Following the band’s 2023 album Starcatcher and a plethora of music festival performances in 2024, Greta Van Fleet returned with a surprise, one-night-only show in New York City. The show took place at the legendary Manhattan Bowery Ballroom—a much smaller venue than the amphitheaters and arenas of Greta Van Fleet rise—with fans instructed to acquire tickets in person the day prior for just $20, Consequence reports. The band debuted two songs after a nearly two year hiatus, “Play Your Games” and “Tear It Down.”

Fans lined up all day to hear what the band might come up with post-hiatus. The concert was intended to be a way for the band to connect directly with their most dedicated supporters, which was only made more obvious when members of Greta Van Fleet showed up at the venue and began personally hand-selling tickets to fans waiting in line. The unexpected interaction only intensified the excitement and buzz surrounding the show.

There were no opening or supporting acts, Consequence says. It was a night only for Greta Van Fleet and the few hundred lucky fans there. Many from the show highlighted the closeness and intimacy of the performance while noting how the time away from the stage has not diminished the band’s ability to command a room and tell stories. There were reportedly no barricades, and the members of the bands each made sure to interact with the audience directly; vocalist Josh Kiszka stepped directly into the audience, personally handing flowers out to fans. The band played 12 songs spanning their catalog until the final moments of their set, when Greta Van Fleet debuted two new songs live, “Tear It Down” and “Play Your Games.”

Watch “Play Your Games” here: