While surfing through social platforms after a long day, it might be fun to discover what the latest trends have to offer. At least, it was quite fun for Ghost frontman Tobias Forge to find out that TikTok loved ‘Mary On A Cross,’ featuring the song all over the platform through different videos.
This undoubtedly helped boost the track’s popularity on digital streaming platforms, paving the way for Ghost on their mission to reach out to new audiences unfamiliar with their discography. However, becoming the ‘latest trend‘ isn’t always fun, as after one faithful SNL show that took place a few years ago, Greta Van Fleet would turn into TikTok’s newest meme.
The band had an impressive breakthrough with numerous tracks up until that point, often celebrated by fans and critics for their sound, compared to the likeness of Led Zeppelin. They also received praise from the music industry for leading the way for a new generation of rock and helping prove that the genre wasn’t dead to those who doubted.
With all the publicity they received, it became a sort of necessity to honor the act’s reputation with an SNL appearance. After all, it’s also a sort of tradition for acts to take the stage at the show and introduce themselves to new audiences. However, in our modern age of the internet, appearing on national TV and having a few things go wrong might quickly turn into the next great sensation.
Throughout the show, frontman Josh Kizska’s mimics and gestures, the poor sound control, and the awkwardness radiating off the band sparked the interest of social media users, and although there were people who liked the show, it nonetheless became a trend to mock the band and take a few snides at Josh’s gestures.
After the gig, it was evident that the internet was determined to have their time with Greta Van Fleet and have a good laugh. The act’s manager, Michael Barbee, even said that the timing was a bit too early for the band to debut at SNL, stating they were caught off guard during the show since they weren’t ready enough.
You might also imagine how the band felt, with Josh probably picking up his phone and seeing it flooding with numerous messages and notifications about the show accompanied by countless memes. Anyone, let alone Kizska, might have a sort of a breakdown upon becoming the subject of the latest mocking session, but it seemed that he and his band knew how to handle the situation.
The key was to be professional and not let anything get in their way. Against most expectations, the band didn’t break down but had their own laughs over the gig and decided to move on and fixate on producing their next album. They released their latest album, ‘The Battle At Garden’s Gate,’ only two years after the SNL failure, not letting the show overshadow their music.
The album was a commercial success, which made it apparent that Greta Van Fleet quickly managed to retreat and make up for any damage they might have received from the show and fixate on what they do best, which is to compose rocking tunes and perform them in the best way they could.
So, we all might face some troubles in our careers since you don’t need to be a rock star or appear on national TV to have a setback. However, when handling a setback, the essential thing to know is to get yourself together and be professional, focusing on what you do best. Josh and Greta Van Fleet certainly excelled in doing that. After all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?
