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The powerful advice Elton John gave to Greta Van Fleet
Few musicians are more equipped at dishing out advice than Elton John. While most people in his place would keep themselves to themselves, John is more than willing to divulge information to the younger generation, and Greta Van Fleet were eager to listen.
Their run-in with the singer came in 2018 when Elton invited them to appear at the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards party, held in a tent in The City of West Hollywood Park on Oscar Sunday. Every year, celebrities flock to the event, raising money for a tremendous cause that is extremely close to Elton’s heart.
In 2018, the guest list for the party included Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth. Unlike those four A-listers, Greta Van Fleet were still on their come-up and yet to be established like they are today. It was an honour for Elton to ask them to entertain those in attendance, and they weren’t prepared to let the opportunity slip.
Not only did he personally ask them to participate, but Elton also joined the group onstage as they covered his classic track, ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’. Following the event, they were also locked into a discussion which rewarded Greta Van Fleet with advice that will stick with them for the rest of their career.
John also praised the rockers’ performance and said after the event, “They’re going to be one of the biggest new bands of the year. They have an amazing future ahead of them, and I’m so thrilled — I’m so thankful to have them come onstage and play for you.”
In an interview with Loudwire, guitarist Jake Kiszka spoke about the bucket list moment and revealed: “He came back after the show, and he was analyzing it. There’s not much I can say on the performance itself.”
However, he did have one piece of advice about one of Greta Van Fleet’s songs. Kiszka added: “The beginning of ‘Highway Tune’… maybe extend the beginning of it and make it more dramatic or something like that”.
He continued: “You don’t need anyone other than yourself to give permission in order to do something but when Elton John says, ‘Flaunt what you’ve got. Show ’em what you’ve got,’ then it kind of makes an impression. I think at that point that was one of the things that he imparted on us. After that I just lost the shirt underneath. He’s like, ‘Just flaunt what you’ve got,’ and I’m like, ‘All right. Rock’ n’ roll then!”
Watch the footage below of when Greta Van Fleet teamed up with Elton John to perform ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’.
