blog entry about Greta Van Fleet’s “Dreams In Gold” tour by part-time contributor, @awdree95.
Over the years I have written and photographed the lives of musicians and have lived in every moment. I have been the eyes and ears of rock shows since I was 14 years old. All I have ever wanted to do is to share my photographs and stories with the world. I started shooting local shows at dark and rather run down venues, but that never mattered. It was always about the music and making connections.
I can’t really describe the feeling that I get before I’m about to go photograph a show, because too many, that feeling is different. To me, it feels like I’m home. The crowd cheering, the smell of beer and incense, fist bumping the security guard as you walk into the pit, the bright lights, and the ear piercing shriek of a fan behind you yelling for their favorite member. It all feels like everything runs in slow motion up until the curtain drops, then I am in my zone. I have three songs to shoot the best content I can get and get out of there. Those first fifteen to twenty minutes are the best of my life and that’s what makes me keep coming back for more. It’s why I do what I do.
In 2017, I was lucky enough to shoot for this band called Greta Van Fleet, you may have heard of them, at a sold out show at The Admiral (previously Sokol Auditorium). Never did I think in a million years that this show would play a very important role in my life. Fast forward to 2021, I had heard that Greta Van Fleet was announcing a tour for their new album The Battle At Gardens Gate, called The Dreams In Gold Tour. When the tour dates dropped, I saw they were coming to Omaha and I knew I had to go. I wanted nothing more than to document their music and story. I joined a Facebook group that had everyone going to the Omaha show in it and someone decided to create a separate Snapchat group, so I joined. I was going by myself to this show to document and what better way to do so than getting to know other individuals who share the same love for their music. I had no idea that some of these people in this group would become my best friends and now my family.
Fast forward to February of 2022, the tour was going to start in a month, everyone was getting anxious and excited. Two of my friends had told me they were going to the Saginaw, MI show. Greta Van Fleet is from Frankenmuth, MI which is not far from Saginaw. So this show was kind of like their hometown show in a sense. I just felt like I was being pulled by this force to jump on a plane and go to this show. So I did. I rented a house with my two friends, Kaela and Tori, who I had never met before. For all I know they could’ve been serial killers (they are not…thank God). I bought a plane ticket two weeks before the show, requested press access a week before, so I could document and photograph this show, and off I went. When I was on my flight to Detroit, the day before the show, I got emailed that I was approved for press. I had to go into the bathroom on the plane so I could have a moment and compose myself.
I felt like my world had changed and it did.
I remember every single moment leading up to shooting that show in Saginaw. I saw their family and friends cheer them on from the stands, watching everyone file into the venue like a stampede, having a security escort to the pit, being so nervous I could throw up. The fans cheering all of us on and wishing us luck on our content creation, the smell of incense coming from Sam’s piano, the lights, the thousands of screams. I knew right then, I was where I was meant to be. Everything that led up to standing in that pit happened for a reason. The universe granted me everything. I will never forget the heat from the pyrotechnics blasting me in the face, the smiles and tears from every fan, the pure joy and love that emanated in that room. From that moment on, I was entranced. I was one with everyone and the Universe.
A couple days later, the rest of the tour had to be rescheduled due to illness within the band. It was devastating but we all wanted them to get better. The Omaha show that so many of my friends flew in for was postponed until the summer. That didn’t stop them from flying and driving out to stay and have a good time. Those were some pivotal moments in our friendships and I truly believe it brought us all closer together. The night the show was supposed to happen, we all got dressed up and still partied like the show was still going on. We laughed until we couldn’t breathe.
July slowly rolled around and it was show time. I remember getting access to press the day of the show. This was a big moment for me. I was shooting in front of close to 20,000 people. The biggest venue I have ever done, and in my hometown, and my friends and family were going to be at this show. To say I was nervous, is an understatement, but my friends continued to cheer me on and pump me up for the big night. I knew I would have my people up front looking out for me and they were. I remember walking up to the pit before the curtain dropped and all my friends and people I have never even met screaming my name. I felt like breaking down and crying but all I could do was smile and try not to pass out. I just remember when the curtain fell and I could feel the wind as it dropped to the floor. I took a deep breath and went to work. It was the fastest three songs of my life, but I knew kind of what to expect this time around so I was able to time some shots. I met up with my friends after the show on the floor, and I broke down crying. I felt so loved and I didn’t want it to end. Greta Van Fleet’s shows are unlike any other. They connect you with divine energy and the universe. You feel everything all at once and come out of there a completely different person.
After that day, I decided I wanted to give another show a shot so I requested for Des Moines, IA and did my thing. This time new outfits, new hair (if you know you know), new atmosphere, and new friends. I remember standing on the side of the curtain before the show, I knelt down and looked toward the side of the stage. Josh was about to run on, I waved to him and he smiled and waved back. This show really showed me what I was capable of. I felt like I had leveled up in my craft and so did my friends. It was my best work yet.
At this point I had realized that my shows with them had come to an end. It was very bittersweet. I had also come to the realization that I had never seen one of their shows as a fan. So I decided I was going to experience a show from another perspective. Three days later I took a road trip up to Sioux Falls, SD with a couple friends to go see them. I wanted the whole experience so we camped out on the concrete in the cold, sang songs, talked about life, and waited until morning to get our wristbands. I remember telling myself that night, freezing my ass off, that I would never again camp out for a show. I was so wrong. Being up front with everyone at that show was so surreal. It was magical and so good for the soul to be around people who love music in ways none of us could describe. If you’ve made it this far, I bet you guessed it. Yes, I did decide to go to one more show and that was San Antonio, TX.
San Antonio was humid and warm which made camping not as miserable. I got to share memories and laughs with my best friends under the warm sun, camping in tents and sleeping on the side of the street. I felt so free. San Antonio gave me new friends and time with my best ones. San Antonio was my last Greta Van Fleet show of the year and I was heartbroken. This band, even though they don’t know it, made my dreams come true. They gave me friends, family, unforgettable memories, and they showed me how to truly be myself. Their music is unlike anything I have listened to. It brings people together in ways you can’t even imagine.
You just have to experience it for yourself.
I know deep down in my soul that I was meant to work for Greta Van Fleet as their photographer some day. I have always wanted to document their life on the road and tell their stories. After all, the best stories come from fans, right? I will always choose the road.
