We've been listening to Greta Van Fleet since they released their first single and had them marked as a band to watch. We bought our tickets the day they went on sale, and I know that this is the cheapest - and closest - we will ever be able to see them, because these guys are on the rise and will definitely be playing a much larger venue when they come back to Columbus.
The show itself was fantastic. The opening band, The Glorious Sons, were quite decent as well. GVF has only released four songs, so I was a little leery about attending a concert where I wouldn't actually know most of the songs, but the band is talented enough to pull it off. Their live performance was really, really good. These guys have musical talent all the way through the line; I could have listened to their bassist all night. Overall, there is just such a joy that comes through every note. They love playing music, and it's obvious.
On the flip side, the venue itself is one of my least favorites. The Basement is small, dark, stuffy, crowded, and has pretty poor acoustics. Unless you are standing in the front two rows, you can see basically nothing. After grabbing a couple of drinks, we stood out on the patio (it says something about the venue when it was easier to breathe outside with the smokers than inside), and actually ended up watching the entire show from the top of the stairs, where we could actually see the band - the music was better from outside, too. I really don't understand why these guys were not bumped up a level, as their concert sold out quite early on, and tickets were scalping for ridiculous prices. They could have filled Newport easily, and keeping them stuffed in the Basement seemed silly.
Overall, Greta Van Fleet was worth suffering through the obnoxious venue. The band was brilliant. They mesh together incredibly well, and play with an openhanded joy that cannot be faked. Their music is creative and interesting, and has a musical depth that makes you want to listen to it again and again to discover all the layers. We will definitely be going back to see them again, even though I strongly suspect that I'll have to pay more than $10 a ticket.
