Setlist:
Safari Song
Black Smoke Rising
Flower Power
The Music Is You
You’re The One
Age Of Man
Black Flag Exposition
Watching Over
Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)
When The Curtain Falls
Highway Tune
*All photos taken by Bethany Hildebrandt*
It’s officially The Battle At Garden’s Gate release week and what could be a better idea than writing several articles about Greta Van Fleet this week? We’re kicking it off with a LIVE review performance as we watch how this very exciting week for the band unfolds…
It was the first time I had ever even thought about going to Atlanta, Georgia. One of the only shows I’ve been close for where I didn’t have to wait in line all day just to have a close spot. May 12, 2019 was the second (and most recent) Greta Van Fleet show for me. Everything from getting ready, doing my hair, deciding how to do my makeup, to the very last moment of the band being on stage, was so magical. Heading to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on Peachstreet (I even remembered the name before looking it up) and the line was already wrapped down around the corner and I giggled to myself. Everything was so beautiful already. The line. The people. The theatre itself. Trying to contain our excitement, my sister and I talked and laughed to pass the time getting through the line to the entrance. When you enter any Fox Theatre, you’re on a red carpet, having you feel like a star. The show poster was to my left on a wall, framed and shining in lights. I smiled and showed my sister immediately, which made us even more excited than we already were. Walking into the actual theater part, an usher asked if we needed help finding our seats, they looked at our tickets and said, “Oh, you’re in the good seats” and cracked a smile. Our official seat title was “Official Platinum Seating”, also known as the fifth row. Every Fox Theatre is unique, yet still beautiful. We were so full of adrenaline already, just being there, in those seats knowing where we were and what was about to happen.
After their opening act, Ida Mae (who is AMAZING and if you don’t know them, you should) we were in so much anticipation. At a certain point, that song started playing, My Whole World Ended by David Ruffin and I knew exactly what was going on. I was so filled with excitement, anticipation, butterflies, smiles, all of the above. During a certain point in the song, the lights shut off and the band comes on stage. I remember seeing all of them, but mostly Sammy, possibly because he automatically smiled and waved to the crowd. Everyone was roaring with excitement.
Jake’s riff of Safari Song started and the crowd went absolutely insane. I remember headbanging so hard already as the energy was high. At the end of the song, Danny of course had his amazing drum solo to close out their opener.
Up next was Black Smoke Rising and the crowd was in complete sync with the band as far as energy and jammin’ go. The solo that Jake does in the middle of the song makes you want to rock out even more as the crowd of course goes wild for a Jake Kiszka solo.
Up next was Flower Power which, much like the last two, was a crowd favorite that everyone knew very well. At the end of the song, it was a complete jam session. Sammy really took us to church with that keyboard at the end.
The Music Is You of course made an appearance yet again and Josh’s vocals sounded so beautiful in the theatre, it was like an echo. Proceeding with You’re The One, everyone was singing, smiling and having an amazing time.
Next was one of the best songs of the night, Age Of Man. The song itself is filled with so much passion, love, integrity, tells such a story. And to hear it live is to hear it in all of its honor.
And even better than the last track was Black Flag Exposition (also known as Weight Of Dreams on TBAGG). So much going on in this song, so hard to keep up with, but it’s definitely the best they do. So much guitar, so much drums, so much keyboard, Josh’s vocals sound amazing, it’s really a true rock n roll experience.
And after that, we’re taken down a level with Watching Over, in which Jake has a great solo. The energy levels are exhausted from the last two songs, but we’re still kickin’ for the chorus during this song.
Next up was a personal favorite, Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer), that featured flashing pink and blue lights, along with Brave New World in the middle of the song. And that’s how Greta Van Fleet ended the night…
Just kidding. For their encore, they of course had to come back out and play When The Curtain Falls, which since we got a few minutes to breathe there, brought the crowd’s energy levels back up. Somehow, some way, I was still full of energy as I was screaming the lyrics to this song, especially the “Do It Jakey” part. And as usual, Jake did it.
How do you think the band closed out the show? With their debut single of course. What’s hilarious is somewhere on YouTube, there’s a video of Highway Tune from this show from the balcony and I was actually able to find myself down in the fifth row and see how hard I was still going after a night of reveling. But what was my favorite part of the night? It had to be… the end. I was recording the very end of the show, the very end of Highway Tune, when I realized Jake Kiszka was yet again looking straight at me, even though I was a few rows back. He pointed to me with his guitar pick, tossed it and it went straight over my head. That’s twice in a row Jake’s tried to give me a guitar pick and I couldn’t catch it either time, but the memories will last forever.
You can pre-order The Battle At Garden's Gate here and it is available April 16, via Lava/Republic Records. You can follow Greta Van Fleet on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook . Check out our review of The Battle At Garden's Gate here.
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