Bras thrown on stage, smoke in the air, strangers sharing oh-so-intimate moments in the crowd. Yep. Sounds like rock and roll.

On Wednesday December 12th, a “warmer” December night in Chicago, Illinois, Greta Van Fleet played an amazing and memorable show at the Aragon Ballroom. The beginning show to their three sold-out Chicago concerts.

Doors opened at 6:03 sharp and the long line of early birds enter the ballroom, racing to get front row standing. The audience ranged more drastically than I thought it would have been. From eight to eighty, old souls to young spirits, the crowd seemed to cover it all.

Once everyone was packed into the sold-out venue, the opening band came out. The Nashville, Tennessee band, The New Respects are in a genre of their own. Pulling from rock, soul, funk, and pop, you can tell that this musical family came from a historic city of great music. The New Respects had strong demand and an aura of confidence when they came on stage. Dress in what looks like modern 70s apparel, all of us in the audience were dying to know what was going to happen. Opening with their song, We Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, they kicked off the rock vibe. Jasmine Mullen’s strong vocals along with Lexi Fitzgeralds smooth bass, Darius’ playful drums, and Zandy Fitzgeralds strong Jimmy Hendrix vibes, throws the crowd into a wave of uncontrollable movements and excitement. The band played a range of songs from their album, Before The Sun Goes Down; some more funky, some more slow, but all amazing. To keep with the classic rock vibe of the night, they threw in a well done cover of “Come Together” by The Beatles before finishing off with their songs “Something To Believe In” and “Freedom”. Shouting “Wakanda Forever” before taking exit to the stage.

As per concert tradition, the main act came on about 13 minutes “late” to the stage, but nobody was mad about it once Greta Van Fleet started. Clad in what looked like exquisite thrift-shop finds from the 60s and 70s, the four piece band are the living image of old rock in the modern age. Within the first song performed, “The Cold Wind”, audiences mirrored the excitement and electricity that the band brought to stage. Everyone was ready to rock all night long.

Going into the show I was a tad worried. I’ve watched videos of the band perform in previous shows and I wasn’t that impressed with Josh Kiszka’s stage presence. His voice has the power of Robert Plant but did he actually have the rock and roll spirit? I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. These 19 and 20 year olds new how to rock. Josh surprised the audiences with his magnificent vocals and his engagement. Jake Kiszka blew everyone away with his guitar skills, especially with his riveting six minute solo during “Edge of Darkness” and when he played with his guitar behind his back, making it look effortless. Girls threw their bras on stage and everyone was dancing and singing along to the lyrics when “Safari Song” and “Black Smoke Rising” were played. Everyone in the audience was close and quite ~comfortable~ with one another when “Flower Power” came on. I felt the love in the air spread across the ballroom and even I started to swoon when Josh blew a kiss in our direction of the audience. After declining a make out request from a fellow audience member, I really began to feel a strong connection with the crowd. A connection that the band made possible. Everyone was having an amazing time because the band was having a good time. They’re still young and excited about their future career, and it shows in their work. Through both their recordings and their performances, the band plays with a passion and an energy that of a kid on Christmas morning.

The band is astonishing, many can agree upon that. Within their next tours, they are sure to move up to more grand venues and snag awards within the next months. But we do have to talk about the flying elephant in the room. Or I should say, the Zeppelin. Josh Kizka has been blessed with a very special voice, even if it does sound almost exactly like Robert Plants. Josh can’t help that and he shouldn’t have to worry about that because Plant’s voice is one of the best in history. What the band can help is all of their other similarities. Their style, both musical and costume, is so close to Led Zeppelin’s. Sounding like Zeppelin probably was not the bands intention, but it definitely got their foot in the door in the world of rock. It also stirred the pot though. The growing attention towards them has both it’s goods and bads. They are helping to bring back rock-and-roll, yet it’s not truly their own sound. Greta Van Fleet is an amazing band and nobody can resist the urge to bang their head to Highway Tune. But unless they can curate a sound that is more of their own, they might fizzle out soon. And God I hope that doesn’t happen.