Concert Commentary: Halestorm @ the Grove of Anaheim
Supported by the Rival Sons and another band not worth mentioning
Like honestly. I couldn’t understand them...
This is so late! I saw had the privilege of seeing Halestorm live at the Grove of Anaheim on June 5th. What a joy to see hard rock is still alive and well in the age of alt acoustic hipsters and techno mixed pop punk.
It’s tough to find some a front woman these days who has the gruff rock and roll vibe of the old days. Lzzy Hale is setting herself to be one of the greats. With 2 Grammys under their belts, Halestorm consistently churns out balls to the wall rock music with no apologies.
I noticed Lzzy struggling to hit some of the high notes and screams in a few of the songs. Alas, later in the show she confessed that she was not feeling well, but she still gave a great performance. And she is one of few lead singers who also double as the rhythm guitarist. She even banged out some of the simpler solos. Honestly, as a girl who is learning to play guitar, it’s inspiring to watch a female master the instrument in an aggressive way. No shade to the girls who rock an acoustic or go for the light electric guitar vibes, but hard rock rarely sees woman for whatever reason are present and at the forefront. As of right now Taylor Momsen and Lizzy Hale are the only hard rock girls who have a rough edge. There are screamo girls, pop punk girls, and melodic metal ladies present, but hard rock is different.
Brief feminist rant is over. MORE REVIEW THINGS.
Halestorm as a band live goes with the flow. Nothing is overly polished, but they remain consistent. Although, Lzzy is clearly the star as the front woman, everybody has their chance to shine. Lzzy’s brother and drummer for Halestorm, Arejay Hale, had a 4 minute (maybe more) drum solo where at one point he pulled out giant drumsticks. Their lead guitarist is precise and melodic at just the right moments.
My only criticism with this band is there stage production, or lack there of. They have a backdrop with their name on it. I know this isn’t exactly theatrical music, but I feel they could do more with their stage. Add some fire, some pyro, get a little crazy. Additionally, I think there should be costumes. Or some kind of dress code.
Maybe just black. BUT FANCY BLACK.
That was my quick bit on this 80s rock and roll band in the modern world :)
