Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Whoever spread the rumor that rock is dead must not have noticed the meteoric rise of Greta Van Fleet, who could very well be singlehandedly saving the style, while easily becoming the most in-demand band of the moment (and hopefully beyond).

Chicago was one of just four cities that scored the “Strange Horizons” shows (guaranteed to be the group’s only for 2021), so it was far from a surprise that Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island sold out within seconds.

For those lucky enough to get in the grounds that overlook the Windy City’s spectacular skyline, that meant the local debut of “The Battle At Garden’s Gate,” along with the main moments from prior projects.

In other words, it was a bombastic, riff-tastic ride through the raucous side of classic rock & roll on today’s terms, evoking the golden era of the constantly compared Led Zeppelin and Rush (complete with blinged-out stage clothes straight out of the ‘70s), but with an increasingly original spin.

After all, what other act (besides maybe Muse), is taking eight-minute excursions that overflow with instrumental wizardry or even shooting pummeling tunes of any duration to the top of the charts amidst the dominance of pop and hip-hop?

And it was easy to see why as “My Way, Soon,” “When The Curtain Falls” and “Safari Song” went blazing with the utmost intensity, perhaps bolstered by the lengthy breaks between spot dates or an audience of the obviously dedicated.

Regardless of the reasons, front man Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka and bassist Sam Kiszka, with their bud who may as well be another brother, Danny Wagner on drums, are a well-oiled machine at this point, but they always left room for spontaneity and jamming during “Age Of Machine,” “The Barbarians,” “Weight Of Dreams” and a series of stadium-ready solos.

That epicness only escalated throughout the encore thanks to “Heat Above,” “Black Smoke Rising” and “Highway Tune,” cementing Greta Van Fleet’s status as aggressive saviors who keep turning up victorious, in spite of the uphill climb.

For additional information on Greta Van Fleet, visit GretaVanFleet.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island include 311 (Sept. 10); Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler (Sept. 11); Above & Beyond (Sept. 18) and Alice Cooper with Ace Frehley (Sept. 24). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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