Life is sometimes a full rollercoaster of triumph and tragedy, and whilst thousands of football fans watched England getting defeated in the Euros, Greta Van Fleet were determined that their show in the iconic space of the Royal Albert Hall was to be a night to remember for all the right reasons.
Greta Van Fleet
Royal Albert Hall – 14 July 2024
Words: Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Ryan Hildrew
Given the enormity of the show, it is safe to say that the quartet do not lack ambition and whilst their most recent London show at OVO Arena Wembley may have been impressive, playing two sets with no support and filling the place with bombast is something that takes a mountain of self-confidence. 
Fortunately, GVF have both the material and the chops to fulfil the promise. Their time together since initially forming in 2012 has been spent honing their craft on the road, and their inexorable rise was born of an unremitting focus.
Whilst initial comparisons to Led Zeppelin were made, seeing the band now, there are more elements of progressive rock to their sound, and some passages tonight dipped into the same territory as Yes, a band who graced this stage themselves a scant few weeks ago.
Heightening this thought, there are certainly elements of Josh Kiszka’s vocals that bring to mind those of Jon Anderson as he hits notes that threaten to shatter every piece of glass in the place.
This, though, is a band who are more than the sum of all their influences, the global superstars in waiting forging their own very distinct path as their sound continues to develop.
The feeling that tonight was an ‘event’ hung heavily over the whole evening. The lengthy intro music seemingly lasted for ten minutes before the band appeared on a walkway at the rear of the stage, drummer Daniel Wagner jumping down behind his kit as they tore into opener Falling Sky.
With its huge and ballsy swagger, it is as much a statement of intent as anything, and when the vocalist declares, “I think we passed the audition,” at its end, the tongue-in-cheek remark shows a self-awareness highlighting their ability to distance themselves from getting too caught up in ego.
Kiszka has certainly grown more comfortable in his own skin, and his showmanship is noticeably even larger than before, his white outfit somewhere between Freddie Mercury and Liberace as he teases and controls the audience in the same way the former used to dominate arenas and stadiums.
Not to be outdone, the stage is awash with glittering costumes, and the sparkle from the shirts and trousers of guitarist Jake Kiszka, bass player Sam Kiszka, and Wagner is equally dazzling.
They are here to play, though, and the ’70s Rush stylings of Talk On The Street and bluesy Black Smoke Rising show that beneath the flash outfits, here is a rock ‘n’ roll band with style.
The little snatch of The Beatles classic Norwegian Wood that comes in the intro of the otherworldly Meeting The Master is a nice nod to past giants, and an epic Heat Above shows Greta Van Fleet are intent on making their own long-lasting mark on music.
Flexing their muscles, Highway Tune and Runaway Blues bookend each other perfectly and saw individual sections in the spotlight for solos as the singer goes into the audience to shake hands, hug and have photos with fans.
Closing breathlessly with a mesmerising Age Of Man, the first half of the show concludes in a whirlwind of light and sound, the quartet already having done enough to sate all but the most demanding of fans but with the promise of yet still loftier peaks to come.
The band certainly didn’t disappoint. Following the interval, high above the stage, two orange spotlights pinpointed the famed Henry Willis Grand Organ. Sam Kiszka grabbed the opportunity to display his skills as its Baroque boom filled the space, the bass player dipping into classical music for a solo before the languid riff of Age Of Man was peeled out by Jake below him.
Boldly switching gears, acoustic pairing Waited All Your Life and Anthem saw the hall light up spontaneously with hundreds of mobile phone lights before Safari Song brought the weight gain and the titanic howl into the night of Sacred The Thread brings down the hammer of the gods.
With flowers being handed out to the faithful down the front by Josh, the rest of the band brought a blistering The Weight Of Dreams before returning to the stage for an encore of Light My Love and a poignant and apt Farewell For Now, the latter accompanied by a sea of Pride flags and a rainbow of lights shining through the stage.
With the loudest audience this writer has ever heard at the venue and a show that was dazzling both visually and musically, Greta Van Fleet have certainly earned the critical and public acclaim, reinforced in no uncertain style.
Big, bold, ballsy and with style and class, there was the very real feeling that history was being made tonight.
A legendary performance by a soon-to-be legendary band, it doesn’t get much better than this.
It was an unforgettable night, one I’ll reminisce to for an age to come!
Uhh well Biden is gonna loose 😂 other than that, I just wish the singer of gvf wouldn’t use the Mohawk asylum look it kinda goes against the rest of the bands look but honestly I don’t ever go to shows what for 🫤 simply play them from my phone nowadays.