Greta Van Fleet frontman Josh Kiszka has opened up about the backlash that accompanied the band, revealing how harsh criticism affected him personally during their early years. Despite the negativity, Kiszka says the group never intended to disrespect rock’s legacy. Instead, the musicians wanted to honor the genre while pushing it forward.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, Kiszka looks back on the divided reaction to Greta Van Fleet’s breakthrough and explains why he eventually stopped reading negative reviews.
Greta Van Fleet Faced Rock’s Gatekeepers
When Greta Van Fleet burst onto the rock scene, the band quickly attracted attention for its powerful vocals, blues-inspired riffs and classic-rock influences. Their sound won over plenty of fans, but some listeners and critics pushed back against their sudden popularity.
Kiszka believes some members of the rock community viewed the young musicians as a threat to a genre they wanted to protect.
“When we came along, I think people were so concerned we were going to penetrate their hallowed rock’n’roll world,” he told Classic Rock.
He recalled how some people treated the band like a group of inexperienced newcomers trying to disrupt rock music’s established order.
However, Kiszka insists that Greta Van Fleet never set out to undermine the genre or dismiss the musicians who came before them.
“But it was quite the antithesis. It was our respect for the genre. We just wanted to do something new, to move things along,” he explained.
Why Josh Kiszka Stopped Reading Negative Reviews
While some musicians might shrug off unfavorable reviews, Kiszka admitted that the criticism hit him hard.
The singer described himself as a sensitive person and explained that reading negative comments began affecting his state of mind. Eventually, he decided to stop exposing himself to that negativity.
“I stopped reading them,” Kiszka said.
He remembered one particularly harsh assessment that dismissed the band as talentless musicians who could neither write songs nor perform them.
“Things like that stab you where you’re tender,” he admitted.
Although those words left a mark, Kiszka made it clear that he does not believe the accusations. Still, he acknowledged that some of the criticism stayed with him.
“Some of that I carry. But I don’t believe it,” he said.
His comments offer a glimpse into the personal side of Greta Van Fleet’s rise. The band enjoyed growing popularity, but success did not shield its members from the sting of people questioning their talent and credibility.
The Backstage Conversation That Changed Everything
Not everyone who initially questioned Greta Van Fleet remained a skeptic. Kiszka recalled an encounter with a vocal coach who attended one of the band’s New York shows during its early transition to larger outdoor venues.
After watching the performance, the coach approached him backstage and admitted that she had once shared the skepticism surrounding the group.
According to Kiszka, the coach told him, “You deserve everything that is coming to you, and thank you for carrying the torch.”
The encounter clearly stayed with the singer. Rather than simply defending her earlier opinion, the coach acknowledged what she had witnessed and recognized the band’s contribution to rock music.
“So her tune changed very quickly,” Kiszka recalled.
Greta Van Fleet Look Ahead to Their Next Chapter
Greta Van Fleet continue to build on that success as they prepare for their Into The Beginning tour, which launches on February 3, 2027.
The band will take the tour across North America and Europe before returning to North America for additional dates in July. The schedule includes major venues such as New York’s Barclays Center, London’s O2 Arena and Dublin’s 3Arena.
The tour follows the release of the band’s fourth album, Palace For The People, which arrived in October 2026.
