GRETA VAN​ FLEET - DRIFFT'S BAND OF THE YEAR

​​​​After a stunning summer rocking audiences from coast to coast, we checked with the tour de (rock) force, Greta Van Fleet on their way through Texas. The prodigious four have set an incredible musical precedent in a very short period of time. From releasing their chart-topping debut album Black Smoke Rising  in early 2017; the last year and a half has proven exceptional for the quartet. Touring worldwide, playing festivals and sold-out shows left and right, and now the pending release of their studio album Anthem of the Peaceful Army on October 19. Ahead of this album release, they gave us the groovy, brooding When the Curtain Falls. Fan feedback has been incredible.  

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"I just can't get enough of their new single - please tell me you've heard it. Like over and over." Alayna P, Arlington TX

From our freshman experience at the start of the year in Jacksonville, FL where the four played the main stage at Welcome to Rockville, we've been nothing but enamored with the unstoppable force that is Greta Van Fleet. They hit Austin on tour, sold out Stubbs, stole our hearts and just kept rolling. In Dallas, men, women, teens and adults lose their collective calm with the opening riffs of Highway Tune.
"I love them, my wife loves them, my kids love them. We have a three-year old grandson and he sings along... loves them too!" Speaking of multi-generational fan families, Gerald, Round Rock TX.

​We traveled up to Dallas last week to catch Greta Van Fleet's sold-out set at the famed South Side Ballroom. It was a treat to catch their show in a wonderfully intimate midsize venue. With the release of a number of new songs, GVF has cultivated a significantly diversified set list since we last saw them. Opening with Highway Tune, our crowd was instantly on fire. Regardless of sound, stage and setting, these four put on an incredible show every time. Edge of Darkness gives us a deliciously drawn-out guitar solo courtesy of Jake Kiszka. Flying hair, curated swagger and coveted guitar-behind-the-head moments are purely goosebumps inducing. It's almost tough to stomach the fact that this gritty 22-year old is showing rockers twice his age how it's done. Josh's sultry-yet-powerful howlings add extra chills, predictably, in every song. In skintight black leather and perfect pout, our bassist Sam Kiszka provides the tasty lower register. Danny's percussive power rounds out the fine force of a flawless set. We groove through a selection of old favorites and catch some new tunes live for the first time. Highlights include Lover, Leaver - a raunchy, punchy, gritty guitar-laden anthem that leaves me yearning for the open road, and Flower Power's lighter, uplifting, soaring, ode to life, love and femininity.

Not a second disappoints. They wrap the show with reliable "old" chart toppers Safari Song and Black Smoke Rising. A melancholic moment strikes when the last note rings out and the boys leave the stage. But we were headed straight for Austin City Limits, where we'd catch them again in just a couple of days' time.  Dallas was delightful. 

"I actually came to Austin City Limits just for Greta. I don't really care about the rest..." - anonymous fan, fighting for the front row on the Miller Light Stage during ACL Weekend One.

Their Austin City Limits set proves an even bigger, ballsier blowout. We're treated to a sexy, sweaty feather-adorned four rocking out under the late afternoon sun in front of massively significant crowds for a non-headliner spot. It's even bigger and badder than their Dallas set. These boys are made for the big stage. Even a heart-stopping hair-caught-in-guitar moment doesn't stop them from a scream-inducing swoon-worthy set. Some serious cred and kudos to Jake for playing straight through the hair-raising moment during his aforementioned Edge Of Darkness solo without missing a beat. In a festival  lineup of decidedly different genres, Greta is here to make rock relevant again.  The boys once again show us exactly why they're here. They've stolen the hearts and laid seige to the playlists of just about every demographic of rock-music lovers countrywide.

As Sir Elton John so eloquently proclaims; "It's the best rock and roll I've heard in 20 f**king years. These guys are so talented, they take my breath away."
Greta Van Fleet's new album Anthem of the Peaceful Army​ releases in full on October 19th - this is absolutely one not to miss. If you have a chance to see them on tour, buy those tickets early and have an amazing time (we know you will). Their tour schedule is HERE. Check out their Spotify HERE. Fair warning: Greta Van Fleet will get stuck on repeat, "accidentally" and drive your neighbors nuts. Sorry, not sorry.