.

The band draws comparisons to rock legends Led Zeppelin as a result of the vocal stylings of Josh and the guitar work of Jake. However, they are certainly not, nor are they trying to be, imitators. Much like some other up-and-coming bands, they are the new breed of young musicians who are picking up the torch of hard rock which is being passed on to them. These bands are deserving of attention and respect for without them, hard rock would fade into live music history.

There are only 6 more tour dates left in 2021. Catch these rising stars if you can! Dates HERE.