With fans chanting her name, Lzzy Hale was all smiles as Halestorm played at Rock On The Range this past weekend. The Grammy-award winning rock band has played Rock On The Range five times since 2009. Photos by Damien Dennis
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here may be no act better in active rock music today than Halestorm. From the kind-hearted demeanor of the band offstage to the energy they bring during live performances, they are unparalleled.
And that sort of attitude and energy came through at Rock On The Range last weekend, a place where vocalist Lzzy Hale says the band “grew up.” Halestorm has played Rock On The Range five times since debuting in 2009, and a late Sunday afternoon set stole the show, showing why they’ve been a festival mainstay.
Before I go any further, I have to admit my bias: I LOVE this band. From my first time seeing this group in 2012 to traveling to Flint two days after ROTR to catch them with The Pretty Reckless and Starset earlier this week, they are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands.
Arejay Hale took the stage first to thunderous applause, followed by Joe Hottinger, Lzzy and Josh Smith. The foursome got straight to business with the song that won them the Grammy, “Love Bites (So Do I).”
More than half the set featured songs off Into The Wild Life, including “Amen,” “I Like It Heavy” and “Mayhem.” Halestorm didn’t fail to play the classics, however, including the first song of their 2009 album, “It’s Not You.”
Lzzy and the boys played with smiles on their faces through most of the set despite the incredible hot and humid weather after a midday rain. At one point, the band took a shot of Jagermeister before continuing their set, with Lzzy stating,” We’ve got Jager babes on stage!”
Halestorm played their first single off Into The Wild Life – “Apocalyptic” – before finishing their set with the classic “I Miss The Misery.”
Throughout the day, the band was busy making press rounds and doing signings with fans. Overall, they did not disappoint, putting on the best performance of the day and putting smiles on fans faces.
