Words by Erin Eddy
Pix by Nick Tevelis
Ah, Melbourne, you sly dog, you. Trust you to do that very, very Melbourne thing where you drop
the temperature an offensive amount in the space of 12 hours.
Of course, you turned the temp down to ‘fucking-freezing-degrees’ on the night of the Halestorm gig; a sold-out show, that saw the line to get into iconic Flinders Street venue, The Forum, span several blocks, twisting and zig-zagging through Melbourne’s famous graffiti-clad alleyways, punters shivering and huddling together, complaining about the sudden cold snap. Despite the inconveniently chilly night, there was nothing that would quell the electricity in the air created by the hundreds of Halestorm fans making their way into the venue.
The Forum is one of my favourite venues in Melbourne and in my opinion, Halestorm couldn’t have picked a better place for this show. It’s big enough to give people the stadium rock show vibes without viewing the band from three kilometres away. Halestorm must think highly of The Forum also, as this was the location of their last Melbourne headliner back in 2019.
Upon entering, support band, Canada’s Theory Of A Deadman were already playing.
I am unfamiliar with this band, however it was evident that I was in the minority as many punters were
singing along and interacting with the band. There were times throughout their set that evoked familiarity, making me think I knew the song, only to realise I was thinking of another band. This happened enough times for me to realise that Theory Of A Deadman are masters of the standard rock formula. Take that for what it is. Their sound was big, their set was tight, they’re clearly extremely proficient musicians, but I personally didn’t find an x-factor that would draw me in as a new fan. I really enjoyed their song Dinosaur, that was probably the stand out for me, but if I’m being totally honest, I think I was suffering from an affliction. I think it’s known as I’m-here-for-the- headliner-itis.
Now comes the difficult part for me. How do I adequately sum up with mere words just how incredible Halestorm were from beginning to end?
The band sauntered on stage, owning every inch of it from the get-go, and launched straight into Back From The Dead, delivered as if it were a savage punch in the face that you had begged for.
Lzzy Hale is nothing short of a rock ‘n roll powerhouse. She commands your attention and her talent is so mind-blowingly huge I don’t think it would be possible to find a soul on earth who could watch this lady perform and not be impressed.
Halestorm are flawless. They are so well versed in their live performances, yet you can tell there is nothing choreographed about what they do either. Each interaction, flashed smile, shot glance and laugh between the members is so genuine. Of course, it’s always impressive to watch a well-rehearsed band moving about the stage, but one of my favourite things about a live performance is when you can clearly see the members having fun and enjoying playing music with one another. Halestorm had this in spades.
Their set spanned an hour and half and was a beautiful combination of old and new material. Mid-way through the set the stage darkened, the members scurried off to the wings and a keyboard was wheeled into the centre of the stage. We were then treated to an intimate moment with just Lzzy and the piano, pouring her heart out and showcasing exactly how dynamic she is as a vocalist and songwriter. How this woman can go from mean guitar riffs laced with vocal cord-shredding screams to these melodic, pitch perfect soulful ballads just makes me shake my head in both disbelief and admiration.
With the goosebump-inducing piano section finished with, drummer Arejay then took the spotlight to showcase his chops with a fierce drum solo, complete with spinning sticks, airborne sticks and even giant sticks at the end!
While it’s clear that Lzzy is an absolute drawcard and an insane talent, Halestorm manages this terrific balance that ensures it’s not just the ‘Lzzy Hale Show’. Each member gets their moment, and guitarist Joe Hottinger certainly had his share of time in the spotlight with his insanely impressive solos, strutting back and forth the stage with a grin from ear to ear, throwing out guitar picks every five minutes, and running back and forth with bassist, Josh Smith.
In conclusion, I knew I was going to be attending a high-quality show, but this was hands down one of the best gigs I have been to in a long time, and I think it’s going to take a lot to top it any time soon.
I wholeheartedly believe that Halestorm are one of the greatest hard rock bands on the planet right now and what I experienced on Friday night has cemented itself as one of my top five gigs of all time.
