Halestorm Unplugged
- Dawn Osborne
- 20 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Often acoustic shows are lesser than the whole enchilada. Here there was no sense of that at all. It was a unique experience of its own and all the lyrics could be clearly heard, allowing for a more emotional experience with the crowd.
There’s no support tonight, just straight into Halestorm Unplugged: vocalist Lzzy and guitarist Joe of Halestorm; in real life, a romantic couple. When they first met they went around clubs in the US doing four hours of this for 75 dollars, after deciding that they would not get real jobs. It’s hard to miss that this is quite a romantic thing for them to return to doing this type of show. There are a few differences: it’s the first time they’ve done it in the UK and Lzzy no longer climbs on the bar, kicking off glasses by accident.
The stripped back format really showcases Lzzy’s voice and the sheer power of it
They open with ‘Amen’, a life-affirming statement. The stripped back format really showcases Lzzy’s voice and the sheer power of it, coupled with the fact that they do not sit down makes it a bigger deal than most acoustic performances. Additionally, she injects the full force of her personality into the performance. Fiercely herself, before ‘White Dress’ she is already encouraging people to be whatever they want to be, and daring women to fully express themselves before ‘Bad Girl’s World’. She is the epitome of someone who never changed to get where she is, and it keeps her where she wants to be.
She has never been shy of discussing sex, and ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Like A Woman Can’ position that front and centre. Eyeballing the crowd, she is familiar with many members of the audience who have been at previous shows and there is a sense that she is in it together with them, empowering all consenting adults. Her voice is so expressive and hearing it without the heavy back end just emphasizes the emotion, as do the long extended notes that are every bit as powerful and intense as any theatrical performer across the planet. Kneeling down for ‘Familiar Taste Of Poison’, she pours out her heart.
He volunteers, “Hey Mate! Is anyone having fun yet”, in a recognisable attempt at an English accent.
There are breaks where they talk to the audience and Lzzy encourages Joe to say something. He volunteers, “Hey Mate! Is anyone having fun yet”, in a recognisable attempt at an English accent. They say that they miss Arejay (Lzzy’s brother and drummer) and Josh (bassist), but the acoustic show is a different vibe – I agree! Joe explains they always did songs and covers when they did unplugged sessions in the early days, but this new version is updated to include recent songs not around at that time. The show is split into two parts with three covers. There are two in the first half; ‘Girl Crush’ (Little Big Town) and ‘Lover You Should Have Come Over’ (Jeff Buckley). I prefer both versions tonight to the originals, but the real power at the finale of the first half are storming versions of ‘I Get Off’ and ‘The Silence’, which Hale introduces as “our story”, explaining how grateful she is to do something she loves with someone she loves.
The second half began with Lzzy on keyboards as she sang three songs on her own. ‘Dear Daughter’ was in tribute to her parents who always supported her wanting to be in a band for a living. She described ‘How Will You Remember Me?’ as her funeral song, while assuring the audience she is perfectly healthy and commenting that the best way to be remembered is to uplift others and be good to each other. The third song was ‘Break In’, for which she got the whole place lit up with cell phone lights like glow-worms.
Joe comes back for the rest of the show, predominantly Halestorm songs including unforgettable versions of ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’, ‘I Am The Fire’ which sounds particularly perfect raw like this, and ‘Freak Like Me’. After mentioning how emotional it was to see Ozzy sing ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’ at ‘Back To The Beginning’, they did ‘I Like It Heavy’, the lyrics of which mention Black Sabbath as she sings about how much she has loved our kind of music since she was a teen. With its Country Rock ‘n’ Roll feel and a cappella session, it works really well in this format.
With its Country Rock ‘n’ Roll feel and a cappella session, it works really well in this format.
Chris Turpin (Ida Mae/Mirador) joined them for a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Gold Dust Woman’, adding a touch of slide, and Sid Glover (formerly Heaven’s Basement, now of The Cruel Knives) also got on stage as a special guest for an amazing version of ‘I Miss The Misery’. As Turpin and Glover leave the stage someone throws a bra at Lzzy, which she makes into a hat for Joe. When it falls off she throws it backstage, clearly intending to keep it! The final song was back to the couple again without any guests, for a rousing version of ‘Here’s To Us’. It does feel as though they are celebrating their partnership with these shows.
While not a substitute for the full electric Halestorm show, they are also something remarkable.
Often acoustic shows are lesser than the whole enchilada. Here there was no sense of that at all. It was a unique experience of its own and all the lyrics could be clearly heard, allowing for a more emotional experience with the crowd. I’d say this was easily the best unplugged kind of a show I have seen, totally different from sit-down affairs and certainly could not be described as low key. I am not surprised that Lzzy and Joe wanted to do some of these shows again. While not a substitute for the full electric Halestorm show, they are also something remarkable.
Review & Photos: Dawn Osborne
PHOTO GALLERY
Were you at the gig? Was it:
0%Loud & Proud
0%Live & Limp
Location:
Disclaimer:
All photographs in this review are given for free for us to use (either in the magazine or website). We will not give them to a third party without the express permission of the rights owners. If payment is required between the rights owner and the third party, that will be decided between them, not Fireworks Rock & Metal Music Magazine.
