LIVE REVIEW: Halestorm @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
When is the right time for a band to host “An Evening With” events? Do they need to be considered a legacy band who has decades of material behind them? Or could it be pulled off by a “smaller” band? On a drizzly Sunday evening, fans piled in to the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire for An Evening With HALESTORM.
The Pennsylvania rock band promised two and a half hours of nothing but HALESTORM. A scene straight from Heaven for the feverous fans of Lzzy Hale and co. “It’s all us all the time” the frontwoman spoke into the microphone after walking on stage to little fanfare. Armed with a keyboard, the modern-day powerhouse breezed into the acoustic portion of the evening with Break In.
It would be remiss if we didn’t say HALESTORM took a massive risk in not only being the sole band on the bill but kicking off the evening with stripped back renditions of some of their most popular material. With an audience chomping at the bit to get back into the live arena, this could have gone bust. However there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Hale opened Dear Daughter with a rousing speech of how supportive parents can help you achieve your dreams. While Hale’s voice sent chills throughout the room with well thought out acoustic compositions, this route hasn’t always the path best travelled.
The wheels began to wobble with reimagined versions of HALESTORM’s uptempo tunes. While Mz. Hyde housed a nice groove to prompt some bobbing heads, it leaned towards mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll. The addition of Apocalyptic served to further threaten to upset the apple cart. The song about one last night of hot passion felt lukewarm. Questions darted around as to whether this portion of the set was entirely necessary. It did indeed add another dynamic to the evening. A last-minute addition of THE CLASH’s Should I Stay Or Should I Go added itself to the list of examples that Lzzy Hale can sing absolutely anything and have it turn out well. That in mind, the evening would have benefitted from having a support band play in place of this segment.
HALESTORM excel when they’re fully plugged in. This isn’t to say Lzzy Hale doesn’t have a vocal range outstanding enough to carry the set. The acoustic rendition of Familiar Taste Of Poison was spectacularly haunting. Opening the electric set with Back From The Dead from their upcoming album of the same name gave the band the boost they needed for the next 90 minutes.
Sailing into Rock Show, the band didn’t miss a beat in describing what the atmosphere was like for the fans in attendance. Stalwart fans who’d faithfully followed the band around the country melted into the highs of Joe Hottinger’s solo. Looking around the room, there was a great amount of love and release seeping into the air. After a welcoming joke to the newbies in the crowd from Lzzy Hale (which were thankfully better than Arjay Hale’s), I Get Off’s tantalising chug dictated the crowd’s subtle head bobbing. Lzzy Hale’s delivery of lyrics such as “It’s so much more exciting/ To look when you can’t touch” oozed confidence and charisma while she was rooted behind a microphone. By time the climactic solo slipped into scope, we’re thrown through a loop as the band goes rogue, opting for a slower change of pace. While this could connote no two female orgasms are the same, the decision did come as a surprise to some.
With material spanning from their eponymous debut (2009) to impending Back From The Dead, the Pennsylvanians wanted to give their fans a mix of much loved singles and what could be described as deeper cuts. The problem came from only having four complete albums to select their setlist from. As a result, we were given jam sessions at the end of select songs which run for too long. Amen’s characteristic groove sped up as the song continued, to the point the celebration of ourselves feels rushed. When the subsequent jam session winds on, it becomes a detriment. There is no denying HALESTORM are tremendous musicians. Their showcasing of this maybe shouldn’t have come in the form of an extended outro straight into a drum solo from Arjay Hale. Where audience members should have been absorbing the sights and sounds of Big Sticks, many were checking their watches.
A highlight for us came with the uplifting anthem I Am The Fire. Band and crowd were brought together to overcome whatever demons they were facing. This is where the strength lies within HALESTORM. Their ability to bring people together within a live setting and almost have them eating out of the palm of their hands. Bar some slight technical difficulties throughout, the plugged-in portion of the evening was HALESTORM on fire.
The evening carried an “us against the world” message as Freak Like Me and Uncomfortable pumped the crowd full of energy. All eyes were on LZZY HALE as she led her people with the mantra of “I did it because fuck ‘the mant”. The band have an amazing message of being confident in and accepting yourself for all that you are. For the younger members of the crowd now is an all-important time to impart that. What better role model than Lzzy Hale? Throughout the night, she delivered phenomenal vocal performances which prompted many to stand in disbelief at what they were witnessing. Yet, she also owned up to being human and acknowledged she messed up some lyrics for Break In.
As the night drew to a close after a four-song encore, we were left with a single question. Was this type of live show premature for HALESTORM? Yes, but not by much. That more appropriate time will come with another album cycle or two on the outside. It doesn’t mean this shouldn’t have been done in the first place. HALESTORM know how to put on a show. The 90-minute electric set was solid evidence of that. They are more than capable of delivering a spectacle. It was purely a case of right idea wrong time.
Rating: 7/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Adriana Vasile Photography here:
