If you didn’t catch this tour, I’m afraid you may not have a chance. As I write this, there is only one show left of this tour and it’s in Vermont. This show was their January 24th show in Springfield, MA. So let’s get into it.
Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of Halestorm decided to head out and do a limited date acoustic show, playing Halestorm hits and various covers. Personally, when a band is on tour, I like to be surprised by the show and typically don’t do any “research” prior to this show…and I stuck to it this time!
I wondered prior if perhaps Lzzy decided to do an acoustic tour because maybe (just maybe) her powerful voice had softened and doing a “sweeter” acoustic versions would provide less strain. Welp, I was wrong and clearly don’t know what I’m talking about. This girl can still sing her ass off. The highs, the lows, the screams, the gravely sound, it’s all there and strong as ever. It’s amazing that someone can maintain that style and force for so many years, but that’s why she’s a professional I guess.
So how was the show? Fantastic! The show was just her and Joe, with one acoustic guitar (except for Dear Daughter where she played piano). I was actually surprised by this because Lzzy herself is one hell of a guitar player and I expected that dual harmonized guitar sound, but that’s ok. Without a guitar, Lzzy was a true frontwoman able to move about the stage freely. I also dug that she went with the corded microphone versus wireless. Just gives that old school rock vibe.
The night was filled with stories about her musical influences, growing up and being an outcast (listening to Dio while girls her age were into Spice Girls), support from her parents, life on the road, winning a Grammy for best Hard Rock/Metal Performance even though the record label wanted them to do a pop song, a threesome in Holland, and more. The usual. It was sort of like a VH1 Storytellers and MTV Unplugged show all in one, with each night being a different setlist.
Since I mentioned covers…she did tell a story about when she “quit” Halestorm to go sing for Skid Row, which led into her cover of I Remember You. It was a solid cover (audio version below), but I must say that even though she’s a woman and can sing in a higher octave and key than most men, Sebastian Bach still gets higher. I’ve heard I Remember You a thousand times, and I’ve seen Sebastian do it live probably 4 or 5 times, and one of those was within the last year. He still sings it better and it’s quite impressive. Sorry Lzzy. A valiant effort for sure, and honestly she did better than probably 98% of rock singers today…just not better than Sebastian.
But back to the show, Lzzy seemed genuinely happy on stage. Lots of laughter, smiles, waving at people, joking around with Joe and crowd. During their one song encore of Here’s To Us she was calling people up to the stage (not on the stage, just in front of it) and taking selfies with them while singing, posing for photos, high-fiving and just being a gracious rock star. Very cool show, cool concept with a stage designed to be like a living room, and small venue. Sounds like they’ll be back on tour this summer with the full band if you want to catch the full version.
Setlist:
- White Dress
- Mz. Hyde
- I Like It Heavy
- I Remember You (Skid Row cover)
- The Reckoning
- Familiar Taste of Poison
- Dear Daughter
- I Get Off
- Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac cover)
- Love Bites (So Do I)
- I Miss the Misery
- Rock Show
- Girl Crush (Little Big Town cover)
- Do Not Disturb
- Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover)
- Here’s To Us (encore)
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