‘An evening with Halestorm’ is a brilliant concert combination of an acoustic set of heart-wrenching ballads and an electric show full of rock ‘n’ roll tracks that truly represent what the band is all about. With four studio albums throughout their career and over two hundred shows a year, Grammy winning band Halestorm took over the iconic Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow on 7th March and set the stage on fire.
As we arrive, the queue for the concert is all the way behind the venue and the fans are eager to see the band for the first time after a two-year pause due to the pandemic. The show begins with an intimate performance of the song ‘Break In’ by lead singer Lzzy Hale while playing the piano alone on stage. It brings the audience together with phones lighting up and swaying along to the track while singing about the one they love most. Guitarist Joe Hottinger later joins her on stage as Lzzy performs one of the band’s most powerful ballads – ‘Familiar Taste of Poison’. The rest of the guys also join in for a special cover performance of ‘I’m Gonna be (500 Miles)’ by Scottish legends The Proclaimers. The song brings an incredibly positive atmosphere with the audience and the musicians singing together and clapping along to the catchy tune. The band ends the first set with a slower blues version of the fan favourite ‘Mz Hyde’ before Lzzy’s little brother, drummer Arejay Hale, comes to the front of the stage and entertains the audience with a brilliant offbeat stand-up show full of dad jokes and some drum rolls. At first it seems a bit weird and out of the blue, but the audience quicky warms up to the drummer’s charming performance and plays along with the jokes.
While the acoustic part of the show had some incredible vocal moments and audience sing-alongs, the electric set truly makes the crowd go wild. The unique show formula reveals Lzzy Hale’s impressive vocals ranging from soulful acoustic performances to incredible growls and powerful high notes during the electric part of the concert. The breath-stopping light show, and the hard-hitting guitar riffs of the opening song ‘Back from the Dead’ captivate every single person in the room immediately. The audience is raising the sign of the horns and head banging along to the band’s impressive live performance. Lzzy Hale dedicates the song ‘Uncomfortable’ to all the ladies in the room while singing about the gender issues she faces in the industry every day. Her charisma and incredible vocals truly make her one of the most fascinating live musicians in the world right now. Combining screaming leading parts with soft and powerful vocals all whilst playing the guitar, changing instruments and rocking the stage in ten-inch heels, Lzzy Hale is a force in rock music to be reckoned with. She also dedicates the song ‘Daughters of Darkness’ to two of their most loyal fans in the audience who flew from the US to attend their one hundredth gig of Halestorm. Drummer Arejay Hale also showcases an incredible drum solo as the band performs their newest single ‘The Steeple’.
Halestorm finish the night with an encore of ‘Here’s to Us’ and raising a toast to the audience with some Scottish whiskey while sharing their regret of drinking an entire bottle of Buckfast during their last visit to Glasgow – ‘Never doing that again’ as Lzzy declares. The final track ‘I Miss the Misery’ gets everybody to sing along while the band’s extended outro turns into a guitar solo battle between Lzzy and Joe making the perfect goodbye for the fans.
