For the first time this year, chaperoned by Boy Child and Mr A, I boarded the 525 to Glasgow.

It was a beautiful early Spring evening as we walked along Glasgow’s Argyle Street towards one of the city’s most iconic venues- Barrowlands.

After a mix-up with our eTickets, I wasn’t holding out much hope for a spot near the front of the crowd. ( I had been advised to go to the box office when doors opened at 7pm to collect duplicates. Huge thanks to the venue for their efficiency here. Much appreciated.)

As we approached the front of the venue shortly before 6.30pm, a lengthy queue already snaked up the street and round the corner. My heart sank… zero hope of a decent spot within sight of the rail it seemed.

It looked like An Evening With Halestorm involved a couple of thousand close friends!

My woes proved to be unfounded, largely thanks to Boy Child. Once upstairs, we divided and conquered. He secured a spot a couple of rows off the rail while Mr A and I made the obligatory trip to the merch stall.

So, what does An Evening With Halestorm entail? No support act and as Lzzy herself said- the band playing whatever the f**k they want.

And play they did!

Halestorm promised to treat us to not one but two sets – a forty-minute acoustic set followed after a 20 min break by a full electric set.

Shortly after eight, Lzzy stepped out on stage alone. Sporting a grungier look than usual, she made her way to the piano, said hi to us all then opened the show with a stunning rendition of one of my personal favourites Break In. Breathtaking. This was followed by an equally awesome Dear Daughter. Stripped back raw musical talent at its finest.

Dear Daughter – Halestorm @ Glasgow Barrowlands 07/03/2022 – YouTube

Still alone on the stage Lzzy introduced a song that they have never recorded. A real deep cut that I had never heard before- God Bless The Beast. Why has this never found its way onto an album? I was held spellbound. Loved it!

(I couldn’t find a recording from Glasgow but here’s one from the Birmingham show a few nights before.)

 Halestorm – God Bless The Beast [Birmingham 02.03.2022] – YouTube

(credits to the owner)

Joe Hottinger got a very warm welcome when he was the first of the band to join Lzzy onstage for The Silence. Love this one too.

Another of my favourites made the cut for the acoustic set – Familiar Taste Of Poison. Wow!

All four members of Halestorm looked happy, relaxed and glad to be back in Glasgow. Seeing a happy band on stage always seems to add that extra little je ne sais quoi to a performance, don’t you think?

Lzzy explained to us that for this special tour they had committed to learning one new song per show that was local to the city they were playing. Their choice for Glasgow was inspired! Cheat sheet in hand, Lzzy and the boys treated their Scottish “freaks” to a rendition of The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). The fans sang their hearts out, almost raising the roof off Barrowlands. Their passion for the song wasn’t wasted on Halestorm. Definitely one of the high points of the night!

Halestorm – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) @ Barrowlands, Glasgow – YouTube

(credits to the owner via You Tube)

The acoustic set was rounded off with a raucous rendition of the ever-popular Mz Hyde.

What a start to the evening!

As the band left the stage, drummer Arejay remained on stage to “treat” (torture?) the crowd with his tongue-in-cheek stand-up routine. What’s not to love about this colourful character? Arejay – don’t give up the day job!

Twenty minutes later, an entirely different Halestorm took to the stage. Gone was the long dress and boots. Mz Hyde was back in her skin-tight dress and 9-inch heels!

These guys from Red Lion Pennsylvania were on fire from the get-go!

Back From The Dead, the title track from their forthcoming album, opened an awesome hundred-minute set.

Halestorm – Back From The Dead @ Barrowlands, Glasgow – YouTube

(credits to the owner via You Tube)

Halestorm were on fire and the Scottish fans were fuelling the flames with their passionate singing (and over enthusiastic arm waving – Mr Hairy Arms beside us made seeing the stage a challenge at times, especially for poor Mr A)

Lzzy had promised us a set that spanned all their albums, and she didn’t let us down. Almost all the fan favourites made the cut, including mine.

As the temperature in Barrowlands rose steadily, the fans were treated to Halestorm at their finest. The hits just kept coming!  Daughters Of Darkness, I Am The Fire and Amen led us nicely to Arejay’s second spotlight moment of the night.

It wouldn’t be a Halestorm show without a spectacular drum solo from the energetic Arejay Hale. I mean, who can resist Arejay and his big sticks?

How do you follow that display? With Freak Like Me, Bombshell and Love Bites (So Do I).

Halestorm – Love Bites (Live Glasgow 2022) – YouTube

(credits to the owner via You Tube)

By now, my voice had gone!

Latest single, The Steeple closed out the main body of the set.

This is my kingdom

This is my cathedral

This is my castle

And these are my people

Yes, Lzzy, we are!

A few minutes later, Halestorm returned to the stage for a four-song encore. Holding “a wee dram” each, there was only one song that could open the encore – Here’s To Us. Awesomeness.

The bar kept being raised higher and higher as Halestorm blasted their way through Apocalyptic, and Mayhem before bringing the show to a thundering climax with I Miss The Misery.

Halestorm, we’ve missed you! Here’s to you!

Thank you for bringing An Evening With Halestorm to town. It was an unforgettable evening. Haste ye back!

Oh and I forgot to mention, I “caught” these. Thanks, Joe 🙂