“Where there is love, we will live on. Where there is not love, we must provide it. ”
The arena goes dark, my heart starts thumping faster as the drums begin to fill the air with suspense. Silhouettes of Danny, Jake, Josh, and Sam appear through the symbol clad curtain as lights illuminate the stage. Though we can’t see him just yet, Josh’s voice takes over to tell a tale of the celebration of life, love, and freedom.
The curtain falls and the revelry continues!
Bright lights, pyro, a single incense burning on stage, and the sweet sound of rock n roll set the scene for a long awaited euphoric night in Cincinnati. Greta Van Fleet swept us away through a journey of their discography swirling in solos and jam sessions. Through every song, the crowd was enthralled. We chanted, we danced, we sang along, and lit up the arena with our cellphone lights. There was even on single lighter flame.
Though only a 12 song set, the 4-piece wasted no time blessing us with about 2 hours worth of music. Extending many of the songs, we were witnesses to Greta Van Fleet settling into the groove of their own talents. Jake Kiszka's power over the guitar swept the night away with solos that shot goosebumps through my body. I felt satiated yet I yearned for it to never end. Had William Miller been in attendance, I’d like to think he’d call it “incendiary,” because it was.
Greta Van Fleet embarks on the remainder of the Dreams in Gold tour on August 10th and runs until December. If you’re yearning for a life-giving musical experience, GO SEE THIS BAND LIVE.
See dates and get tickets here.
*Click photos to view in full.
With a billing like this, there was no warm up. This show was starting off POWERFUL.
Straight off the bat, The Velveteers let loose every ounce of energy. Only a guitarist and two drummers, the 3-piece used every second of their set to play like it was their last. Demi Demitro took to shredding on the guitar standing on top of drum kits meanwhile Baby Pottersmith took their drum straight to the barricade to play with the crowd. I went home and binge-listened to their latest album. They were THAT good.
Following up, Rival Sons continued to prove that rock is alive and well. Their heavier yet blues tinged sound was just what the night needed to round it all out. Jay Buchanan’s hearty vocals paired with Scott Holiday’s virtuous work on the guitar took us to higher places. Laying down quite the performance, they even took time to address those affected by the floods in Kentucky and those in Ukraine.
