Greta Van Fleet
March 12, 2023
Greenville, SC
Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Review by Joseph Hett
Greta Van Fleet Is As Good As Gold In Greenville
Greta Van Fleet finally brought their “Dreams in Gold” Tour to Greenville, SC at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday night. This show was originally scheduled to take place in October 2022, but was postponed due to Josh Kiszka rupturing his eardrum.
There had been an excitement in the air all week. Members of the “Peaceful Army” camped out days before so they could get the highly sought after numbered wristbands the morning of the show. That way the early birds would get the best viewing location along the barricade of the general admission floor.
A black curtain containing hieroglyphic-like symbols dropped down to conceal the stage. Crews worked vigorously to prep the stage. The standing-room floor crowd increasingly bunched up anticipating the almighty GVF. The concertgoers ranged from teens to older adults. It’s amazing how this band can bring together such diverse people.
Once the spoken word monologue of “Dreams in Gold” began to play, everyone knew it was showtime.
Josh Kiszka (vocals), Jake Kiszka (guitar), Sam Kiszka (bass/keyboards) and Danny Wagner (drums) came out blazing for “Built by Nations.” They would go on to feature seven total songs from their sophomore album titled “The Battle at Garden’s Gate.”
They continued with “Black Smoke Rising.” Speaking of smoke, there was plenty of smoke coming from the fire balls shot up from the stage. The sound of explosions were plentiful too.
Josh Kiszka showcased his vocal range all through the night. His signature screams really pumped up the audience.
The fan-favorite “Safari Song” really got everyone rocking. During the monster drum solo by Wagner, Josh Kiszka, while sitting on a crew member’s shoulders, handed out white roses to adoring fans. It was surprising to see a drum solo this early in a rock show.
After the riffing “Caravel,” they settled in a pace of featuring more progressive sounding songs.
Jake Kiszka, while constantly playing in his trademark leaning back stance, played the hell out of the guitar all night long.
Sam Kiszka settled in behind the keyboards for an extended time starting with “Heat Above.” Sam Kiszka even tickled the ivories with George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” before “Light My Love.”
Josh Kiszka told a story about being “always on the mend” before Jake Kiszka launched them into the unplugged “Broken Bells” with his acoustic guitar. They then got back on track with the dystopian “Age of Machine.”
GVF ended the main set with “The Weight of Dreams.” Jake Kiszka was shredding so fast, all of the fog billowing out from the stage appeared to be coming from his blazing guitar. Jake had to have performed the longest guitar solo ever – playing all of it at 100 mph. All of this was going on as Josh Kiszka danced while playing tambourine before tossing it into the crowd.
After a well deserved break, Greta Van Fleet came out for the epic “Age of Man.”
GVF closed the night out with the one and only “Highway Tune.” This extended jam featured Josh Kiszka’s vocals dueling with Jake Kiszka’s harmonica – it was a sight to behold. It also included Elvis’ “That’s All Right.” “Highway Tune” then came back around for the reprise before ending the show.
Greta Van Fleet put on an impressive performance. Their unique brand of rock and roll will continue to keep classic sounding rock alive and well.