Halestorm Turns the Ford Center Into Their Own Chapel

For some time now Halestorm has been setting the music industry ablaze and captivating fans all around the world. Halestorm first formed in 1997 with siblings Arejay and Lzzy Hale when the two were just 10 and 13 years old. Pretty crazy right? Well, when you consider where they are now it doesn’t seem so crazy. These two young stars in the making would go on to continue writing original material and cranking out their own brand of badassery until 2003 when guitarist Joe Hottinger would inevitably join the band, and just one year from Joe joining, bassist Josh Smith would round out the lineup, further sending Halestorm into orbit as the industry powerhouse they are today.

Now after performing over 250 shows a year, Grammy award winning Halestorm looks to bring it in 2022 and they have help. Enlisted to accompany Halestorm on this current run are Black Stone Cherry. That’s right, our friends from Kentucky are back and better than ever, opening up a show with some good southern sauce of their own. At the time of this story, Stone Temple Pilots was set to complete the remaining shows of this leg of the tour, however due to a positive case of Covid, they unfortunately had to drop off of the tour. We want to send our sincerest best wishes and a speedy recovery to them and their team. With that said, Black Stone Cherry and Halestorm will be performing longer sets and changing set times. However, where there’s music, there’s healing.

Black Stone Cherry in Evansville, IN

Kicking off the night is a band that has a special place in our hearts, especially mine. Our dear friends Black Stone Cherry, all the way from Edmonton Kentucky. Ben Wells, John Fred Young, Chris Robertson and the newest member of the band Steve Jewel are looking to get out and stretch their legs. The boys have been itching to play for some time and had a lot of musical aggression to let out. Shit son, did they deliver or what!? Opening up their set with their mega hit "Me and Mary Jane," Robertson, Wells and Jewel were visibly charged with such frenetic energy that you could feel it! The southern rock legends ended their set with the heavy hitting "Lonely Train." This would immediately become my favorite performance by the guys to date and an extra special one being that it’s just in their backyard basically just across the Ohio River from their hometown. If you haven’t by now, but a ticket to see this tour and any tour that Black Stone Cherry is on!

Halestorm's Arejay Hale in Evansville, IN

A quick set change and some fast-pacing back line work and it was time for the Nashville powerhouse Halestorm! One by one the band would take the stage and open their explosive set with "Freak Like Me." A great way to invite everyone to the show. Lzzy Hale was dressed in a badass long black latex coat wearing these insane heels which made me respect this show even more because who the hell can rock out like she did and wear those is beyond me, but hey, she pulls it off and kicks ass while doing it. Joe Hottinger was in the zone and visibly having one hell of a time. At one point in the show Lzzy and Joe would do an almost 8-minute guitar solo that absolutely blew my mind. Halestorm is also home to one of my favorite drummers in music today, Arejay Hale, brother of the queen of rock, Lzzy Hale. Arejay is without a doubt one of the most sensational and technical drummers I have ever had the good fortune to see play and photograph. Josh Smith is surely not to be left out of the fray. This man is smooth as silk on bass while providing the low-end sound that elevated the band, while lending backing vocals for them as well. An integral part of Halestorm.

The band would go on to show Evansville one hell of a time playing their way through a 16-song set that was one for the books in Evansville, Indiana. There were moments of pure adrenaline and times when they’d slow it down some just to play with the chemicals in our brains. Fun, entertaining, and one wild ride of a show. If you haven’t seen this tour or any consisting of these bands, you’re certainly missing out. Live music is back my friends, and these bands are just about the best of the best out right now! Don’t hesitate, but the damn tickets!