Not even the rain and threats of storms kept diehard fans from lining up for hours for the chance to get close to the Nashville Municipal Auditorium stage for Greta van Fleet on Monday, December 17. Hailing from Frankenmuth, MI, the band, is composed of lead vocalist Josh Kiszka, his brothers Jake on guitar and Sam on bass and occasional keyboards, with Danny Wagner on drums The group is just back in the States after spending November on tour in Europe.
The crowd, already pumped up after the opening performance by Aaron Lee Tasjan, was ready to “Name That Tune” within three opening notes of any song. Josh Kiszka, whose high, strong voice draws comparisons to Led Zepellin, owned the stage with the frenetic energy of Mick Jagger, but looking a little like Richard Simmons in his star-spangled sleeveless Spandex jumpsuit doing jumping jack moves.
The band opened with “Highway Tune” off their first studio EP Black Smoke Rising, later packaged with four additional songs and released as From the Fire. They followed with “Edge of Darkness” and the title track off the first EP. While without a doubt, Josh leads the band, Jake’s guitar performances set the standard high, as he, at times, played solos with the guitar behind his head.
Josh thanked the crowd for the Nashville welcome and thanked them for waiting out in the weather today, then invited them to sing along on the next song—as if they needed encouragement—and then added, “You can sing along with the whole show.”
He led into “You’re the One” from the band’s current CD, their first full-length album Anthem of the Peaceful Army, taking its title from a poem by Josh. Midway through the set, an organ music intro sounded a little more Jethro Tull than Led Zeppelin, and Josh Kiszka said, “You know this one” as they launched into “Age of Man.”
Before “Black Flag Exposition,” Josh said this part of the show included “kind of a visual thing.” This number featured a powerful guitar solo by Jake, while Sam played keyboards and Josh moved back and forth across the stage wielding a tambourine, which he tossed in time to pick back up on the vocals.
With the intensity of the instrumentals and the accompaniment by the audience, most knowing every song, the vocals were surprisingly clear, owing in part to Josh Kiska’s high, strong voice. Neither his voice nor the band’s energy level flagged as they moved in for a strong finish, saving some crowd favorites, “Cold Wind” and “When the Curtain Falls,” to lead up to the encore. They closed with extended versions of “Flower Power” and “Safari,” and the full arena of fans–most having stood for the whole show–headed back into the rain.
