BETHLEHEM, Pa. — When Greta Van Fleet hit the charts in 2017, critics complained the group sounded too much like classic Led Zeppelin — though that was precisely what appealed to fans.
Seven years and three albums later, the Greta Van Fleet that headlined Preview Night at Musikfest's main Steel Stage showed it has developed beyond simply copying Led Zeppelin — though that group's influence on its new music still is obvious.
But Greta Van Fleet also appears to have embraced some of the pitfalls that made Led Zeppelin a dinosaur mired in the tarpits in the late 1970s.
Greta Van Fleet's hour-and-52-minute show covered just 11 songs, as the group favored long, meandering guitar solos, and a drum solo, over the hard-hitting rock with which it started.
No question many in the sold-out crowd of about 6,200 enjoyed that immensely, as did many Led-heads back in the day.
And Greta Van Fleet clearly embraces the nostalgia: Singer Josh Kiszka kicked off the show by saying, "I hear there's a rock 'n' roll show on the grounds tonight. Smoke 'em if you got 'em, and clothing is optional."
Music and mysticism
The opening song, the new "The Falling Sky," was one of those that was less like Zeppelin, although it too had that bombastic appeal that is the group's trademark — and which few music acts are doing these days, making it even more appealing.
It also offered elements that would pop up throughout the show — flame blasts, smoke and a long ending screech from vocalist Kiszka. The second song, "Caravel," also offered those vocals — and while Kiszka's voice is very impressive, it sometimes felt like yelping for yelping's sake.
Kiszka also seemed to embrace the mysticism of classic Zeppelin, introducing "Heat Above" by saying, "There are a lot of ups and downs in life. But tonight is pretty up ... a celebration."
But the song was perhaps the night's best — acoustic guitar strumming, a false stop and leap head, and another wild, high note.
That was paired with another of the night's best: The new "Meeting the Master," which nicely captured another era of Zep: the acoustic turn of that group's "Led Zeppelin III."
Guitarist Jake Kiszka's floating acoustic guitar on a darkened stage to begin the song changed the atmosphere nicely, but started the night of long solos — it pushed that song to 11 minutes, but the song got a huge cheer from the audience.
The best, and not the best
Another highlight was the group's breakthrough hit, "Highway Tune," as Josh Kiszka introduced it by telling the crowd to use the opportunity to "shake some of the sh-t out — scale the walls and swing from the rafters."
It immediately had the crowd clapping along, and even it seemed to have evolved into something a touch less Led Zeppelin — though only a touch.
On that song, the guitar solo stretched to six minutes and also a six-minute solo from drummer Danny Wagner (the crowd even whooped along to some of it) — stretching the song to 19 minutes(!).
Luckily, Greta Van Fleet followed that with its 2017 hit "Black Smoke Rising" — a great song that lasted just seven minutes.
But the show bogged down with following songs — the new "Fate of the Faithful" and 2020's "The Weight of Dreams."
The former, with bassist Sam Kiszka on keyboards (ala Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones) and the stage bathed in red light, very much recalled Zeppelin's "No Quarter," and stretched to 11 minutes.
"The Weight of Dreams" perversely collapsed under its own weight at 14 minutes long, and when Josh Kiszka ended with another very long note, it started to sound repetitive.
And the set-closing song "The Archer" — which Josh Kiszka introduced it as "sensual, romantic in the classic sense" — just wasn't as interesting, and at 16 minutes actually became tedious. Even Josh Kiszka left the stage for eight minutes.
[The singer left the stage several times during the night to change clothes — starting from an all-white get up with long sleeves to a black ensemble that the night's heat (near 90 when the show started) forced him to take off the top, to a red velour outfit.]
That song, too, closed with a long wail by Kiszka.
A much better encore
The encore was much better.
Starting with a piano solo, "Light My Love" was slower and heartfelt — and less Zeppelin-like, and just (!) seven minutes. It ended with an explosion and showers of sparks.
Greta Van Fleet closed the show with the appropriate "Farewell for Now," which again brought melody into the mix and ended the set on a high note — the song also ended with another Kiszak high note.
Several significant hits, such as "Safari Song," "You're The One" and "When The Curtain Falls" went unplayed.
Kiszka told the crowd that Musikfest has a curfew, except for which the group "would be here till the snow comes."
But a little self-indulgence might have accomplished the same thing.
Openers recall The Go-Go's
Opening act The Beaches was far more accessible, with a 10-song, 38-minute set of intelligent new wave, pop-punk songs.
The group of four young women recalled The Go-Gos, both visually and especially aurally, and showing why they've become a hit in their native Canada.
The opening "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Paranoid," a Top 7 song in Canada, introduced bassist/singer Jordan Miller's chirpy vocals over layered harmonies that, with the upbeat and fun "Everything is Boring" sounded very Go-Gos.
That was also true for the beat-and-melody-heavy "Cigarette," and Miller's vocals on the new "Takes One to Know One" sounded very much like The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.
Not every song was so successful — "Kismet," which most strayed from the formula, was a mess of styles. "Me & Me" was undistinguished.
But The Beaches also closed with their best.
"Edge of the Earth" was most distinctly their own sound — a bit harder, but still pleasant pop, showing why it also was a hit in Canada — and the night's best, "Blame Brett," another intelligent, chanty, beat-heavy pop song that would make The Go-Go's jealous.
