Halestorm - The Strange Case Of... Tour 2014
Halestorm's popularity in the UK has definitely taken a quick upwards turn, and that turn has led to the band venturing out on a headlining tour of the UK, playing a sold out show at the Forum; London.
Halestorm were welcomed to the stage by deafening screams as they quickly launched into I Miss The Misery. The band and the crowd seemed to instantly get into the swing of things, within the opening bars of the first track, it appeared that the bar had been set for the evening.
As always, the long-legged, leather wearing front woman known as Lzzy Hale was the focal point of the band, the women watching clearly adored and worshipped her, and I'm pretty sure at least 90% of the men in the room were not just there to simply admire her music. As Hale bounded around the stage wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses, you couldn't help but wonder if the hit singles and Grammy award win have gone to her head. Thankfully, she made the wise decision of throwing her sunnies into the crowd after a couple of tracks.
Halestorm have been over to the UK several times as both a headliner and a support act, but it was quickly obvious that their showmanship had improved remarkably and the band sounded like a tighter, more cohesive unit throughout their set than they ever have before. One thing that hasn't changed is the fact that drummer Arejay still performs an overly long drum solo. There's no doubt he is an incredible drummer with plenty of tricks up his sleeve. His solo sees him throwing his sticks to insane heights and catching them, drumming with his bare hands and with oversized drumsticks without missing a beat. It is great that he gets this slot as he becomes lost behind Lzzy and guitarist Joe Hottinger at times, but it might be time to introduce something new, as that entire segment of their show has become predictable.
Overall, Halestorm put on a good show. They are talented musicians and Lzzy appeared to be more comfortable and confident with her vocal range. The band have extremely loyal and dedicated fans who happily sang along song after song, but the biggest response came in reply to tracks such as Freak Like Me and Love Bits (So Do I.