Halestorm - O2 Academy Sheffield 3/4/14 Live Review
Halestorm took the UK by, ahem, storm as they embarked on their
second headline UK tour, this time stopping off at Sheffield to raise a
little hell. Old and young fans alike piled into the generously-sized O2
Academy, but support acts The Smoking Hearts and Dayshell did little to kick off the evening –
vocalist Ben Mills ambitiously named The Smoking Hearts ‘the best warm up band in the
business’ before climbing on the edge of the balcony during the set, which only
showed that security take their job of pulling fully-grown men over a
four-foot barrier far too seriously. Regardless, on-stage banter made them
likeable enough.
Dayshell entered the stage in floods of screams and
hair-flipping but few people could be seen enjoying the set amongst the polite
nods and chit-chat of those who weren’t at the bar. This staleness
continued into Halestorm’s first song, I Miss the Misery, but by the second song Love Bites (So Do I), Lzzy Hale had
the crowd wrapped around her little finger. Their immense energy and
volume was infectious and soon the entire academy was alive – Lzzy’s voice was on point, holding notes that seemed
impossible, Arejay’s drums were on fire and guitarist Joe Hottinger’s solos were electrifying.
Taking a break from the loud, gritty show that Halestorm do so well, the audience set the venue alight with lighters, cameras and phones as Lzzy performed Break In, a slow melody that accentuated both her talent on a keyboard and her astounding vocal range. When the rest of the band came back on stage, Lzzy and Joe stood face-to-face for the most of Familiar Taste of Poison until dramatic violins and drum beats kicked in before rounding off one of the best songs of the night with a drum solo – it wouldn’t be a Halestorm show without Arejay getting the big guns out – literally – as he produced a pair of huge drumsticks in the midst of his astonishing five-minute solo.
Overall, Halestorm put on one hell of a show amidst one too many cover songs – their energy and passion set the venue alight and it was clear that the band were enjoying it just as much as the crowd, as Lzzy repeatedly thanked the crowd for being there. The highlight of the night was the finale, Here’s to Us, an explosive and heart-warming song that united both crowd and band in a celebration of Halestorm’s successes and as the Pennsylvanian four-piece bowed off stage, the entire crowd was left wondering how long it would take for them to headline an arena tour…Judging on this performance, not long!
Taking a break from the loud, gritty show that Halestorm do so well, the audience set the venue alight with lighters, cameras and phones as Lzzy performed Break In, a slow melody that accentuated both her talent on a keyboard and her astounding vocal range. When the rest of the band came back on stage, Lzzy and Joe stood face-to-face for the most of Familiar Taste of Poison until dramatic violins and drum beats kicked in before rounding off one of the best songs of the night with a drum solo – it wouldn’t be a Halestorm show without Arejay getting the big guns out – literally – as he produced a pair of huge drumsticks in the midst of his astonishing five-minute solo.
Overall, Halestorm put on one hell of a show amidst one too many cover songs – their energy and passion set the venue alight and it was clear that the band were enjoying it just as much as the crowd, as Lzzy repeatedly thanked the crowd for being there. The highlight of the night was the finale, Here’s to Us, an explosive and heart-warming song that united both crowd and band in a celebration of Halestorm’s successes and as the Pennsylvanian four-piece bowed off stage, the entire crowd was left wondering how long it would take for them to headline an arena tour…Judging on this performance, not long!
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