Greta Van Fleet; October 26 & 27, 2021
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pre-show lineup. 4.5/5
For this show I didn’t participate in the line-up/numbering/”camping” portion. It was pretty easy to get in, get my pit wristband, and walk over to the pit.
crowd. 4/5
The pit energy was great. Fortunately, I was able to make my way up just behind the people at barricade without issue. People around me all had numbers on their hands per the line-up system, but I still managed to be amongst them without it. There’s no way I would have had barricade but I have no complaints where I ended up given I came in during Devon Gilfillian’s set. Knocked off a couple of points for the group of women that aggressively tried pushing through and calling a girl at barricade a bitch for “stealing” their idea (which is an idea that I’ve seen at just about every show these days). Most of the night the vibes were good, just a few bad apples that luckily never got their way.
set list. 5/5
Set List from Setlist.fm:
Strange Horizons: Los Angeles October 26
Strange Horizons: Los Angeles October 27
venue. 3.5/5
I personally feel I have so many pros and cons about the Greek Theater. I loved how small the pit was, made those with the GA tickets seem more special than you’d get at an arena or all GA venue type setting. I also loved that it was outdoors.
I disliked how miserable it is to get out of there. My advice is to definitely plan ahead and drive if you can. Night two I left during their last song, called a Lyft, and would NOT be connected with a driver. I ended up waiting out there for over an hour. I thought I had learned my lesson from the night before but it didn’t matter if I left a little early, I still got stuck.
band’s energy. 5/5
These shows were quite memorable for me.
full recap.
2021 wasn’t a big year for shows given that we were still in the pandemic, however, these shows were simply ones I did not want to miss.
I was traveling to Joshua Tree, California with my friends to co-officiate their desert elopement. Knowing that I’d be in the area, I scoured for resale tickets having missed when tickets first went on sale. Due to the very few shows planned for this tour, resale tickets were outrageous. I believe at first pit tickets were over $1k for both nights. I just abandoned the idea or thought of getting pit tickets but knew I’d want a decent seat.
As it got closer to the show (and before we had set out for our road trip to California), I caved and bought a so-so seat for probably 3x the amount the initial cost. It was one of the “official platinum” tickets that Ticketmaster puts out after holding onto them for however long. This ticket was for night two so now it was confirmed I’d be there for at least one of the nights.
The day the couple’s parents were to arrive in Josh Tree (we had already been there a couple of days), we had gone to get breakfast, did some vintage shopping, and grabbed groceries. After checking out at the grocery store I decided on a whim to check for ticket prices for October 26 (night one). Standing in the parking my jaw dropped to see there were pit tickets available for $150. I wouldn’t move from where I was standing until the payment had processed and I had received my ticket. That was it. It was done. For some reason the universe had pushed me into looking at tickets right there at the grocery store and I had scored $150 pit ticket. I couldn’t have been more elated (until the Troubadour announcement). Now that I had pit night 1, I didn’t stress about having pit night two.
Troubadour was announced the day before the elopement. While intertwined with this tour, Troubadour has its own separate post. It was its own special night and needed its own space.
october 26, 2021: night one.
I had worked that Monday and Tuesday so couldn’t line up early as tradition has it for Greta Van Fleet shows. I really didn’t know what to expect. After finishing up my work day in hotel, I started to get ready. My nerves were a bit more relaxed having Sunday night out of the way. Part of that day was a blur to be honest–I don’t remember what I ate or how long it took me to get ready. I do remember taking some pictures and calling my Uber to the Greek Theater. I could have drove but wasn’t sure how parking would work and thought that a rideshare would be easier (spoiler–it wasn’t).
Got to the venue and walked up. As my ticket was being scanned in and I was walking through security, I could hear Devon Gilfillian start. I figured that it would be a “back of the pit” night given that I got there so late that the first act was on. I had to go to a second area where they provided the pit wrist bands.
I got my wristband, walked down to the pit, and hovered in the area I wanted to be in. At this point was probably only 3/4s full with a lot of people also hanging in the back. After Devon’s amazing set (I regret not taking any video or pictures), I was able to weasel my way a bit closer.
Marcus King Band came on next and let me just say, that was not what I was expecting. I hadn’t heard of Marcus King before and was completely blown away by their act. I was an immediate fan and could have had a much longer set. After Marcus King wrapped up, I was able to get even closer.
The wait was on and the crowd was buzzing. Looking around you saw excited and anxious faces. Everyone is trying to take in everything while we patiently wait for Greta Van Fleet to come on stage.
The lights dimmed and an a cappella version of Caravel came over the speakers:
"Crash against wave upon wave, whoa-oh to strange horizons, oooo"
The crowd started cheering so loudly it was hard to hear the intro to the two minute long video that was on the large screens. A poem read over shots of the band outdoors in varying states of dress. Once the video concluded, the lights came up, and the band started to come on.
Age of Machine was the first song they played.
Without any intention to get closer, I found myself only a couple of people behind the barricade once the crowd push started.
The show was immaculate, beginning to end. By design the barricade was close to a very short stage so the band felt so close that you could almost lean over and touch them.
Somehow I was in the front of pit during what I didn’t realize at the time would feel somewhat historical in regards to Greta set lists.
On night one, they performed Tears of Rain.
Josh introduced it by explaining that he felt somewhat nervous to perform this song. This is now only my second time seeing them live but I honestly didn’t know what to expect. One thing for certain: I definitely did not expect it to be Tears of Rain. As they started to play the song there was an immediate rush of calm and quiet amongst those around me with a few muffled “oh my god”‘s. I decided not to take my phone out. It’s hard to explain but in that moment it just didn’t feel right. Tears of Rain deserved undivided attention.
Of the entire set list, they played (what would become) three of my favorite Greta Van Fleet songs: Age of Machine, Heat Above, and Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer).
I can’t quite explain how I felt when I left. I most certainly was on a high, buzzing long after the lights came up and we were all clustered in a parking lot trying to connect to rideshare drivers.
october 27, 2021: night two.
This day I still hadn’t got a pit ticket. I looked, and looked and looked, but there was nothing cheaper than $700 for night two. I kept telling myself to just be content with my seat.
That Wednesday I had taken off knowing I’d be exhausted from night one and wanting to do a little exploring before night two. Since I had a seat I felt there was absolutely no rush. I wasn’t fighting for barricade or the best spot possible.
During the day I packed all my things as I was checking out of that hotel (and checking into another later that day closer to the Greek Theater), and prepped for a hike in Griffith Park.
Fast forward to show time: This time when I called an Uber I knew it wouldn’t take too long as I was so close, but not quite walking close. A young guy picked me up and took me through the winding neighborhoods behind Griffith Park just to be met with a completely closed off road. The road threw us off track so much he had to exit the back roads altogether and take a new route to the venue.
Once I got out of the car and inside the venue, I decided to wander about. I got food and some nice girls sat down with me. I bought some merch. I got a drink. With still plenty of time before start I made my way to my seat.
The seating situation admittedly felt a little chaotic. Here’s the thing about everyone buying and reselling tickets for a profit or Ticketmaster holding off on selling tickets so that they can up the price based on “market value”—the seats were probably 1/3 empty. This was a “sold out” show and yet hardly anyone sitting around me. The seat directly next to me stayed open all night that I was able to spread out my things. I watched people sit in the wrong seats (better seats) all night. Eventually people would come and claim their seats but many people got away with sitting in better seats than on their tickets because there was space available. As someone that is a big rule follower, I honestly don’t blame the people that were moving to better seats that were open.
My spot was great. Directly behind the soundboard, no one was blocking my view. Admittedly when Greta came out (following two amazing sets again from Devon Gilfillian and Marcus King Band) I got a little pang of jealously and sadness that tonight I would be in the back watching.
The set list for night two was different from night one.
There wasn’t Tears of Rain this night but instead the Elvis/Black Keys interlude. They opened with Heat Above (instead of Age of Machine). No matter what I knew the setlist would be good and I wouldn’t be disappointed. The only disappointment of the night was not trying to find a closer seat or a pit ticket as I watched from behind the soundboard.
I thought that getting back to my hotel would be much easier. I had learned from night one, right? I snuck out a little early and called my ride immediately. I knew where to go to wait and patiently waited. Wrong. It still took ages for someone to pick up my ride and way too long for me to get back to my hotel.
It goes without saying that these nights have had a huge impact on me.
I would go on to make new friends, listen to incredible stories of how music has changed or impacted lives, and would ultimately travel the United States for live music. These shows inspired this blog.
Below are some of the images taken during night one of Strange Horizons: Los Angeles.
images.
