In Kalamazoo, March brought freezing and below freezing temperatures. Friends, lovers, ex-lovers, future lovers all found themselves in line overnight and early morning for the beginning of Greta Van Fleet’s “Dreams In Gold” tour. The overwhelming sensation was truthful. All was worth it for GVF’s long-awaited Michigan return and start of their first world tour since 2019.
Split between two lines for multiple entry doors, at exactly 5:15 pm, fans were let in as they were about to acquire the experience of a lifetime. A sold out show at Wings Event Center, the crowd grew as time went on. The Velveteers set the vibe for the night as they debuted with two percussionists and a lovely lead singer/guitarist. After the crowd ate up all The Velveteers had to offer, they braced themselves for Rival Sons.
However… By the time Rival Sons went on, some fans became uncomfortable up close to the stage due to the tight squeeze… Including myself. I’ve had the honor of seeing Greta Van Fleet within the first five rows three times. In Kalamazoo, I was about eight rows back on Jake’s side, still a breathtaking view. I fought hard to stay in my place between people shoving themselves in front of me and others knocking into me. I told myself to stay where I was because I’d fought cold temperatures for a few hours, spent nine hours on a train, spent months looking forward to Dreams In Gold. But finally… there was no more holding back tears. I felt unsafe. I felt claustrophobic. I knew how privileged I was to think, “I’ve seen them this close multiple times, I can stand further back.” I let my sister know I was moving back as I proceeded to the back of the arena.
Somewhat filled with disappointment and sadness, my sister found my mom and I before GVF went on. Regaining confidence that this would still be an amazing experience, “Reasons For Waiting” by Jethro Tull blasted over the speakers (as it also did at Strange Horizons) and I knew all would be well. After the calmness of the track played, the arena went pitch black. It was haunting. The room was filled with love, joy, excitement and screaming fans. The sound of pounding drums fled the arena. A piano-filled track greeted us all as it echoed, along with familiar acoustic guitar riffs, followed by a speaking voice we know all too well. Josh Kiszka’s speech echoed the arena as friends, families, fans were reunited with GVF, people seeing GVF for the first time.
“The only fun that must be had is too much. People need people. Enjoy all of it always. And remember that all you have is special.”
As the speech came to a close, the lights behind the curtain lit up as those familiar organ notes of “Heat Above” began. Danny’s silhouette shining, Jake’s beginning guitar riff playing, everything was worth it. But when the curtain falls… You’re no longer in pain. For the next 60-90 minutes, you would be at peace. You find yourself jumping so high and using energy you never knew you had. Your voice is louder than you ever knew it could be. You suddenly didn’t care what others around you thought. “I think people around us think we’re drunk.” Mission accomplished. Even when Josh’s mic went out for half of the opening track, the Peaceful Army carried the song as if nothing was wrong. The energy was immaculate and hearts were filled.
The most shocking part? There was fire. The band who’s always striving to outdo themselves had fire during one of their, what we like to call “softest” songs. I had the perfect view of Jake and Danny (who sings his heart out) and kept maneuvering myself so I could see Sam. It’s like seeing old friends. You just pick yourself back up with them. Throughout “Safari Song” and “Black Smoke Rising”, the arena echoed with fans who were losing their minds and experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Caravel” began the headbanging, purple aesthetic and our clav king on piano, Sam shining. As Jake played romantically to his girlfriend in the crowd, “Age Of Machine” roared and set the scene.
Keeping romanticism alive, all Sam had to do was play the first few notes of “Light My Love” and the crowd fell to their knees. The romanticized sways of the audience, the entire venue singing along with Josh, screaming as loud as we could. Reveling all together for the band we fell in love with. Screaming the lyrics, “Hate bound by fear will unwind.” The ballad to lift you off your heels. Traveling into the existential crisis part of the show, also known as “The Weight Of Dreams”, the real experience began. Fire. Smoke. Jake covered in smoke. “Jake you must’ve done a lot of shit over there.”, his twin insisted. But what is “The Weight Of Dreams” known for? THAT. SOLO. As Jake shred through his solo as always, he played “with” the crowd as well. Between the energy of the audience and energy of the four members, it was enough to be the most magical part of the night. Dancing, yes dancing through the entire guitar solo is the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert. To watch your favorite guitarist, someone who’s taught you so much about music and about guitar, in real life is indescribable.
After our out-of-body experience, “Watching Over” was performed as Jake danced with his guitar during his solo. “When The Curtain Falls” closed out the night as I pointed to Sam during the lyrics, “You could use a little work. Well, at your age.” The stage went black as they had “left”. Not even five minutes of making us wait for an encore, Sam came out and hopped on his mellotron. I had it correct in my mind they had played the exact same setlist as they did for Strange Horizons in Nashville, which would essentially include “Age Of Man” in their encore. As Sam lit his incense (as he always does) and set the scene, he teased with beautiful sounds from his mellotron to serenade us. Danny hopped on his drums to add some chimes. Jake chimed in with his infamous red SG to play familiar notes. As brothers they stand, Josh walked out to greet his people so we could all come together as one. The stage fell silent as Josh stated, “You asked for it”, as Sam played the intro to “Anthem Of The Peaceful Army”. Tears were falling. People were hugging each other. Fire was burning in the pits in front of the stage. The scene was set. The lyrics “And we came into the clear” possessed perspective yet again.
The intro to “Highway Tune” was played (which was the way GVF started almost every show in 2018-2019) as they began Josh’s “favorite song.” The song that got them to where they are now. With the energy of the four members coming together and jammin’ for about ten minutes during “Highway Tune”, the stage was still electric as the band prepared for their last track of the night. “If I could just get out of here, it’d be my way soon.”, Josh stated as the infamous “My Way, Soon” riffs played. The end of the night held loud guitar solos, heavy bass lines and screaming vocals… As did the entire show. Tons of white roses (which GVF at one point claimed as their aesthetic) were thrown out to the crowd as Sam held one in his mouth and threw it into existence. The night officially ended with Josh’s infamous phrases, “It’s not too late to get into a lot of trouble.”
“And in the end we will spend the weight of dreams in gold.”