By Gus Samarco, Rock At Night Raleigh
Venue: Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh, North Carolina-May 15, 2019
The first time I saw Greta Van Fleet was in August 2017 at a small Raleigh venue called The Pourhouse. My editor sent me on assignment and I had no idea what to expect. Boy, was I glad I went! Greta Van Fleet was the reincarnate of classic 70s rock & roll (well, Led Zeppelin to be exact). What a voice Josh Kiska had! Well, I knew the band was going to make it big at the time–and was correct–and they have taken the world by storm as the “next big thing.”
Hailing from the small town of Frankenmouth, Michigan, Greta Van Fleet is comprised of twin brothers Josh (vocals) and Jake (guitar) plus younger brother Sam (bass/keys) Kiszka, and best friend Danny Wagner (drums). The Kiszka brothers started to listen to Blues and Soul music the they were still in their mothers belly and continued growing up listening to the sounds of Wilson Pickett and Joe Cocker. It was Jake that later on – listening to Cream, the Yardbirds, The Who and other classics from the 60’s British invasion – came up with the idea. “Y’know, wouldn’t it be interesting if an American band came right back and reinterpreted the reinterpretation that the English did?” The rest is history.
Alright, now to the show…
The night open with Ida Mae, the breakout British husband and wife duo that opened for Greta Van Fleet during their European leg of the tour, and joined them again for their US tour, which will continue until Ida Mae hits Bonnaroo in June. I like to listen to the bands before I photograph and was impressed with the vocals of Chris Turpin and they didn’t disappoint live. Ida Mae is definitely one of those bands you want to experience it live, if you have a chance, go see them!
Side note: what a great crowd, I mean, I love my Slayer people, but the crowd at Greta Van Fleet was not only beautiful, bu they provide entertainment for us on the pit, in between bands.
I thought I was going to see a noticeable difference in the band, after 2 years, but I wasn’t ready for this. Josh got on stage carrying white flowers that he sent to the crowd, and yeah, that was just the start. The set was rip-roaring, energetic, and the crowd went into a frenzy!
I was at the same time impressed and proud of what those young men have accomplished in so little time. Greta Van Fleet delivered the same super energetic performance their young fans expected and more.
Again, you might not like GVF, but their raw talent at such young age is undeniable.
Greta Van Fleet Setlist:
The Cold Wind
Highway Tune
Black Smoke Rising
Edge of Darkness
Flower Power
You’re the One
Age of Man
Black Flag Exposition
Watching Over
When the Curtain Falls
Encore:
Safari Song
PHOTO GALLERY
Gus was Born and raised in Brasilia, Brazil but have been living in Raleigh, NC since 2000.
Headshot Photographer under Peter Hurley, Gus started shooting concerts in mid 2014 and felt in love with it and hasn’t stopped since.
Gus is a very active fiction book reader and when he’s not working, taking pictures or sleeping, Gus loves riding his Mountain Bike and can also be found shooting (guns and cameras) USPS and 3Gun matches.
His favorite bands are Metallica, Pearl Jam, Whitesnake, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Pantera, RATM, Beastie Boys and it goes from there. Gus also enjoy listening to EDM, Jazz, Classic and pretty much anything that has good music quality, not to mention his favorite Local Band, Jack the Radio
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