Halestorm – The Myth – Maplewood, MN – December 13, 2013

Written by Tracy Hansen.  Photography b y Kyle Hansen of RKH Images.

Friday, December 13, 2013 is the night of the 93X XGirl Finale and they have brought Halestorm to entertain.  When Halestorm, who continue to grow in popularity and demand every day, comes to a club the size of The Myth to play, it’s going to be a true event.  Throw in the fact that it is Friday night and that 93X has brought twelve beautiful women to the add to the mix and it’s going to be one of those nights that is talked about for a long time.

Pop Evil opens for Halestorm and the crowd is on their feet, cheering, and excited.  For those that are native to Minnesota, odds are, they have seen Pop Evil before.  Although the band hails from Michigan, they have made themselves known both through local radio play and an extensive tour.  Their last show in the cities was with Papa Roach at First Avenue, a show that people are still talking about.  So it goes without saying that they made the night of a large amount of people in the audience.  Pulling through a list of head banging tunes, they polish off their final number with a visit from all the XGirls, past and present, who join them on stage to dance to the song.  The energy in the club increases two fold at that moment, prepping everyone the main act.

When going to a Halestorm show, most people think that the first thing they should keep an eye on is Lzzy Hale.  It’s not true.  One should always be on the lookout for her brother, Arejay.  He is perhaps the most fun and interactive drummer since Tommy Lee, starting the show off with a bang.  As with many performances, he is the first on stage and lives up every moment of it. Lzzy is quick to follow him, breaking into “Love Bites (So Do I)” as the opening number.  Not to be left behind, Joe Hottinger is right beside her backing her up with vocals and lead guitar, as well as Josh Smith, the bass guitarist.

Halestorm puts on an outstanding show for their adoring fans, which includes a mix of various songs.  The radio hit, “Freak Like Me” is one of the opening tunes and several similar songs accompany it throughout the evening, such as “You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing”, “Rock Show” and more.  The piano ballad, “Break In” is of sharp contrast to afore mentioned, showing off Lzzy’s skills as a multi-talented musician.  They also delight the crowd with cover songs, “Gold Dust Woman” of Fleetwood Mac fame and the metal classic, “Dissident Aggressor” by Judas Priest.  The initial set is completed with “I Get Off”, the song that introduced so many people to Halestorm years ago.

They return to the stage for two encores of “I Miss the Misery” and “Here’s to Us”.  “Here’s to Us” is simply a perfect song to end a night on.  It’s both beautiful and memorable and you can’t feel anything but nostalgic and happy when you hear it.  It seems to put everything in perspective and leaves the audience with an overall satisfied and excited feeling departing for the night.

Set List: Love Bites (So Do I), Mz Hyde, It’s Not You, Freak Like Me, You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing, Innocence, Don’t Know How to Stop, Daughter of Darkness, Rock Show, Gold Dust Woman, Break In, Familiar Taste of Poison, Dissident Aggressor, I Get Off, I Miss the Misery, Here’s to Us