Awesome! . . . except for that middle bit . . .
by TommyJames on 5/1/24Chaifetz Arena - St. LouisI am familiar with Greta Van Fleet from being introduced to them by my youngest daughter. My initial impression of them was that they had a Led Zeppelin/Jefferson Airplane vibe and sound. I can dig that. I knew she was really excited to be able to see them, so when I saw that they were coming to St Louis, I HAD to get tickets. Fast forward to the day of the show. My daughter and her boyfriend opted to come to this show above their Junior Prom. They were dressed for the occasion and primed for a great show. They enjoyed the awesomeness of Mirador. I also thought they really brought the rock and showed that, even though this was their first live performance, that they are going to be a force to reckon with for years! Then . . . . Well . . . . There was Geese. The thing that crossed my mind is that they were an experimental prog rock kind of act. Initially, I was meh on them. Then I was just ready for them to be done . . . after their first song. I can't speak for the rest of that band, but my impression is that their vocalist was high or nervous. Maybe both. In a word: bleah. Then . . . It was all better. Greta Van Freakin' Fleet hit the stage and dominated throughout the entire set! (As a Management and Marketing major it crossed my mind that Geese was put there to make GVF that much better by comparison. That would have been wholly unnecessary, FYI.) From the opening pyro to the closing reverberations of the instruments throughout the arena, I was transfixed. Just sheer awesomeness! The songs were great! (I can scarcely carry a tune in a bucket and I am not familiar enough with the lyrics, so singing along was out of the question for me.) The solos were absolutely transcendent. Amazing Drums! Epic Guitar! We particularly enjoyed the intimate set on the small stage right below us. GVF's rendition of Unchained Melody was respectful to the original, but also their own. End to end, the set was tremendous. I would come to see Greta Van Fleet again any time. Thanks for the awesome memories and making my daughter extremely happy to see her favorite band.