It’s a balmy evening in Southern California, and the Honda Center – home ice of the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks – has been transformed into a surging, spiritualised rock’n’roll revival, courtesy of Rival Sons and headliners Greta Van Fleet.
The place is nearly full to capacity when Rival Sons pile into their adrenalised, seven-song opening set. As frontman Jay Buchanan introduces Shooting Stars, the 18,000-strong audience lift their phones into the air with flashlights facing the stage, creating a zoomed-in Milky Way galaxy – albeit with clouds of cannabis smoke floating in the middle. For Buchanan, the moment is a time warp.
