This band rocked 7,500 fans at a Boise arena. Then a power outage ended the concert
When Greta Van Fleet rocked ExtraMile Arena on Saturday, the concert ended on a note that left fans scratching their heads.
Playing for a nearly sold-out crowd — paid attendance was more than 7,500 — the group uncorked about two hours of heavy, ’70s-influenced rock. Greta Van Fleet’s live attack draws from classic bands such as Led Zeppelin, Rush and Yes.
But, during the encore, sound at Boise State’s arena unexpectedly went out — ending the night while audience members cheered and held up lit phones.
“It was less than a minute into the third song, and the power just cut,” concertgoer Scott Rosse of Eagle said. “And you could tell that it was an unexpected cut. And then the drummer just kept going.”
As Danny Wagner pounded out an acoustic rhythm, the rest of the surprised, silenced group — brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam (bass, keyboards) Kiszka — joined him at the drum riser and kept the groove alive, Rosse said. But, soon, things “just kind of petered out,” he added. “They all just kind of jumped down. The stage lights and stuff weren’t really on at that point. They just kind of gave up and everybody waved their goodbyes.”
Theories quickly spread. Was the plug pulled because of some curfew? Or maybe Greta Van Fleet had so much fire and fog that it somehow caused an electrical short or tripped a breaker?
“Some people have guessed it was due to an 11 p.m. noise ordinance, which doesn’t seem likely since it was indoors,” concertgoer Wendy Murray speculated via email. “Others have said it was due to their smoke and pyrotechnics.”
Days later? It’s still a mystery.
Promoter Live Nation did not have an answer and deferred to building management.
An email asking for an explanation was sent to ExtraMile Arena Executive Director Lisa Cochran and to Associate Director of Marketing McQ Olsen on Tuesday.
They did not reply.
But if they choose to enlighten curious concertgoers about the incident, this article will be updated.
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 2:30 PM.