Peace, Love, and Division: the difference between the music hippies love and the behaviors they exhibit

May 2024

In the heat of July, droves of fans are gathering to experience a display of love and acceptance. But when two fans hear a homophobic comment, others might wonder how many of these other so-called fans are really paying attention to the lyrics that they claim to enjoy. 

Artists have captivated fans for decades, bringing people together towards one common ground: the music they love. 

Fans spend countless hours listening to music – and countless dollars buying tickets, often to follow artists from city to city. With this much time, money and effort invested into something, how much of what these artists have to say really sticks with fans?

Despite what those on stage speak about, many concert going behaviors from fevered fandoms don't always align with the peaceful culture some artists sing about. 

“Greta Van Fleet is a band well known for their messages about love and peace, but their fans have a reputation for being kind of hateful.” said Abby Davis, a fan of Greta Van Fleet.

The “peaceful army,” nickname of the Greta Van Fleet fandom, can be anything but peaceful. For example, young fans littering the streets with trash as they camp to be in the front row of their favorite show. These diehard followers can also be seen being rude to one another before and after entering the venue. 

In similar fandoms, the fans wear the “hippie” appearance that often represents peace and love ideals, but rarely do behaviors line up with the practices that they so often find musicians preaching. 

So where is the barrier? 

Every fan's story looks visibly different, but Ava Privette said one experience she and a friend had while waiting for a Mt. Joy concert was particularly unpleasant.

“Their vibe is really chill and you would think that most of the fans would be that way, and they usually are.” she said. 

The girls waited in line for hours, getting to the barricade after the doors opened. A couple stood behind them, acting overly petty when one of the girls left to use the restroom after standing in line for hours she said. 

“You would think that a song like that would inspire you to be nice to people,” said Privette in reference to the bands newest single, “Highway Queen” where the lyrics include, 

“And I want you to know I'm behind you/

We could slow it down, honey, let it find you/

And I want you to know nobody's leaving/

Honey, I ain't scared of your demons.”

The band often draws crowds of self-proclaimed hippies, singing songs of love and acceptance with lyrics about how to care for others. Many of the fans can walk away with perspective on these lyrics that are implemented in their lives, but some contradict these words. 

While having a bad experience with one circumstance, Privette shared good experiences where she found common ground among the fandom. 

Music lovers such as Amaya Epperson and Ridley Varden have found the fans of Greta Van Fleet to be very contradictory to the lyrics that the artists have written, with lyrics from “Anthem,”

“Where is the music?/

A tune to free the soul/

A simple lyric to unite us all, you know.” 

As a song from the album “Anthem of the Peaceful Army,” many would consider this the basis of the beliefs of the band and the fans that follow them everywhere. With people of all walks of life together to celebrate peace, love and unity. But that may not be the case. 

Varden began following the band in 2021, seeing Greta Van Fleet eight times, including in Nashville Tennessee, Birmingham Alabama, Greenville North Carolina, New York City and more. 

Varden saw one group of fans barking and yelling at another group last year at a show in Knoxville. It was both strange and scary. She said all of the people involved were girls around the same age as herself. 

“That whole group just started barking and it went on for like five minutes, I swear it was so weird.” said Varden

“It's the same girls who are at every single show I've been to and they're the worst type of people I've ever experienced.” said Epperson

Another fan had a different experience at the opening night of Greta Van Fleet's 2023 tour opener at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. A fan project took place that night. The audience lit colored phone flashlights into a rainbow during the final chorus of “Light My Love” because lead singer Josh Kiszka came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community about a month before the show. 

Sitting in lower bowl seats, Annalee Casto and Abby Davis heard nearby concert goers speaking rudely of the LGBTQ+ community. Casto and Davis wondered if the person sitting behind them had ever listened to the lyrics of the song, which are,"Hate bound by fear will unwind.”

But these aren't the only Greta Van Fleet lyrics about love, peace, or unity, as Kizka belts in “Heat Above,” 

“Marching across the land

Is a peaceful army joining the band

Walking hand in hand

To an anthem loudly sung where they stand”

While these artists have provided a multitude of good experiences for fans, many have found that negative experiences continue to follow these acts as much as the positive ones.