Words by Lady Des
Pix by Fozz Gibson Marshall
While the anticipation for Greta Van Fleet‘s Australian leg of the Starcatcher World Tour was always of a high degree, it wasn’t until the night of the Brisbane show that the magnitude of what was about to transpire fully set in.
The band had booked themselves at Brisbane’s premiere entertainment venue the Fortitude Music Hall, but what they forgot to organise was a bus to the concert because the lines extending from the front door went back further than this reviewer cared to walk!
By the time I tacked on to the barely moving stairway to musical heaven, it went all the way around the corner and past the Brightside – for those of you not familiar with Fortitude Valley, that’s a long fucken way.
A very long fucken way.
Because of this unexpected delay into the music hall, my photographer and I caught only a small bit of the opening set from The Velveteers – the photographer didn’t even get his camera out in time – but from all accounts they were a lively and welcome addition to the nights entertainment and more than one punter said I would one day regret not planning my entrance a little better…
After possibly one of the longest intros ever (almost as long as that line), Greta Van Fleet hit the stage for the first of two nights in Brisbane, and from the outset it was obvious they weren’t here for a holiday.
Launching into The Falling Sky, followed by The Indigo Streak, the three brothers and their friendly drummer filled the Fortitude Music Hall with a sonic burst of energy that was as infectious as it was exhilarating.
Vocalist Joshua Kiszka engaged the crowd throughout the entire performance as though each and every audience member were childhood friends, making a multitude of costume changes in between regular banter and a vocal display bordering on the sublime.
With every member of Greta Van Fleet providing backing vocals the stage sound was immense, but even the flawless harmonies were no match for the quality of musicianship that peppered the crowd with an abundance of guitar solos by Jake Kiszka making way at times for tasty bass runs from his brother Sam. Their chemistry was electric and their precision even more so, but it was the five-minute drum solo from Daniel Wagner that was a surprise and welcome addition.
For some reason, the art of the drum solo has become lost in the noise in recent years, but Wagner seemed intent on single-handedly reviving the long-standing live tradition by pounding his kit into a blithering mess that almost screamed abuse.
By the time Greta Van Fleet closed the night with Light My Love and Farewell For Now they had not only won every heart in the room, but also given away an assortment of goodies such as the traditional guitar picks and drumsticks, but also an assortment of white roses and even a tamborine.
Rock and roll is certainly alive and well ladies and gentlemen, and with Greta Van Fleet it is also in damn fine hands.
