Greta Van Fleet's Triumphant Return to Detroit

Greta Van Fleet live in Detroit 2023 Greta Van Fleet’s triumphant return to Detroit was nothing short of spectacular, as they played to a sold-out crowd at Little Caesars Arena. It had been five long years since they last thrilled a Detroit audience at the much smaller Fox Theatre, but even then, they played three nights to accommodate the demand for tickets. Now the brothers from Frankenmuth are regularly packing arenas across North America and have the stage production to back it.

As the huge curtain dropped revealing the stage, the three Kiszka brothers, Josh, Jake and Sam plus longtime friend and drummer Danny Wagner stood on a platform at the back of the stage with four spotlights highlighting their silhouettes. Singer Josh Kiszka, with his charismatic stage presence, welcomed the roaring crowd by exclaiming, “Welcome to the family reunion!”

It was a sentiment shared by everyone in attendance, as fans from all walks of life came together to celebrate the return of their beloved hometown heroes. There is a very large LGBTQ and young female element to their fan base and a lot of fans waved small rainbow flags to show support. There were fans of all ages though dressed in everything from classic rock style jeans and T shirts to satin and sequins and feather boas. The band’s message of love and acceptance really resonates, and you could feel it in abundance.

With that the show began with an explosion of sparks and they launched into The Falling Sky from their latest album Starcatcher. Over two hours of pure rock and roll magic ensued featuring almost every track off the new album. The band dazzled with multiple guitar solos plus drum and harmonica solos that showcased the band’s blues rock influence and extended some songs to epic proportions.

The band’s fashion choices were reminiscent of the golden era of classic rock, featuring a lot of satin and sequins and Josh giving a bit of Freddie Mercury vibe. Sam, with his flowing jacket and tassels, effortlessly grooving on his Rickenbacker bass, gave a definite 70’s feel to the show.

One of the standout moments of the evening was a three-song acoustic set on a satellite stage near the soundboard. Performing a cover of Unchained Melody to start it off they also played Waited All Your Life from Starcatcher and a great acoustic version of Black Smoke Rising.

Playing Light My Love to begin the encore, Sam Kiszka displayed his amazing chops on keyboard beginning with a little tease of Gershwin. I think we’re only beginning to see how much talent these brothers have. When Highway Tune became a big hit there was plenty of criticism that they were a Led Zeppelin clone band, but they’ve proven the critics don’t know what they’re talking about. These guys are evolving and showing just how good they are. They’re not a flash in the pan, they’re here to stay.

Surf rock band Surf Curse warmed the crowd up with their unique brand of post punk surf music to an appreciative crowd.

All photos by Dan Boshart:

Greta Van Fleet