The last time Greta Van Fleet came to Des Moines, the four-person hard rock band played to a 700-person venue. Five years later, they play for a stadium that can accommodate more than 14,000 people.
“Everything was happening so fast, and we were constantly traveling because we didn’t live anywhere. We couldn’t live anywhere because we were on the road about 200 days a year. It was just crazy,” said Danny Wagner, the band’s drummer, reflecting on the band’s rapid success since the last time they were in Des Moines.
“At the time, we didn’t really have the ability to process it because we just had to keep going and keep showing up.”
At 7 p.m. on September 21, Greta Van Fleet – a rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan – will perform at Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St., as part of the Dreams in Gold Tour, partially named for the final track of nine minutes. on “The Battle of Garden’s Gate”.
The last time central Iowans would have seen the band locally, Greta Van Fleet’s single “Highway Tune” topped the charts and the band’s debut album “Anthem of the Peaceful Army” was less than a month away. ‘a year.
The upcoming visit follows Jake Kiszka, the band’s guitarist, who is recovering from a recent battle with pneumonia that hospitalized him earlier this year.
“He pretty much, overnight, got a really bad case (of pneumonia). It was really scary at the time,” Wagner said. “Jake is healthy again which is great. We’re all healthy right now.”
From Wooly’s to Wells Fargo Arena with ‘SNL’ and a Grammy in between
The last time Wagner remembers performing in Des Moines was in 2017, when Greta Van Fleet headlined a sold-out show at Wooly’s. At the time, having the capacity of 683Wooly’s is one of a series of sold-out clubs was a feat for the up-and-coming group.
“(There’s) so much going on around you, but in the very center of it all, it’s very quiet,” Kiszka told the Des Moines Register at the time.
Since then, Greta Van Fleet has won a Grammy for Best Rock Album, performed for (and with) Sir Elton John, and performed on “Saturday Night Live.”
The band’s musical catalog also naturally expanded with more hits such as “When the Curtain Falls” and “Black Smoke Rising”.
The band’s latest album – “The Battle at Garden’s Gate,” released early last year – was largely complete when the pandemic hit in 2020, according to Wagner. The group only created two songs, “Caravel” and “The Barbarians”, completing the album after the arrival of COVID in the United States
The downtime during the pandemic has not only forced the band members to really reflect on how far they’ve come since they started playing in high school around 2012 – but also left the band moving and refocusing.
“We all moved during the pandemic to Nashville to try to stay around each other, to stay productive,” Wagner said. “Writing constantly, rehearsing constantly, keeping this music in our veins.”
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What’s next for Greta Van Fleet?
As for the future of the already acclaimed rockers, Wagner noted that — even though the band has performed on five continents before — they would like to play more around the world. He mentioned East Asia and the Middle East as places where he would like to bring his music as the band members, in their early twenties, continue to grow as musicians and people.
Fans can also look forward to a third studio album, perhaps sooner rather than later.
“We’ve spent the last six months or so putting together a new album, and it’s going really well. It’s almost done, which is wonderful, and it’s kind of new information for people,” Wagner teased. , mentioning work in progress for a vinyl release. “Keep your eyes open, it should happen soon.”
Tickets for the Greta Van Fleet concert are available between $49.50 and $79.50 and can be found at iowaeventscenter.com.
Other upcoming concerts around Des Moines
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected] or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.