Live Review: Greta Van Fleet in Portland, Oregon 8/5/2023

Greta Van Fleet have come a long way since their debut in 2012. They went from playing in small dive bars to selling out whole stadiums, becoming fan favorites among fans. They are most remembered for being the band that closely resembles Led Zeppelin. With each new album release they find new and creative ways to stay relevant while keeping a signature sound.

As I approached my way to the doors of the venue I was greeted by a drove of fans that were eagerly awaiting to get inside and find their seats. Fans were dressed up head to toe with cowboy hats, bell bottoms, & summer dresses that depicted the era that the music was formed.

The opener for tonight’s show was Teddy Swims, garnering 2.7M followers on Instagram and a handful of certified singles. Teddy Swims has made a name for himself in a short period of time. His soulful voice and amazingly talented players in his band have reaffirmed that he is looking to make himself be known. Teddy Swims is from Conyers, Georgia where he grew up listening to Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, & Al Green. It wasn’t until his football couch asked if he wanted to join a musical theater group that he took an interest in music. One of his very first tours was opening for Tyler Carter of the band Issues.

Tonight’s show was filled with big production, the setlist included tracks like “911”, “Don’t Stop Believing (Journey Cover), “What More Can I Say”, “Til I Change Your Mind”, “All That Really Matters”, “Lose Control”, “Love For a Minute”, & “Bed on Fire”.

There was this anticipation in the air, a black curtain with the Starcatcher logo was illuminated by a spotlight. Behind the stage the crew was making the final adjustments, bandmates were in place warming up and then in a flash the curtain disappears and the show starts. We heard a loud boom and smoke started to fizzle out of boxes.

The first set included favorites like “The Falling Sky”, “The Indigo Streak”, “Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)”, “Meeting the Master”, “Heat Above”, & “Frozen Light”.

I have been photographing bands for many years, but this had to be the best show I have been apart of. The show was like an epic saga of stories displayed for everyone to see. There was pyro, smoke, laughing, & dancing.

There even was a moment when they had an intermission period where they transitioned to a smaller stage to play a 3 song acoustic set of some deeper cuts “Unchained Melody”, “Waited All Your Life”, & “Black Smoke Rising”.

Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan, comprised of Josh Kiszka (lead singer) , Jake Kiszka (gutarist) , Sam Kiszka (bassist), & Daniel Wagner (drummer) making up the integral sound. Sam has stated in an interview “that the songwriting process is a group effort that starts out folky then gets worked into a song”. In 2019, Greta Van Fleet won a Grammy for Best Rock Album for their EP From the Fires, which included their hit song “Safari Song”.

Set #2 included hits “Fate of the Faithful”, “Sacred Thread”, & “The Archer”. They almost had the audience fooled when they stepped out for a couple minute break only to return for an epic encore to finish out the show. The last two songs were “Light My Love” & “Farewell for Now”.