When Greta Van Fleet played major shows at Nashville’s now-closed Mercy Lounge in 2017, the audience was largely older men in classic-rock shirts, particularly Led Zeppelin tees. By the band’s 2023 headline show at Bridgestone Arena, the crowd looked different: more young fans, some dressed in sequins and glitter and waving small rainbow flags.
Singer Josh Kiszka says the band saw the shift from the stage. He told Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast that Greta Van Fleet’s wider reach brought younger listeners to rock music, including fans seeing people their own age perform it for the first time. He also described rock as an open-ended genre that remains relevant.
Kiszka, his guitarist brother Jake, bassist Sam Kiszka and drummer Daniel Wagner are around 30. Josh and Jake moved to Nashville in 2020, with Sam and Wagner following shortly afterward. The band has since become part of the city’s rock scene and recently played three intimate shows at the Basement East, where the audience also skewed younger.
Kiszka said the crowds include several generations, with young fans near the stage, followed by their parents and grandparents. He added that people of different ages and backgrounds were excited to be there.
Greta Van Fleet released its latest album, Palace for the People, in October. The band is set to return to arenas in February for the Into the Beginning Tour, with stops including Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, TD Garden in Boston and Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The schedule also includes U.K. and European dates, including a May show at London’s O2 Arena. The group has pledged to sell tickets at face value plus fees, without platinum tickets.
Sources: Rolling Stone.