By Megan Zawisa
Live music has an influence on the music industry like no other. The experience of preparing, attending, and all that follows a show act as a unifying force that cannot be found anywhere else. This aspect of the industry is in high demand now, more than ever.
Live performances are never the same, differing based on location, setlist, audience, among many other factors. Live shows are an engaging practice, involving the interaction of both fans and artists that thrive off energies alike. Through this, more intense emotions are created than those that occurred primarily with streaming according to the findings from a Live Nation global study, titled “The Power of Live”.
American rock band, Greta Van Fleet debuted the live performing of third full-length studio album, “The Battle at Garden’s Gate” written in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic by announcing the North American leg of their “Dreams in Gold” tour in November 2021. The Michigan natives kicked it off with five shows in their home state.
Greta Van Fleet has been given the responsibility of reviving rock and roll in the 21st Century and have been able to take that and achieve it with the utmost effectiveness as they grew up listening to musicians such as Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf who also inspired bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and so many more.
Attending a Greta Van Fleet show can only be described as going back in time to an era that coincides with psychedelic riffs as well as the voices that defined the industry in the ‘70s.
The performance by the four-piece consisted of 20-minute guitar solos and drum solos that many classic rockstars incorporated frequently in the past, recreating a similar feeling. The band even includes direct tributes to the artists that impacted them, such as singing Elvis Presley’s song, “That’s All Right”.
Greta Van Fleet has been able to transcend generations as the crowds are filled with those old and young.
A lead single off the band’s third album, titled “My Way, Soon” mentions the lyrics “There are so many people, some are much younger people, and some are so old”.
Those lyrics hold true to not only the band, but the fans as well as all that attend their shows see those old and young, with their parents, alone, and everything in between – giving the band and their fans, coming from all walks of life a chance to experience memories from long before as well as create new ones.
Attending not only a show in their home state but being at a venue just 20 minutes from the band’s hometown of Frankenmuth provided an extra layer of passion and felt ethereal as the arena, once attended by the members themselves, was filled with friends, family, and fans part of the same community.
As an attendee, Greta Van Fleet created a euphoric sense of connection and freedom that could not be felt simply listening to their work. Having the opportunity to be part of the crowd during one of their hometown concerts almost acted as a bonding experience that occurred between not only the band, but all the fans that filled the arena that night.
This was the first Greta Van Fleet show I went to, and it was like no other I had ever seen, from the effects, to the setlist, to the ability to connect with so many and create an almost indescribable energy, it will be the first of many.
Works Cited
kboomer@mlive.com, K. B. |. (2022, March 14). Our top 10 photos as Greta Van Fleet takes the stage in Saginaw. mlive. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/03/our-top-10-photos-as-greta-van-fleet-takes-the-stage-in-saginaw.html
Study reveals the importance of live music around the world. Ticketmaster. (2022, February 8). Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://business.ticketmaster.com/business-solutions/study-reveals-importance-live-music/