Part 3: HALESTORM and the Road Home
Hello again, most Awesome SGs, SG Hopefuls, and members, and welcome to the third and final installment of my blog regarding the 16 August Halestorm/ITM/NYD show! I hope you’re ready to Rock one more time!
After the break following the ITM set, my rockiin’ companion and I had fun talking about what we had experienced so far and the upcoming Metallica concert in December (I may go to that also!) When Halestorm took the stage, they immediately distinguished themselves as the most experienced band of the three by the sheer power created by their stripped-down stage set-up that primarily focused on light effects to supplement the music. They opened with “Skulls” and “Vicious,” off their new album, followed by three songs from “The Strange Case of...” including my favorites, “Love Bites (So Do I),” “Mz. Hyde,” and perhaps the greatest breakup song of all time, I Miss The Misery. Where NYD had a feeling of chaotic, rebellious energy, and ITM had a feeling of supercharged erotic feminine power, Halestorm’s energy felt more like a high energy party amongst friends that share a dark sisterly secret, which is no doubt why fans of Lzzy Hale and Halestorm are called “Freaks,” and they like it! In between songs, Lzzy would pause and talk to the audience as if she was addressing an old friend or a lover, and it felt JUST RIGHT.
Lzzy Hale, the Siren of Metal, and her trademark Gibson Explorer custom and lovely leather pants, once again courtesy of 94.5 Rock Radio Spokane!
At one point, my companion noted that the drummer, Lzzy’s brother, Arejay Hale, was taking clothes off after every number, starting with a full 2-piece pink suit. She speculated that he would be naked by the end of the show! Being a lesbian, I had no interest in that, but she was obviously enjoying herself! Although he didn’t strip all the way, by the end of the show, he was only wearing a tank top and shorts. In the last set of songs he played a drum solo for us, and I suddenly realized he was playing a tribute to Neil Peart, the drummer for Rush, one of the greatest of all time IMHO. I didn’t manage to video the whole solo, but I will share the snippet I took after this blog as an “encore.”
There was a break between songs when the all the lights when out, then Lzzy wowed everyone by taking the spotlight alone and singing several bars and the chorus from “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman,” a cappella, which had most of the audience, including me, singing along. She didn’t mention why - I learned after the show that Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, who made that song famous, had died earlier that day. 😢
In addition to “I Miss the Misery,” the highlight of the show for me was the performance of Uncomfortable, which really showcases Lzzy’s singing ability and expressed the essence of the concert as a whole: a surge of rising, defiant, powerful feminine energy that is only a spark of the firestorm of what’s to come. It’s fitting that they also played I Am The Fire🔥 !!
After the show, I waited and chatted with my friend from work until her ride came to take her home, and then I started walking back to my apartment. However, since I hadn’t been to this concert venue before, I got lost, in spite of using the navigation unit on my phone. Being lost in the middle of a city in the middle of the night is not generally a safe thing, especially for a woman. But, I am a survivor and a warrior, familiar with the martial art of Tai-Chi Chu’an (not just for exercise), and I learned to fence (sword fighting) when I was in college. Not to mention that I am no stranger to walking alone with only the stars and moon as my companions. I soon recognized some large buildings from a distance and discovered another route using my phone. In the process, I crossed another bridge and beheld the river once again, but this time at the location of the hydro-electric power plant; it was both impressive and beautiful, and calming after the concert. I also found a guitar store that I had been meaning to visit in the process, and I returned home happier than I have been in a long time.
I hope you’ve had fun reading about my wild, fun night, and I hope that you have your own awesome concert experience soon. If you do, please tag me if you blog about it, I’d love to read it - and I love music in general, not just Metal! SG Rocks, and so do each of YOU!! 🎸🎶🎶🤘🤘🏽🤘🏿
💗
-Dhyani
