Concert: Greta Van Fleet

Onstage at The Stone Pony’s Summer Stage

Headliner: Greta Van Fleet (Genre: Rock)

Opening Act(s): Ida Mae

Thoughts: I felt like I entered a time machine, and walked out in the 70s. This show was incredible, and not one I will forget. We arrived around 7:30pm. The opener, Ida Mae, was just wrapping up. I did not catch much of their set, so the only thing I’ll say about their performance is that I liked what I heard live more than what I’ve heard on Spotify.

The venue was awesome. It was my first time at The Stone Pony and my buddy filled me in on some of it’s history; it acted as a launching pad for greats like Springsteen and Bon Jovi. Inside The Stone Pony is a small stage and bar where guitars and pictures of famous acts line the walls. The indoor venue is an intimate space to take in a show. The outdoor area, where the Summer Stage is located, is basically a converted parking lot and designed to accommodate large crowds. There were a lot of vendors to buy food and drinks from. Cash is king here. There were a few places that credit was accepted, but it’s a good idea to have cash if you want to take in a show here. There were bathrooms both inside and outside; if you were willing to walk, you could find one without much of a line. Also, I wanted to quickly note that I have never been to a show where the crowd was sporting so much of the band’s merchandise. People were decked out in Greta Van Fleet gear. I’m not sure if this is because this band has already found a fanatic following, or if people just wanted more layers as the sun set and the temperature dropped.

The band came on at exactly 8:15pm. Lead singer, Josh Kiszka, pointed out that there was a “bad moon rising.” As the sun was setting behind the stage, a full moon was slowly rising behind the crowd. Josh’s voice stunned me. I had heard their album and knew that it was reminiscent of Zeppelin, but hearing someone sing like that in-person just kind of floors you. Josh isn’t exactly Mick Jagger, dancing around the stage, but gets very into the performance and has a great stage presence. His twin brother, Jake, was equally impressive on lead guitar. Very talented. The youngest brother, Sam, was jumping between bass and keyboard depending on the song. That is one gifted trio of brothers. Not to mention Danny Wagner did a great job on drums. The energy of the performance was high from beginning to end, with some jam sessions thrown in that were probably an opportunity for Josh to rest his voice. I mentioned to my friend while driving up to the show that with only one record out, you have to hope that they’re not a one hit wonder, or that their next album won’t live up to the hype. After seeing them perform, I just think that they are too talented not to succeed. The band ended the night with an encore performance of Safari Song.

To quote one of my fellow audience members, “that was some sick ass shit.”