Formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan in 2012 by the three brothers Josh, Jake and Sam Kiszka, Greta Van Fleet first achieved fame with their debut EP “Black Smoke Rising” that included the hit “Highway Tune”. Since then the group released another EP and two praised albums. Over the years they gained millions of fans worldwide but were also criticized by some because the music and vocals sometimes might be similar to what Led Zeppelin did back in the 70s.
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But despite the criticism of some people, the band was praised by many of their peers. Rock and Roll Garage selected what 8 legendary musicians said about the band and their music.
The 8 legendary Rock musicians who said they like Greta Van Fleet
Elton John
Besides being a legendary musician, Elton John is also known for being very enthusiastic about new bands. The musician is always listening to everything that is being released. He liked Greta Van Fleet so much that he invited them to play at his annual Oscars party for the Elton John AIDS Foundation back in 2018. Before introducing the band that night, Elton said: “They’ve been together for about seven years. They’re amazing.”
“They blew me away. So you’re gonna see them here. They’re going to be one of the biggest new bands of the year. They have an amazing future ahead of them. I’m so thrilled. I’m so thankful for them to come onstage and play for you.”
During the performance the band played their songs later on being joined by Elton to perform the classic “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.”
Slash (Guns N’ Roses)
The praised Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash also said good things about the band from Michigan. In an interview with Billboard Radio China back in 2018, Slash praised the them. “Greta Van Fleet have done amazingly well and made everybody perk up and go, ‘Oh, wow!’ Now there’s people out there looking for young, teenage rock and roll bands to sign.”
“So it’s interesting. If you watch everything as it develops in real time, it’s really, really boring and shit takes what seems like forever. But if you’re not paying attention, all of sudden, you’ll turn around and go, ‘Oh my God! Something just changed.’ And it’s just a constant state of ebbs and flows of rock and roll in this business,” Slash said.
In the same year, Slash also told Rolling Stone that it made him happy seeing a band like Greta. However, he said that he wished they didn’t sound so much like Led Zeppelin. “It makes me really happy to see it. I wish they didn’t sound so much like Led Zeppelin. But still, the idea of fuckin’ four kids getting onstage and just playing their fuckin’ asses off with just a couple amps and a drum kit. Just playing their instruments, as opposed to having all this other fuckin’ shit going on, you know.”
“That’s really healthy. I think that’s inspiring. It definitely makes a lot of kids who are doing the same thing, that no one’s ever heard of. It gives them hope to be able to get somewhere,” Slash said.
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper, the godfather of Shock Rock music also praised Greta Van Fleet and even said it was good that they sounded like Led Zeppelin. In an radio interview back in 2018, reported by I Heart, the musician said that Rock can’t be killed and it will keep coming back. “Guitar rock, no matter where rock goes. It will go to punk, it will go to grunge, it will go to disco. It will go to this, that and this. But the one music that never dies is that sort of modern Chuck Berry hard rock that The Stones do, that Guns N’ Roses do, that Aerosmith does, that Alice Cooper does.
“That’s the kind of music that will just not die. There are bands right now. Look at Greta Van Fleet. There’s a band who said, ‘It’s been a long time since Led Zeppelin was around. Let’s be Led Zeppelin. People are ready for a new Led Zeppelin. So guitar rock, once again, is going to take the forefront,” Alice Cooper said.
Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
Greta Van Fleet was also praised by the legendary ZZ Top vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons in 2019. In an interview with Alternative Nation, the musician was asked if he liked the Michigan group and he replied: “Yeah, they’re rockin’ and will only get better with more experience. We’re alright with Greta Van Fleet!”
Active since the late 60s, Gibbons is one of the most praised Blues-Rock musicians of all time and helped ZZ Top to become one of the most successful bands from Texas, with an estimated amount of 50 million records sold worldwide.
Joe Satriani
The virtuoso guitarist Joe Satriani, who has a successful solo career and had played with names like Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar and Deep Purple, also likes Greta Van Fleet. In 2018 he told NJ Arts that he was listening to the band and was really enjoying the “exuberance” that he was hearing.
“When I first heard them, I sent their album to all my friends that were in my high-school band. We’re still good friends and we stay in touch. I swear, that’s what we were trying to do when we were 15 years old. We were just trying to be like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Stones. But these guys are really good at it! [Laughs]. They have that same kind of… it just sounds like they love music and they love what they’re doing. (So) yeah, I’ve been listening to that quite a bit.”
In 2020 he again praised the band. In a conversation with Classic Rock he said that even though many people compared them with Led Zeppelin, he said that he feels like they really “love this music and they have a real spark.” Something that according to the guitarist, older bands that deliberately tried to copy Zeppelin didn’t had.
Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
The Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford, also called The Metal God, is another legendary musician that approves the music made by Greta. Talking with Dr. Dot back in 2021, the British singer compared them to Priest when they were starting: “What I love about Greta Van Fleet – when Greta Van Fleet burst out on the scene, they mildly said that they love Zeppelin. I thought what was great about that… Here’s the thing about a lot of these newer bands – they’re referencing bands from the past, as we all do.”
“When we started as Priest, we didn’t have a reference. We didn’t have a metal reference because we were there at the beginning. But a lot of bands will say, ‘Oh yeah, it was Priest, or it was Sabbath, or it was Maiden, or it was Motorhead, or it was Scorpions…’”
“It was from 30-40 years ago that we listened to as young musicians. I think that’s a great compliment. Some of the greatest music, in my opinion, came through the back end of the ’60s, the ’70s was a great turbulent type of decade. But by the time we got into the 80s and the 90s, some of the greatest things were happening in music. And they still live with us today,” Rob Halfor said.
Ted Nugent
The famous American guitarist and singer Ted Nugent is also known for always saying what he thinks about any subject and he likes Greta Van Fleet. Talking with Pure Grain Audio back in 2018 he was asked if he liked the group and replied: “Oh, hell yes. Are you kidding me? Thank god, it’s like a breath of fresh, defiant air in an otherwise sheep, cookie-cutter formula world of music that makes me want to throw up.”
He then said that he still loves everything that artists like Sammy Hagar and Foo Fighters do. Nugent continued talking about the importance of guitar solos and thanked God for Greta: “I’m just waiting for that crescendo guitar solo. I mean, guitar solos man. You’ve got to have them! That’s the orgasm of the song! Without them, it’s short of an orgasm.”
“So yeah. I pay attention to bands like Greta and the bands that really pound the original honky-tonk, boogie-woogie rock ‘n’ roll rhythm-and-blues with a lot of piss and vinegar. Thank god for those guys. Figures they come from Michigan, huh?” Ted Nugent said about the sound of the Kiskza brothers and Daniel Wagner
Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult)
The influential Blue Öyster Cult guitarist and singer Buck Dharma is another important musician that likes the sband. In an interview with Ultimate Guitar in 2020, he was asked about new bands he likes to listen to and he said: “I like Greta Van Fleet, I like. Oh yeah, I just remembered: Rival Sons”.
I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago.
Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions.
After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world!
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