Greta Van Fleet fans brave bad weather and long wait times to secure pit tickets to Tuesday's show

Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·3 min read

At 11:30 a.m. on Monday, about 70 fans of the rock band Greta Van Fleet were already lined up in tents and lawn chairs to secure pit tickets for the band's Fiserv Forum concert on Tuesday evening, the final stop on their "Starcatcher World Tour."

About 20 tents and counting lined Juneau Avenue, full of fans hoping to snag tickets closest to the stage. Fans passed the time by making beaded friendship bracelets, reading, sleeping and socializing with friends they hadn't seen in a while. Some brought solar-powered phone chargers, gallon water jugs, and pool floaties and blow-up chairs to sit on. Spirits were calm and upbeat. One fan called the experience "a big slumber party."

Some fans have been camped out since late Sunday night; others arrived early Monday morning before sunrise. Pat Sterner of Duluth, Minn., arrived around 11 p.m. Sunday with his daughter and her friend. This will be Sterner and his daughter's second Greta Van Fleet concert and first time in the pit.

"My daughter's a huge fan. I have now become a fan as well," he said. "For me, it's the connectivity with my daughter. I love having that father-daughter connection."

Sterner said they already braved last night's rain and will continue waiting in line no matter the weather. Rain and possible severe thunderstorms are in Milwaukee's Monday night forecast. Many fans brought waterproof tents. However, a pair of sisters from West Bend who arrived on Juneau Avenue at 10 p.m. last night said their first tent flooded, and they had to buy a new one.

Fans shuffle through Greta Van Fleet cards while waiting in line to be be in the “pit” for their concert Monday, May 20, 2024 across the street from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dozens of fans have camped out along Juneau Ave. to see the Michigan rockers on the final stop of their tour Tuesday at Fiserv Forum with the band Geese opening. The fans will wait in line until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when they will be guaranteed a spot in the pit for the show that night.

Christalyn Barker, a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago, traveled to Milwaukee by herself for her first Greta Van Fleet pit experience. Equipped with a baguette, a jar of peanut butter, a few books, a blanket and a blow-up chair, she said she wished she had a tent and a mattress. But, she continued, the uncomfortable wait will be worth it.

The pit "(is) different than if you were in the nosebleeds or something," Barker said. "You can actually see them, which makes the music even more real."

Hannah Singletary naps while waiting in line to be be in the “pit” for the upcoming Greta Van Fleet concert Monday, May 20, 2024 across the street from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Orlando, Florida, resident drove through the night to get in line after seeing the band’s Sunday night concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dozens of fans have camped out along Juneau Ave. to see the Michigan rockers on the final stop of their tour Tuesday at Fiserv Forum with the band Geese opening. The fans will wait in line until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when they will be guaranteed a spot in the pit for the show that night. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Many fans said their shared love of the band and experiences at its concerts have brought them a great deal of community. Kaleigh Gieraltowski of Michigan waited in line Monday with Naomi Schwam and Hannah Singletary, both of Orlando. The three women met camping out before a Greta Van Fleet concert in Flint, Mich., in 2022. Although that show was canceled, the group has since attended other concerts together and become good friends.

Emily Dunbar, from the Chicago area, is attending the concert with a fellow fan of the band she met on Twitter and has traveled with to a few of its concerts. Dunbar said there is a large Greta Van Fleet fandom on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and the band's message of "acceptance, love and peace" brings them together.

"I met some amazing people through this band. I have friends from even several years ago that I met through this band that I still go to shows with and talk to pretty regularly ...," Dunbar said "It's always so welcoming going to concerts with such nice fans."

Fans wait in line to be be in the “pit” for the upcoming Greta Van Fleet concert Monday, May 20, 2024 across the street from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dozens of fans have camped out along Juneau Ave. to see the Michigan rockers on the final stop of their tour Tuesday at Fiserv Forum with the band Geese opening. The fans will wait in line until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when they will be guaranteed a spot in the pit for the show that night.

How to get tickets to Greta Van Fleet's show in Milwaukee

Standard admission and more expensive platinum-level tickets are still available on Ticketmaster for Greta Van Fleet's Fiserv Forum show. Verified resale tickets start at $60, and standard admission starts at $74.50. The show is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Greta Van Fleet Milwaukee concert draws encampment of diehard fans