Halestorm and Tom Keifer – Taste of Minnesota – July 5, 2014

The Taste of Minnesota is an annual event that is often coveted by Minnesotans. So this year, when the original venue in Saint Paul was flooded, there was a lot of speculation as to how it would hold out in Waconia.

On July 5, 2014, Halestorm and Tom Keifer play the Taste. It is a beautiful day for an outdoor show and not only is the audience incredibly happy to be there, but the talent as well.The audience varies tremendously, as the fans of Tom Keifer range from his Cinderella days to those of today, mixed with the young Halestorm fans. Because of this, both sets of fans are exposed to music they may never have listened to.

Tom Keifer takes the stage sounding as great as ever. It can be difficult to determine at times whether singers from older eras are going to be good anymore, as age and more can do damage to the vocals. This is not the case with Tom. Not only does he entertain the crowd with some new numbers, which are very good, but with songs from the days of Cinderella as well.

This is my first time getting to hear any Cinderella songs live, something I have been looking forward to for years. It was fantastic and the highlight of my day was getting to sing “Nobody’s Fool” with not only a bunch of friends, but the entire audience. It was an excellent set and a great way to introduce Halestorm.

Halestorm gets better every time that I see them. That may sound odd to some, as they would assume that bands get better over time, but it’s not always the case. With Halestorm, they seem to take in every show and improve each time. They are also incredibly nice people. I have had the opportunity to meet them on multiple occasions, including at The Taste and they are incredibly nice to all their fans. It’s an element that when added to the show makes it that much better.

I find Halestorm to be an incredible live band. They are good in studio, but it’s a real treat to see them live. Lzzy Hale has a voice that comes through much better live than on their albums, in my opinion, as she can sing anything. It’s amazing. She goes from what will eventually become a classic rock ballad, “Break In” to a cover of Judas Priest’s “Dissident Aggressor”. Her range is that good.

Then we move onto the other fantastic element of seeing Halestorm, Arejay Hale. I can never decide which is a better act, Lzzy or Arejay. He seems to steal the show every time. He not only plays tremendously well, but puts on a performance with his drumming. While many people often take the drum solo in a show to go grab a beer or go the bathroom, no one can during a Halestorm show. Arejay is just too much fun and makes sure that everyone is attentive of the drums.

I found the highlight of the Halestorm set to be when Lzzy brought up Tom Keifer. He is her idol and any musician that gets to play with their idol is beyond ecstatic. She is not the exception. Many of her fans have no idea going into the show who Tom Keifer is. They all know by the end of the show because she not only talks about how much of an influence he was on her, but then has him join her at the end of the set for “Here’s to Us”.

For anyone who has ever been inspired, they can see what a treat it is for her. Both shows make the Taste of Minnesota. The shows and the overall event are fun for fans of all ages and I hope to see such an event again.