It’s been said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. And this band has been relentlessly compared to another band in particular. But make no mistake, Greta Van Fleet are the real thing. Any resemblance to other artists, is merely coincidental. After witnessing their brilliant performance at Portland’s Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, I can assure you that their music will keep the “retro rock revival” alive and well for quite some time.
The audience in attendance have not only embraced the catchy riff-driven music, but their fashion sense as well. Vintage and thrift stores in the Portland area probably experienced record-breaking sales for weeks prior to the show. And nearly every seat was filled this night.
The stage was set up spanning the north end of the arena with parallel thrusts set up on each end of the stage. There was lots of pyro throughout the performance. After the sixth song, “Frozen Light” off their most recent album Starcatcher, drummer Danny Wagner busted out into a huge drum solo. The drum solo didn’t only serve as an opportunity for Danny to display his technical prowess behind the kit, but also acted as a distraction while the band rearranged on a second small stage at the other end of the arena. I was so transfixed by Danny’s drum performance that I have no idea how the band moved to the other stage. Was it teleportation? CGI? It certainly made me question my powers of observation.
From the smaller stage, the band performed a short acoustic set starting with the classic Righteous Brothers hit, “Unchained Melody.” After their 4-song alternate stage performance, the band paraded back through the west side of the arena with lead singer Josh Kiszka riding on the shoulders of security while passing out flowers to concert-goers along the way.
Overall, the band performed 14 songs, half of which were songs from the new album. Their performance was incredible, leaving this writer spending a lot of time reflecting on the performance and going back to my favorite streaming service to relive their new album repeatedly. If rock and roll is something you occasionally like to immerse yourself into, this band, this tour is a must-see.
