LIVE REVIEW: GRETA VAN FLEET With Special Guests THE VELVETEERS

Although The Fortitude Music Hall has seen many faces and feet, a night like this is a rare occasion covering the gamut of rock ‘n roll devotees. It has a sense of discovery for the younger ears, and reinvention for the older feet. A young, starry-eyed fan presents a homemade sign saying “My first concert. I love you!”. The moment is shared through photos and giggling with strangers. I swear I could smell the crisp scent of glossy rock posters on a thousand bedroom walls.

Support stars, The Velveteers, kick off with riotous double drum kits and grinding guitar. Hailing from Boulder, Colorado, Demi Demitro shines out front. She owns the mic, channeling the focus of PJ Harvey and voodoo of Tusk-era Stevie Nicks. Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig share rhythm section duties, sending monster kick drum whooshes through the venue.

The set predominately spans their debut record ‘Nightmare Daydream’. A hearty punch of power fuzz carries ‘When I See Your Face’, ‘Father Of Lies’, and ‘Choking’. Theatrics ensue as drum kits are jumped off and front row punters are showered in water spray. As tour companions to the headliner, The Velveteers are ones to watch. Don’t be surprised if they’ll be inviting a support act to their own headline tour in the future.

The Velveteers Gallery

I first saw Greta Van Fleet at a large Belgian summer festival in 2019 . I admit that I went in with a ready-made opinion on who they were. What I witnessed was a faithful, smile inducing love-note to rock n’ roll. They wore their inspiration on the sleeve of their tasseled jackets. Plant/Daltry? Of course. Page/Townsend? Absolutely.

But that was then.

We can safely say that Greta Van Fleet have since claimed their territory. While experienced ears will hear classic records, new ears are discovering sexy rock ‘n roll. Some eyes may see glam and rock/blues chords, others see a proud salute to Bowie, Mercury and those who paved the way. Those who set about to cast aspersions are only doing themselves a disservice and forgetting the moment rock ‘n roll changed their life.

Kicking off with ‘The Falling Sky’, Greta Van Fleet becomes a force of nature. A cosmic collision of Noddy Holder wails and Chris Robinson soul blues, Josh Kiszka’s voice is as important an instrument as his twin brother’s, Jake, lead guitar. His voice is so unique it’s (borderline) criminal. Jake leans firmly into the J. Page’s riff book as the band whisks the audience into a warp of fantastical storytelling and stardust. The front row provides a glimpse of how adolescent eyes of a past era may have feasted on early Zepp or Sabbath.

A healthy cross section of tracks from across four albums build the set. Harmonies in ‘Indigo Streak’ tap classic Sweet and ‘Caravel’ gets dirty and theatrical. ‘Meeting The Master’ is a multi-chapter opus that swells and traverses the rafters. Trusted biggies like ‘Highway Tune’ and ‘Black Smoke Rising’ lifts arms and phone cameras into the air. Between these classics, momentum is threatened with prolonged and somewhat indulgent solos that enter prog-rock territory. ‘The Archer’ is the culprit, stretching out to almost fifteen meandering minutes. These guys can definitely play, but keeping energy and pace is also important. That said, the new ears in the room can’t get enough and are carried further into a distant rock dimension.

A young couple excitedly wave a sign saying “Walking down the aisle to Light my Love” as Sam Kiszka’s piano opens the song. They lined up early outside the venue and have been waiting for this very moment. Heart hands are held high and sing-a-longs are loud. The night is closed out with the ‘Farewell For Now’, an obvious, but fitting, message from band to audience.

Yes, ‘purists’ will remain opinionated. Of course, the aforementioned influences are clear…but show me a band that hasn’t been fed by the trailblazers. In a world of AI, auto-tune and algorithm, Greta Van Fleet is a beautiful postcard from the pure heart and soul of rock. It’s a seductive celebration of the music driven from the same spirit as the bands we pinned to our teenage bedroom walls. We need talent like Greta Van Fleet, just like they need their rock ‘n roll angels from a distant era.