Halestorm Rocks The Palladium

Halestorm recently came through New England and played the Worcester Palladium on Nov 29. The show was nothing short of amazing. Frontwoman Lzzy Hale was on fire with her incredible vocal range as well as her ability to lay down awesome guitar riffs with the forefathers of hard rock. Opening the set was their hard and heavy track, “Mz Hyde” off of their last studio album The Strange Case Of…. The crowd was eating it up from the moment Lzzy stepped out onto the stage. The night was full of their signature tracks, old and new, and with a few surprises thrown in the mix.

Known for their ability to do any songs they’ve covered justice, there were a couple curveballs in the night’s lineup of songs. First, was the classic Judas Priest song “Dissident Aggressor.” Being a huge Halestorm fan, this took me by surprise. A very pleasant surprise. To see this band rock such a killer song from one of the godfathers of heavy metal, and have Lzzy do Rob Halford such justice, was just something you had to see to believe. The other cover choice toward the end of their set was the Fleetwood Mac hit “Gold Dust Woman.” Stevie Nicks is a big influence for Lzzy’s more mellow vocals, and I can only assume that Stevie herself would be incredibly proud. The cover was absolutely flawless.

I think this is how Halestorm appeals to such a wide range of age groups. They have their own classic hard rock sound, but are tweaked to appeal to younger generations. It’s no surprise they won a Grammy by their second studio album.

Another highlight of the night showcases Lzzy’s love for her fans — one in particular tonight. A young fan named Becky had won over Lzzy’s heart and after hearing her story, she came out on stage alone with her guitar, and dedicated a solo performance of “Hate It When You See Me Cry” to this fan. The song hit home with her, and Lzzy had surprised her by doing an intimate performance of this song for her. A true, kind-hearted gesture by a woman who really does adore all of her fans. I can attest to this after meeting her after the show (in the freezing cold) around 2 am and she was such a sweetheart. She gives hugs, not handshakes. She doesn’t rush people. She talks to you like a friend.

A couple more surprises were two songs from an upcoming album to be released in early 2015. We got a taste of the tracks “Mayhem” and “I Like It Heavy.” After hearing them live in their most raw format, I feel it is an indicator of an extremely promising album.

I look forward to seeing them again when they tour in support of the new album, and I highly recommend that anyone take a night to go see them when they come around. If you have any sort of good taste in rock ‘n’ roll, you won’t be disappointed.