Greta Van Fleet Fans Are Younger and Multigenerational — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Greta Van Fleet’s first major Nashville shows in 2017 at the now-defunct Mercy Lounge skewed heavily male, older and classic rock, with Led Zeppelin T-shirts ubiquitous; when the band headlined Bridgestone Arena in 2023, fans were younger and wore sequins and glitter, with some waving rainbow flags.
- Josh Kiszka attributes the shift partly to the band members’ ages—all are 30 or just shy—and their embrace of timeless rock & roll, saying younger listeners were hearing the music and seeing people their age perform it for the first time.
- Josh Kiszka, who publicly came out in June 2023, says larger-venue crowds include kids, parents and grandparents in that order from the front of the stage, with excitement spanning differences in age and place of origin.
- Greta Van Fleet became a vital part of Nashville’s rock scene after Josh and guitarist Jake Kiszka moved there in 2020, followed shortly by bassist Sam Kiszka and drummer Daniel Wagner; the band recently headlined three intimate Basement East shows, where the audience leaned younger but mixed.
- Palace for the People, Greta Van Fleet’s latest album, was released in October, ahead of the band’s February return to arenas for the Into the Beginning Tour.
- Greta Van Fleet pledged to sell every ticket for the Into the Beginning Tour at face value plus fees, with no platinum tickets available; the route includes Barclays Center, TD Garden, Bridgestone and a May stop at London’s O2 Arena.
Why it matters: Greta Van Fleet’s multigenerational crowds at three Basement East shows and Bridgestone Arena widen the band’s base beyond the older men who attended its 2017 Nashville shows. For the February arena tour, the face-value-plus-fees pledge and absence of platinum tickets mean every buyer pays face price plus fees, without a premium-ticket tier.
Ask SkimNews
